Hey Doug,

You mention sciatic pain. Is this shooting or stabbing pain in the buttock or back of the legs? It's usually only on one side.

I ask because I've had sciatica, twice. The first time was due to a bulging lumbar disc and it resolved with time. Icing the lower back helps even though the pain is in your leg. laying on your back with your legs elevated can also help for a time. Sciatic nerve pressure can also be caused by stenosis (narrowing of the spinal canal) or scoliosis (abnormal bend in the spine) or disc/vertebra degeneration from osteoarthritis. Those conditions usually require surgery, but not always.

I would get a spine xray and talk to a good orthopedic surgeon. Personally, once the sciatic nerve is compromised, I don't trust PTs or chiropractors to be able to deal with the problem. Now a PT may ultimately help, but that will be on the recommendation of an orthopedic surgeon and a proper examination.

A good surgeon will try everything to fix your problem before suggesting surgery. I had one surgery for my lumbar spine, a minimally invasive laminotomy where part of the vertebra is removed to make more room for the sciatic nerve. And that was a second opinion because the first surgeon wanted to do a fusion. 10 years later, I'm fine with no fusion.

I know this doesn't answer your question about physiotherapy, which I assume is what a PT does based on a solid knowledge of kinesiology - how the muscles and bones of the body work.

I wish you the best. Sciatica is no fun at all....... Joe