Sciatica – Does Applying Ice help?
Does ice have a role in managing sciatica? Every week in our clinic, we get patients asking if they should use ice to help sciatica. Ice is an anti-inflammatory, and in most causes of sciatica, there is always an inflammatory component. Therefore, on the face, using ice seems to make sense because it would facilitate […]
The effect of different seating positions on your lower back?
Do different sitting positions affect the pressure on your lower back? The short answer is, yes. They do. Every day in the clinic, patients tell us that how they sit, and what they sit on has a profound influence on the severity of their symptoms. You are often told not to slouch, whether at the […]
Does Sitting Cause Sciatica?
What is the big deal with sitting? Why can it cause such a problem? It seems contradictory that sitting can cause problems because it helps in relaxation and does not seem to require much from the energy systems of the body. Generally, the main function of the intervertebral disc found in between two vertebrae […]
Does Heat Help Sciatica?
Virtually every day in our clinic, we will have patients telling us that their back feels better of t’s warm outside or if they have had a hot bath, or traveled to a warmer climate. This is a common report, which makes it hard to believe that people do not genuinely get better from such […]
Stretches for Sciatica Pain Relief- DO THEY WORK?
Are stretches a good or bad idea for sciatica? Stretches are not a good idea for sciatica and I will explain why in this post. It is very tempting with acute sciatic pain to think that you can stretch the nerve to try to help the situation. However, nerves are not like muscles, ligaments, or […]
Sciatica Pain: 2 Corrective Exercises From a Physiotherapist
Sciatica affects many people in the world today and is characterised by radiating leg pain and other secondary disabilities. Most patients suffering from sciatica recover fully through receiving primary care but a small percentage may require Secondary care and consequently surgery. In this article, we share with you two types of sciatica and some corrective […]
What Caused My Sciatica?
Sciatica is a pain that develops along the path of the sciatic nerve. The sciatic nerve branches at the lower back to either side of your hips, down to each leg. I’ve been asked this question so many times all through my 31 years of treating patients with lower back pain. Occasionally, a normal activity, […]
Sciatica: When Is Surgery Necessary?
Often times, there are numerous sciatica treatment methods that relieve leg weakness/ pain without requiring any surgical intervention. However, if the pain and weakness persist for so long, or turn out to be progressive and damaging to nerves, surgical treatment becomes a necessity. In this article, we take you through these dangers so that you […]
Spinal Stenosis – Under the Radar?
In yet a new video, David Fitzgerald from Dublin Physiotherapy talks about a condition that isn’t discussed very often; Spinal Stenosis. For those who are not familiar with it already, spinal stenosis is a condition that very often slips under the radar, despite it being the end stage of a condition of gradual degenerative change. […]
Annular Tears: Another Clinicians Nightmare
This week, David Fitzgerald has decided to talk about another issue considered to be one of the many clinicians’ nightmares: Annular tears. As always, David has dissected the topic and given an outline of the condition, which you can read in this article. If you would like to know more about this problem, however, it […]