Condition

Sciatica

Relief from shooting leg pain, numbness, and tingling, by treating what is irritating the nerve.

Locations
Sciatica at Rehab Lab

Sciatica is shooting pain, numbness, or tingling that travels from your low back or buttock down the leg. It happens when the sciatic nerve, or one of its roots, gets irritated or compressed. The leg symptoms are the headline, but the source is almost always in the low back or hip.

We find what is actually irritating the nerve, a disc, a tight deep hip muscle, a stuck joint, and treat that, while calming the nerve so you can move and sleep again.

Finding the real source of the nerve pain

Sciatic symptoms can come from a disc pressing on a nerve root, from a tight piriformis muscle deep in the hip squeezing the nerve, or from joints in the low back that have locked up. Each one needs a different approach, so the first job is figuring out which is driving yours.

Our exam maps where your symptoms travel and what makes them better or worse. That tells us the source, so we are treating the cause of the irritation, not just chasing the pain down your leg.

How we treat sciatica

  • Hands-on work to take pressure off the irritated nerve
  • Dry needling and soft-tissue release for a tight, compressing hip
  • Class IV laser to calm nerve-related inflammation
  • Specific rehab that decompresses and stabilizes the low back
Good to know

Sciatica questions

How long does sciatica take to go away?

Many cases settle meaningfully within a few weeks of the right treatment, though it depends on the cause and how long it has been going on. Disc-related sciatica can take longer than a muscular cause. We track your leg symptoms closely to confirm we are on the right path.

Should I just rest until it passes?

Total rest usually makes sciatica stiffer and slower to heal. Specific, gentle movement that takes pressure off the nerve tends to work better, and that is exactly what we will guide you through.

When does sciatica need urgent care?

Progressive weakness in the leg, or any loss of bowel or bladder control, is a medical emergency, not a chiropractic visit. We screen for these and refer out at once if we find them.

Is sciatica a diagnosis or a symptom?

A symptom. Sciatica describes pain travelling along the sciatic nerve, and the useful question is what is irritating that nerve: a disc, a narrowed canal, a joint, or muscle compressing it in the buttock. Those need different treatment, which is why a movement exam matters more than the label.

Should I use heat or ice for sciatica?

Ice tends to help in the first day or two of an acute flare; heat is generally more useful after that for the muscle guarding that comes with it. Neither treats the cause, so use whichever genuinely makes you more comfortable and do not let it substitute for finding out why the nerve is irritated.

Why is sitting worse than walking?

Because sitting increases pressure through the lumbar discs and holds the nerve in a shortened, compressed position, while walking unloads it and keeps it gliding. That pattern is actually diagnostic information for us, so mention which positions are worse rather than only how bad it is.

Can sciatica cause permanent nerve damage?

Most cases resolve without any lasting damage. The exceptions matter: progressive weakness, a foot that drops, or loss of bowel or bladder control are urgent and need immediate medical attention rather than a chiropractic appointment. We screen for those at the first visit.

Will I need an injection or surgery?

Most sciatica resolves with conservative care, so those are not the first stop. If your symptoms are not responding, or if there is genuine progressive weakness, we will tell you directly and help you get to the right specialist rather than continuing to treat you for months.

Keep exploring

Related care

Back Pain

We treat the root cause of low back pain, not just the symptom.

Disc Degeneration

Slow progression and manage symptoms with targeted spinal care.

Hip Pain

Bursitis, labral, arthritis, and IT-band pain addressed directly.

Corrective Exercise & Rehab

Personalized strength and movement programming that rebuilds the way you load and move, so the pain we resolve in the office actually stays gone.

Further reading

Guides on this topic

Questions? Get in touch.

Ready to fix the cause, for good?

Book at our Wauwatosa or Appleton clinic and get a real plan from a doctor who treats you like a teammate.

Locations

Wauwatosa · Appleton · No referral needed