Back condition
Sciatica is pain that shoots from the lower back or buttock down the leg — the sciatic nerve protesting because something is pressing on or irritating its roots. It's a symptom, not a disease: finding the cause is the treatment. Most sciatica settles within weeks, and the right care makes those weeks bearable.
Tap any that describe your leg — this is guidance, not a diagnosis, but it tells you how quickly to act.
Your sciatic nerve is asking for more than patience. These signs suggest the nerve roots are compressed hard enough to threaten function, not just comfort — and bladder or bowel changes are an emergency today, because delay risks permanent damage.
Good news — nothing urgent on that list. Most sciatica like yours settles over weeks. An assessment identifies the cause — which is what determines the right treatment — and keeps your recovery on track.
The sciatic nerve is the body's largest — its roots leave the lower spine, bundle together, and run down each leg. Sciatica means one of those roots is being pressed or irritated, and the usual suspects, roughly in order:
Not all leg pain is sciatica — hip problems and circulation issues can mimic it. Telling them apart is one of the most useful things our specialist does in the first visit.
Movement is medicine here — within reason. Keep gently active with short, frequent walks; change positions often and avoid long sitting, because seated pressure on the discs is what most sciatica hates most. Find your positions of ease (many people settle lying with knees supported), use heat for the muscle guarding, and simple pain relief from your pharmacist. Most sciatica begins improving within a few weeks — and the warning signs above are your signal not to wait.
Followed the early advice and the leg still complains? Duration changes what to do next — tap the one that fits:
Early days — most sciatica is already on its way out. Keep moving gently, sit less, and watch the warning signs above. If the leg is weak, numbness is spreading, or the pain is unmanageable, don't wait the full two weeks.
This is the assessment window. Sciatica still firing after two weeks deserves a diagnosis — pinpointing which nerve root and why, guiding the rehabilitation, and calming severe pain with targeted treatment so you can sleep, sit and work again.
Past six weeks — or worsening — you're in the minority that doesn't settle alone. This is where imaging and targeted procedures earn their keep, and where continued waiting can narrow the options. Same-day appointments are usually available.
Because sciatica is a symptom, treatment starts by finding the cause — examination and nerve tension tests, with MRI on-site when it will genuinely change the plan. Then, treatment targets the source:
Whatever the recommendation, our specialist walks you through the options, the risks and the expected recovery before anything is decided.
Tap a card to reveal the truth:
Once the nerve quietens, protect it: build core and hip strength so the spine shares the load, break up sitting every 30–45 minutes, lift with your legs and the load close, and keep gently active — the spine and its nerves stay happiest in motion. If your sciatica came from a disc or a narrowed canal, the matching prevention advice lives on those pages too.
Most sciatica from a slipped disc improves substantially within four to six weeks, as the disc fragment shrinks and the inflammation around the nerve settles. Sciatica that persists beyond that, keeps returning, or comes with weakness deserves proper assessment — the underlying cause determines the treatment.
Keep gently moving, change positions often, and avoid long sitting — pressure on the disc is highest when seated. Short walks, positions of ease and simple pain relief from your pharmacist carry most people through the early weeks; a targeted image-guided injection can calm a severely irritated nerve while it heals.
For most people, yes — walking is one of the best things you can do, keeping the nerve gliding and the spine moving without the sitting pressure that aggravates it. Start short and frequent. If walking makes the leg pain or weakness clearly worse, stop and get assessed.
Not at first, usually. The diagnosis — and often the likely cause — comes from your history and examination. MRI is arranged promptly on-site when symptoms are severe or persistent, when weakness appears, or when a targeted procedure is being planned and the exact nerve level needs confirming.
Rarely — and severity of pain alone is not the trigger. Surgery is recommended when significant nerve compression persists despite proper care, when weakness progresses, or urgently for loss of bowel or bladder control. The procedure depends on the cause: usually keyhole endoscopic surgery to free the nerve.
Same-day appointments are usually available. Call or book online — our team will take it from there.
