Sciatica is a symptom, not a diagnosis. It refers to pain that travels along the path of the sciatic nerve — typically from the lower back through the buttock and down the leg. The actual cause can be a disc herniation, spinal stenosis, piriformis syndrome, sacroiliac joint dysfunction, or a combination. Getting the right treatment starts with identifying the correct source.
Many patients arrive at our Danforth clinic after months of generic treatment — ice, heat, basic stretching — with little lasting improvement. This happens because sciatica is being treated as a condition rather than a symptom. Effective treatment requires identifying whether the nerve is irritated at the disc, the intervertebral foramen, the piriformis, or at multiple levels simultaneously.
We conduct neurological screening (reflexes, sensation, motor strength), nerve tension tests (straight leg raise, slump test), lumbar and pelvic mobility assessment, hip external rotator evaluation for piriformis involvement, and a full movement analysis to identify loading patterns maintaining the nerve irritation.
For disc-related sciatica: specific directional physiotherapy exercises (McKenzie approach for appropriate candidates), manual therapy to reduce lumbar joint compression, and High Intensity Laser to reduce disc-level inflammation.
For piriformis syndrome: osteopathic treatment of the piriformis and deep hip rotators, combined with RMT for soft tissue release, addresses nerve entrapment at the gluteal level.
For sacroiliac contribution: osteopathic mobilization restores SI joint movement, reducing mechanical irritation on the nerve root.
Stop guessing what’s causing your leg pain. TTC accessible in Greektown. Book at isomatic.ca or call (647) 812-8156.
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