Sciatica Treatment in Rainham & Medway
Sciatica that stops running your day
Sciatica describes pain travelling from the lower back into the buttock and down the leg, often with pins and needles, numbness or weakness.
“I have a herniated disc and arthritis in my lumbar spine that has taken over my life for years. Josh took on my pain with an approach that no one else has.”
It is a symptom, not a diagnosis
Sciatica tells you a nerve is irritated. It does not tell you why, and that distinction changes everything about treatment.
The same leg pain can come from a disc, from narrowing where the nerve exits, from deep hip tissue, or from a nerve that has simply become more reactive over time.
Identifying which of those you are dealing with is the entire point of the first appointment. Get that right and the plan almost writes itself.
That holds whether it has been labelled a slipped disc, a herniated disc or simply nerve pain.
Common drivers
Accurate assessment separates genuine nerve root involvement from referred pain.
Disc irritation
The most common driver. A disc bulge can chemically or mechanically irritate the nerve root as it exits the spine.
Lateral canal narrowing
Reduced space where the nerve travels. More common with age, often worse standing and walking, easier when seated.
Gluteal and deep hip tissue
The sciatic nerve passes close to deep hip muscles. Tension here can closely mimic true nerve root pain.
Nerve sensitisation
When symptoms have been present a while, the nerve becomes more reactive and less tolerant of ordinary load.
Settle the irritation, then rebuild tolerance
Manual therapy and graded nerve mobility work, followed by loading that the nerve can actually handle.
Why sciatica is a back problem
The leg is where you feel it. The lower back is usually where it comes from, and that changes what treatment has to cover.
The nerve is irritated at the spine
The sciatic nerve is formed from nerve roots that leave the lower back. When one of those roots is irritated or compressed there, the pain is felt down the buttock and leg. Plenty of people with severe leg pain have very little back pain at all, which is why sciatica is so often treated as a leg problem.
Leg first, back second
As the nerve settles, symptoms usually retreat up the leg towards the spine, and some people notice their back for the first time as the leg quietens down. That pattern is progress. It also means the back needs its own rehabilitation once the nerve has calmed, or the same episode tends to come round again.
“I went to Josh about having pains in my back. Not only did I walk away feeling so much relief at the time, he gave me a plan to ensure the pain did not come back.”
Long term spinal pain, twelve months on
Raffaela in her own words, on what the last twelve months have looked like.
What our patients say
Chronic back pain, resolved
“I came to him with chronic ongoing back pain. I have seen chiropractors and osteopaths previously who have done nothing to alleviate the pain. Before I saw Josh I couldn't even squat without extreme pain. In this short space of time this pain is now gone.”
Thinking differently about pain
“After years of abuse at work and chronic back pain, Josh eased my mind and got me to think differently and manage my pain in a completely different way. I have stretching exercises and strength training. Can't recommend Josh enough.”
Sorted in two sessions
“2 sessions with Josh sorted my lower back pain, would highly recommend.”
What good looks like
How sciatica recovery usually goes
Every case differs, but this is the shape of it. You will know where you are at each stage.
- First appointment
Find out what is irritating the nerve
Neurological testing to establish whether the nerve is genuinely involved, and what is compressing or irritating it. You leave knowing which it is.
- Weeks one to three
Settle the irritation
Positions and movements that unload the nerve, hands on work where it helps, and a clear list of what to avoid for now.
- Weeks three to eight
Rebuild tolerance
Graded loading through the back, hip and leg. This is the part that stops it returning, and the part most people never get to.
- From week eight
Back to normal loading
Lifting, sitting, driving and training without planning your day around it. Longer if it has been there for years, but the direction is the same.
Common questions
How do you know it is sciatica and not just back pain?
How long does sciatica last?
Will I need surgery?
Can I exercise with sciatica?
Get your sciatica assessed
Name, number, email and a line about what is going on.
- No referral needed
- Evenings until 9pm plus weekends
- Free 10 minute call if you would rather talk first
- We will say if physiotherapy is not the right answer
Find us
The clinic is at 9 Eastwood Meadow in Rainham, with parking directly outside.
BetterMe Physiotherapy
9 Eastwood Meadow
Rainham, Gillingham
ME8 8FA
Parking
Dedicated spaces for patients, with step free access from the car to the treatment room.
Opening hours
Mon to Fri 09:00 to 21:00
Saturday 09:00 to 18:00
Sunday 09:00 to 14:00
Take the first step
One assessment will tell you what is irritating the nerve, and what will settle it.
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