Sciatica
Everybody has heard of 'Sciatica'. The term is often misused to describe leg pain. The sciatic nerve is the thickest peripheral nerve in the body, it can be nearly as thick as your thumb, and is the most common manifestation of nerve pain we see in the clinic. Most people will know the term 'pinched nerve', which loosely describes a nerve that has been mechanically compromised along its course.
Common causes of this compromise are spinal disc injuries and muscle spasms, but other causes often go unattended to. We take a broad-viewed approach to sciatica (and other nerve related pains) which we find preferable in many cases that have not responded to standard approaches. Just like with any other condition, correct diagnosis is paramount. With this in mind, where appropriate, we take full advantage of diagnostic imaging to allow us to target our treatment more safely and effectively. In very rare cases, more sinister pathology can present as 'sciatica', which is why we conduct comprehensive physical examinations and case histories to best exclude these causes.