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Pain at the buttocks? If it’s sciatica physiotherapy can help.
Pain at the buttocks area is a classic sign of sciatica and physiotherapy can help. Physio treatments are a great natural remedy that work best with the active participation of the patient as much as possible. Generally, you’re given a range of exercises to do to improve your movement, posture, strength, mobility, reduce pain and maintain physical functionality. Physiotherapy, or physical therapy as it’s also known, can be a series of movements, stretches, manipulations or other treatments that avoid the use of medication or surgery. Along with general physiotherapy there are specialist areas under the physical therapy umbrella such as McKenzie Method, Reflexology, Alexander Technique, Yoga and Trigger Point Therapy etc.
How does physiotherapy help with sciatica?
Before treating you for your sciatica a physiotherapist will first get you to take part in a short physical examination and medical background check where they will assess your:
- Injury or disease
- Physicality
- Posture
- Flexibility
- Muscle strength
- Joint function
- Previous injuries
- Review scans and x rays
- Discuss and set desired outcomes and so on
The main routes a physiotherapist takes to help specifically with sciatica will generally be around manipulation of the position of your spine, promoting movements and exercises that create space for your sciatic nerve and helping to release tension and stiffness around joints and muscles.
To help with this they sometimes use things like massage, acupuncture, TENS machines and ultrasound.
How long does physio take to treat pain in the buttocks area if caused by sciatica?
Everyone is different and it also depends on whether you have acute or chronic sciatica. For acute sciatica around 3, 4 or 5 sessions should be adequate. Chronic sciatica though could be a lifelong commitment. This could be with a professional therapist or you can commit to do the exercises yourself at home with maybe the occasional visit to a therapist for a review once every few months or so.
What are the advantages of physiotherapy?
The main pros of using physical therapy to treat your sciatica are:
- Help reduce pain
- Can negate the need for surgery
- Reduce dependence on pain killers
- Natural remedy
- Increases mobility, range of motion and flexibility
- Greater core and back strength
How can I find a good physiotherapist?
Personal recommendation is a great way to identify a good therapist so ask around among your friends and Facebook groups. You can find a list of qualified therapists on the website of the Chartered Institute of Physiotherapists here.
What physical therapy aids do you recommend?
Many of the aids below are featured on our other remedy pages such as acupuncture or stretches so check those as well for similar items. As a general look into the sort of physical therapy you can do at home for pain at the buttocks area check below.
Highly recommended: HoMedics Handheld Physiotherapy Massage Gun
What users said: “My partner has pain in his lower back. I can’t recommend this enough”.
“Wonderful for joint pain”.
Highly recommended: Wahl Long Reach Massager
What users said: “Works brilliant on my upper and lower back”.
“Wish I’d bought one years ago”.
Highly recommended: Exercises to Build a Better Back
What users said: “Good illustrations and easy to use”.
“The pain I had in my lower back was reduced thanks to using this book”.
Highly recommended: 7 Steps To a Pain Free Life
What users said: “If you have sciatica this is great”.
“I struggled for weeks with 2 slipped discs. This book was a saviour”.
Highly recommended: Set of 5 Trigger Point Massage Balls
What users said: “Great quality”.
“My physio recommended ball massagers. These are a quality product”.
Highly recommended: Luxury Acupressure Mat
What users said: “Excellent pressure mat”.
“Great, love it. Carry bag is fab”.
Highly recommended: Revitive Personal Ultrasound Therapy
What users said: “Amazed at this. I use it as soon as I feel my sciatica starting”.
“I’d had ultrasound at my physios. This has been a great help for pain relief”.
Highly recommended: Set of 3 Resistance Bands
What users said: “My physio said to buy some of these bands. This set is effective and good value”.
“Better than the set my physio gave me”.
Highly recommended: The Pilates Bible
What users said: “Has a specific section on backs which is proving great for my back pain”.
“Got into Pilates earlier in the year and found so much help for my back aches and posture. Great book”.
Highly recommended: Yoga for Everyone
What users said: “This is a great book. I’m now more flexible and fitter”.
“Great that it shows all body shapes and not just model types”!
Highly recommended: Luxury Yoga/Stretch/Exercise Mat
What users said: “I love this mat”.
“Larger than normal mats, easy to wash”.
Highly recommended: TENS Machine
What users said: “Drug less pain relief from my sciatica”.
“I couldn’t move with a prolapsed disc causing sciatica. Great relief”.
Highly recommended: Trigger Point Foam Roller
What users said: “Buy cheap buy twice, these are the best”!
“Much cheaper than regular physio sessions”.
Highly recommended: The Posture Pain Fix Book
What users said: “Written by a physiotherapist”.
“Good drawings and simple explanations”.
Has something worked for your sciatica? It would be great if you would share your physiotherapy and sciatica tips with us. Please get in touch through the contact page.
Please also check out our other tips for relieving sciatica.