Seeking solution to sciatica

Dear Dr. Abby,

I have been having pain my left leg on off for the last few months. It is primarily on the side below the hips all the way down to the side of my calf area. I run at least once a week & not sure whether this is the cause of the pain?

Thank You,

Seeking Solution

Dear Seeking Solution,

Thank you for your question. Pain down the back of your leg so common. I hear similar reports multiple times per week from patients. Without more information and an examination, it’s tough to tell what is going on that might lead to your discomfort. Based on the area of discomfort, it is likely that your sciatic nerve is alerting you to something going on. You can see the thick yellow nerve with lots of branches in this photo.

Personally I dislike the term “sciatica” because it sounds like a disease or a life-long condition. Really “sciatica” means that the area of your body that your sciatic nerve serves (the back of your leg from your low back to bottom of your foot) is hurting or weak. Once you figure out why and make some changes, your symptoms will reduce.

Running has been shown to be healthy for your joints and helpful in reducing pain if approached with care. But there may be something going on in your gait pattern that would affect you whether your are running or walking.

Runners who are having this leg pain like this may be limited in their trunk’s ability to alternate from one foot to the other. When you stand on one foot, that same side of your trunk should compress while the opposite side elongates. This is what allows your opposite arm and leg to move together effortlessly. Without this, some patients have an area of compression at their lower spine that irritates the sciatic nerve or one leg ends up work harder in stance or in swing phase than the other. We can modify this to reduce your symptoms!

Physical therapists everywhere work with patients with these symptoms every day. What I recommend is finding a physical therapist who spends time figuring out the layers below the surface of why this is happening rather than focusing on masking the symptoms. I have found the Postural Restoration Institute approach to posture and movement especially helpful for reducing pain like you’re having. Everything they do and teach is based on our walking/running patterns and would likely serve you very well.

I hope this gets you pointed in the right direction.

I appreciate you!

Dr. Abby

Disclaimer: Advice given in the Dear Dr. Abby column is intended for educational purposes only. Always seek care from your medical provider with any questions you have regarding your medical condition.