Understand it before you treat it
Sciatica
Shift Spinal Health · Adelaide
Leg pain that travels from your lower back is worth understanding properly, not just quieting for a week. Here is what sciatica is, when to act on it, and how we approach it at Shift.
What It Is
Sciatica is a symptom, not a diagnosis.
Sciatica describes pain that travels along the path of the sciatic nerve, from the lower back through the buttock and down the leg, sometimes as far as the foot. People often describe it as sharp, burning, or electric, and it can come with tingling, numbness, or weakness in the leg.
The important thing to understand is that sciatica is the effect. It points to something irritating the nerve further up. Working out what that something is, is the whole point of a proper assessment, because two people with identical leg pain can have very different underlying problems.
What Sits Behind It
Common causes.
Sciatica is most often traced back to a problem in the lower spine putting mechanical pressure on a nerve root. The usual contributors include:
Disc herniation or bulge
Disc material pressing on a nearby nerve root. More on disc herniation.
Degenerative disc disease
Age or wear-related changes in the disc that narrow the space a nerve travels through.
Spinal stenosis
A narrowing of the spinal canal that can crowd the nerves.
Facet joint irritation
Irritation and related changes in the small joints of the spine.
Knowing The Difference
When sciatica needs urgent attention.
Most sciatica is not an emergency. But a small number of signs mean you should seek urgent medical care straight away rather than wait for an appointment.
Seek emergency care now if you have
- Loss of control of your bladder or bowel
- Numbness around the saddle area (inner thighs, groin, buttocks)
- Rapidly worsening weakness in one or both legs
These can signal a rare but serious problem that needs immediate assessment at a hospital. If in doubt, treat it as urgent.
The Evidence
Surgery is rarely the first step.
For most people, sciatica settles without surgery. The widely accepted approach is to work through conservative, non-surgical options first, and to reserve surgery for cases that do not respond over time or that involve progressive nerve signs.
That is the space Shift works in: structured, non-surgical care for spine problems, delivered as a program you build over time rather than a quick fix. And if surgery ever does look like the best option for you, we will say so and refer.
How We Work
The Shift approach to sciatica.
Care at Shift is structured and active. It starts with understanding your problem, then works on both settling symptoms and rebuilding the support around your spine.
Assess first
Everything starts with a Spinal Health Assessment. A clinician examines your spine, talks through your history and what you want back, and works out what is driving your leg pain. Nothing is recommended before we understand your case.
MT Core Smart Decompression
Where it is suitable, your care may include the MT Core Smart Decompression, a computer-guided table that applies controlled, cyclical tension to the spine. Shift was the first clinic in South Australia to bring this equipment here. Read more on Smart Decompression.
Build strength alongside
Care here is not passive. Guided rehabilitation is part of the same program, phased in as you progress, using our rehab gym and app so the work continues between visits.
Track with the Shift Score
Your progress is measured with the Shift Score and re-checked every 4 weeks, so change is something you can see rather than something you are asked to take on faith.
Is It For You
Who this suits.
Our structured program, Rebuild, is built for people who:
- Have a persistent or complex spine problem, not a one-off tweak
- Have already tried other things without lasting change
- Are considering surgery, or want a genuine alternative to explore first
- Want to take an active part in their recovery, not just be treated
- Prefer a clear, structured path over open-ended visits
Not everyone who comes in needs the full program. The MT Core Smart Decompression is also available on its own for more general back problems, once a clinician has confirmed at your assessment that it is safe and appropriate for you. We help you understand your problem first, then point you to the right path.
Questions
Sciatica, answered.
Yes. Shift Spinal Health provides assessed, structured, non-surgical care for sciatica at two Adelaide clinics, Allenby Gardens and Malvern. Care begins with a Spinal Health Assessment so a clinician can understand what is driving your leg pain before anything else.
Most cases of sciatica improve without surgery. The accepted approach is to work through conservative, non-surgical options first, with surgery generally reserved for cases that do not settle or that involve progressive nerve signs.
It varies. Many cases ease over weeks, though recovery is rarely linear and more complex disc problems can take longer. At Shift, progress is tracked with the Shift Score and re-checked over time rather than promised to a fixed date.
An MRI is not required to begin, but it is helpful for disc-related problems because it can confirm the diagnosis and identify the level involved. If you do not have one, we can guide you on how to get one.
It runs 45 to 60 minutes and costs $140. A clinician examines your spine, discusses your history and goals, and where it makes clinical sense includes your first MT Core Smart Decompression session so you experience the equipment.
Start Here
A full assessment of your spine and your history, a conversation about what you want back, and where it makes clinical sense, your first MT Core Smart Decompression session so you experience the equipment. If leg pain keeps returning, this is where you find out what is behind it.