What are the symptoms of sciatica and can a private clinic help?

If you’ve ever felt sharp, shooting pain travelling from your lower back into your leg, you may be experiencing sciatica. It can really effect your quality of life and ability to sleep well, do your job, look after children or grandchildren and do the activities you love.

Sciatica is is one of the most common conditions we see at Harpenden Sports & Spinal, and the good news is that effective treatment is available at a private clinic without needing surgery. Find out more about Sciatica and Disc Pain

What is sciatica?

Sciatica is the name for pain that comes from irritation or compression of the sciatic nerve — the longest nerve in your body. It runs from your lower spine, through your hips and buttocks, and down each leg.

When a disc in the spine bulges or herniates, or if there’s narrowing of the spinal canal (stenosis), the sciatic nerve can become pinched. This leads to pain and other nerve symptoms.

Sciatic nerve pathway illustration
Diagram showing normal spinal disc vs herniated disc compressing nerve root - common symptoms of sciatica

Symptoms vary, but the most frequent include:

Sharp or burning pain running from the lower back down into the leg
Tingling or pins and needles in the buttock, thigh, calf, or foot
Numbness in part of the leg or foot
Muscle weakness that makes walking or standing difficult
Pain that is often worse when sitting and sometimes eased by standing or walking

Can a private clinic help with sciatica?

Yes. At Harpenden Sports & Spinal, we regularly treat patients from Harpenden, Hertfordshire and Bedfordshire with sciatica caused by disc problems or spinal stenosis.

The first step is diagnosis which I will carry out in a through Spinal assessment. If needed, we can also arrange an MRI scan to confirm whether a disc herniation or narrowing is pressing on the sciatic nerve. This can be done using our fast, cost effective referral MRI scan privately - cost is £295. I will also thoroughly explain your MRI so you understand you condition and next step to get better.

Non-surgical treatment

One of the most effective non-invasive treatments we offer is IDD Therapy (Intervertebral Differential Dynamics). This computer-controlled spinal therapy: Find out more about IDD therapy treatment

Gently relieves pressure on the sciatic nerve
Helps rehydrate and heal spinal discs
Reduces inflammation and pain
Restores spinal movement

IDD Therapy machine in clinic
Alt text: IDD Therapy machine used for non-surgical disc treatment in Hertfordshire

IDD Therapy is safe, targeted, and specifically designed for conditions like sciatica, herniated discs, and spinal stenosis.

Next steps

If you’re struggling with sciatica, you don’t have to live with pain. At Harpenden Sports & Spinal, we help patients across Harpenden, Hertfordshire and Bedfordshire recover from sciatica, herniated discs, and spinal stenosis with safe, non-surgical treatment.