Sciatica-ghh! A pain in the backside?

Lots of things can cause posterior hip and leg pain, not just sciatica. Unfortunately, the term is so frequently used to describe anything causing pain the back of the hip and/or leg, that other common causes are overlooked.

Common causes of buttock and/or leg pain

  • Gluteus Medius tendinopathy (common amongst runners, often worse when climbing upstairs)

  • Proximal hamstring tendinopathy (sitting a lot? This is usually when its most painful)

  • Referred pain from the lumbar spine (you may also have low back pain, but not necessarily!)

Tips for relieving leg and buttock pain 

  1. Remove aggravating factors. Sounds super obvious, but this is the first step in any rehab programme. Its immediate, it helps, but sometimes we forget to address this!

  2. Nerve flossing stretches. If there’s excessive neural tension, these exercises can really help. But don’t go too hard too quickly (remember tip no. 1).

  3. Lumbopelvic control exercises. We frequently see reduced lumbopelvic control in patients presenting with sciatica symptoms. Improving stability of this area can help.

Find out what it is (and isn’t)

Sciatica symptoms frequently go away of within a short period of time, but if your pain is persistent or you have other symptoms you’re unsure about, getting it assessed to identify the source of the problem is the right step forward.

Chris Wood