The 2 Types Of Sciatica & How To Tell The Difference

Did you know that there are two types of sciatica problems? There are many causes to sciatica problems, but there are two main types that affect most people with sciatica issues. The first is a static problem related to a herniated disc. Obviously, that’s the worst of the two. Having a herniated disk is no joke. It takes some extra love and attention, but it actually can improve all the way without surgery, medications or injections.

The second type of sciatica problem is one related to the pelvis bones, or the hip bones. The way that they are shifted or moved, or the muscles around them as well that can be spasming and putting pressure to pinch the sciatica nerve. Depending on which of those two conditions anybody has, a sciatica problem can go one way or the other. If both are present, that’s especially bad.

The best way to tell the two apart is not by pain. Both can hurt tremendously. Both can hurt all the time. It’s more about the location of the pain. If a person has more back related pain, it tends to be more of a herniated disc problem. Another common association with that back related pain, is pain in the leg that goes all the way down the leg, all the way even into the foot, sometimes into the toes as well. Somebody who has back pain and pain down the leg, it’s almost always a pinched nerve from a herniated disc that can be contributing to that sciatic nerve type pain.

But the way to differentiate if it’s more of a pelvis related sciatica problem, it’s usually just pain in the hip area. The buttock is the most common one, a pain in the butt so to speak. Also paying into the side of the thighs in terms of the front of the thigh. Definitely the back is a common place to get it.

Of course, it is possible to have pain throughout the entire leg, from the back through the hip into the knee, and all the way down into the foot. But the location usually tells us if it’s more of a hip type of sciatica problem, or a lower back herniated disc type of sciatica problem.

There you go, you have the two different types of sciatica. Depending on which type of sciatica or problem an individual has, treatment might go very different for a herniated disc type of problem. The extent of how long it’s going to take to get better is typically closer to a year, versus somebody who has more of a pelvis problem, for them it might be more in the three to six-month range.

Either way, both instances can get better without surgery, injections or medications. And it’s often possible for people to get completely back to their normal activities without any limitations. Treatment is usually not painful for most people. It may involve certain exercises and people with a hip problem they will usually do exercises that focus more on the glutes. People with lower back problem, a disc herniation problem, they may focus on exercises more so for the abdominals and back muscles.

Hands on treatment that we do here in the clinic is also focused on muscles that are spasming, more so are joints or ligaments or tendons that needs to be freed up or moved by hand. What we do here is just loosen up whatever is stiff and tight. So, for somebody who’s dealing with more of a herniated disc type of sciatica problem, we may spend more time in the spine, but oftentimes they do have problems into their leg, even all the way down into the knee and foot. We might spend some hands-on time there to alleviate the pressure on nerves so they can pass through the body the way that they are supposed to without being as irritated.

Lastly, the advice that we give patients, so that they can get more comfortable at home as far as sleeping, sitting, doing their everyday activities, and driving will change from individual to individual. For somebody who has a herniated disc type of problem, we might be telling them that they have to change a lot about their posture. It’s just a little more involved. But think of the alternative. If it’s possible to get away without surgery and heal this problem 100%, or as close to it as possible. They are usually very excited about that.

For somebody with more of a hip driven sciatica problem, then we don’t have to talk about posture as much. It’s going to be more exercise focus to get that long-term result so that this problem isn’t returning over and over again.

I hope this video was helpful for you. If you are looking to hire us to help you for your sciatica problem, hit the cost and availability tab up in the menu bar and fill out all your information on the form. We’ll reach out to you as soon as possible. We want to hear all about your sciatica issue so that we can make sure that we are the best fit for your sciatica problem. I hope we can be a part of your success story. We’ll talk soon.