Advice for Sciatic Nerve Pain

Question: Do you have any advice about sciatica nerve pain? I have been in physical therapy three times a week for three weeks, with home exercises. It helps, but the pain is not gone yet, and my physical therapist gave me some bad news. My hyper-extended right leg has gone from -11 degrees to -13 degrees. I noticed I was not walking as well as I had been. I took off my Velcro knee brace several months ago because I was doing so well, but then noticed I was not walking as well as I used to, so now I am wearing my Velcro knee brace again. My other question is, how far back can a leg go before you can’t walk on it? This is very discouraging.

Answer: First of all, one of the most downloaded files from PHI’s website at www.post-polio.org/edu/pphnews/pph22-3p1-3.pdf is about sciatica problems. It sounds like wearing your Velcro brace is a good idea, at least as a strategy to prevent worsening. Don’t worry too much about the exact angle, because one CAN still walk when it is hyperextended to 30-40 degrees or more, BUT it isn’t good then and can cause lots of other problems, including knee pain. If you can keep at 15 degrees or less, you should be OK. Stick with the therapy if it is helping and don’t be discouraged if pain is not all gone after three weeks. It make take a few months of home exercises after completing therapy before all sciatica is gone – hopefully enough that you can function.

Post-Polio Health (Vol. 29, No. 4, Fall 2013)