Sciatica treatment in Kelantan

What sciatica feels like

Sciatica happens when the sciatic nerve, which runs from the lower back to the foot, is irritated or compressed. It usually affects one side. Common signs are:

• a sharp or burning pain down the back of the leg
• tingling or pins and needles, sometimes into the foot and toes
• numbness or weakness in the leg
• pain that is worse when moving, coughing or sneezing

If you only have back pain without leg symptoms, it is probably not sciatica; see our page on lower back pain physiotherapy.

Common causes we look for

Sciatica is a description of symptoms, not a single diagnosis. In clinic we check for a slip disc pressing on a nerve root, stiffness or narrowing around the lower spine, and a tight piriformis muscle deep in the hip that can mimic sciatica. Long hours of sitting while driving, bending to lift, and weak core and hip muscles are frequent triggers in the patients we see from Pasir Puteh, Bachok and Machang.

Knowing the cause matters, because the exercises for a disc problem are not the same as those for a piriformis problem. Read more in Malay: sciatica and piriformis vs sciatica.

How we assess sciatica

Your first session starts with our doctor and physiotherapist. We ask where the pain travels, test leg strength, reflexes and sensation, and use nerve tension tests such as a straight leg raise. Musculoskeletal ultrasound is used when it helps to look at muscles or soft tissue around the hip. If you have an MRI report, bring it; we do not do MRI or X-ray at the clinic, and we will tell you if you need to see a specialist.

Physiotherapy treatment for sciatica

A typical plan combines:

• Movement and nerve exercises chosen for your cause, starting gently
• Manual therapy for the lower back, hip and piriformis
• Super Inductive System (SIS) and High Intensity Laser Therapy (HILT) as supporting treatments for pain, in Pasir Puteh only
• Advice on sitting, driving, lifting and sleeping positions

We review your progress at every visit and adjust the plan. Recovery time varies, and we will not promise a cure.

What you can do at home

The NHS advises keeping up normal activities as much as you can, starting gentle exercise early, using heat packs on painful areas, and avoiding sitting or lying down for long periods. Moving may hurt, but it is not harmful in most cases. Sciatica usually gets better in a few weeks to a few months, though it can last longer and can come back.

Go to hospital immediately if

• you have sciatica on both sides, or weakness or numbness in both legs that is severe or getting worse
• you have numbness around the genitals or anus
• you cannot pee, cannot control peeing, or cannot control your bowels, and this is new for you

These can be signs of a serious spinal problem that needs hospital treatment, not physiotherapy first.

Where and when

Our centre in Padang Pak Amat, Pasir Puteh is open every day from 9am to 10.30pm and has the SIS and laser machines. Sessions in Kota Bharu (Klinik Etika, Jalan Dusun Muda) are by appointment and cover assessment, manual therapy and exercise only. A single session is RM140 to RM170, usually RM150 for the first visit; see packages.

Jom Physio in English · Bahasa Melayu