Thread by @mythoughtfood

Sciatica is a severe, yet misunderstood issue that will affect up to 40% of us.

Imagine pain worse than when your lower back hurts shooting down one leg, numbness and mobility restrictions.

This thread is for you and your cursed chronic sciatic symptoms.

This client consulted with me for sciatic pain years ago. He avoided lower body training like the plague for fear of triggering his symptoms which locked him in bed for days.

Massages and standard treatments helped, but the pain always came back.

Sciatic nerve entrapment is the agreed cause of Sciatica, where one of your lower back bones pinches the root of the wire coming out of the spine going into the leg.

Conventional treatments will target the affected area, from surgery to pain killers, massages, and bed rest.

The client had consulted with the full healthcare totem before coming to me, from medical doctors to physiotherapists, massage therapists, and chiropractors.

They all treated the site of the pain, yet none looked at his leg strength or the state of his ankles and feet.

My assessment found:

- Weak leg muscles

- Poor abdominal function despite regular "abs" training

- Painfully tight calves, ankles, and feet

These results tailored my approach. We spent hours strengthening the upper legs and releasing feet tissues.

The symptoms vanished.

I took an imprint of his feet years later. The solid bright green areas show where his weight spreads on his soles when he stands.

an observation: His pain was on the right, the side whose foot supports less body weight than the other as you can see, especially in front.

He continues training today, working on his feet and strengthening his body, except now it's for performance instead of symptom relief.

Deep Squats
Glute Ham Raises
Daily arch care
More time barefoot

His pain went away when we found and addressed the source of the nerve pinch.