by There are few things quite as unsettling as waking up with a nagging ache in your lower back, or worse, an agonising, shooting sensation that travels all the way down your leg. You might find yourself Googling symptoms at midnight, wondering whether to push through it, rest up completely or make an appointment somewhere.
If that sounds familiar, you’re in good company. Lower back pain is one of the most common reasons people seek help at our Sundial clinics in Brighton and questions like “is this sciatica?” or “could it be a slipped disc?” are ones our clinicians hear every single week.
It is difficult to diagnose your problem without seeing you but what it will do is help you understand what your symptoms might mean; what the difference between sciatica and ordinary back pain actually isand when it makes sense to have a proper assessment. We want you to feel informed and reassured, not more worried than when you started reading.
If you’re currently dealing with back or leg pain and wondering whether it’s worth getting checked, feel free to get in touch with our chiropractors and physio’s in Brighton. But for now, let’s work through what might be going on.
What Do People Actually Mean by “Sciatica”?
The word “sciatica” gets used as a catch-all for all sorts of back and leg pain. You might have heard it from a friend who had something similar or your GP may have mentioned it in passing. But what does it actually mean?
The Sciatic Nerve: A Quick Explanation
The sciatic nerve is the longest nerve in the body. It comes out of your spine in your lower back, passes through the buttock and travels down the back of each leg to the foot. Irritation or compression of this nerve can produce symptoms in a surprisingly wide range of places.
“Sciatica” is not itself a diagnosis. It’s a description of a set of symptoms, specifically pain, numbness or tingling that follows the path of the sciatic nerve. The underlying cause (what’s actually irritating the nerve) needs to be identified separately, which is why a proper assessment matters.
What Does Sciatica Feel Like?
People describe it in different ways. For some it’s a dull, constant ache deep in the buttock. For others it’s a sharp, electric-shock sensation that shoots down the leg without much warning. Common descriptions include:
- A burning or shooting pain that travels from the lower back or buttock into the leg
- Numbness or tingling running down the back of the thigh, calf or into the foot
- A feeling of weakness in the leg, as though it might give way
- Pain that is typically one-sided, affecting the left leg or the right, not usually both at the same time
- Symptoms that are worse after sitting for a long period or first thing in the morning
It’s worth noting that sciatica doesn’t always come with significant back pain. Some people have very little back pain at all, and the main discomfort is in the leg. Others experience mostly back pain with some leg symptoms. The presentation varies considerably from person to person.
Back Pain vs Sciatica: What’s Actually the Difference?
This is the question we get asked most often and it’s a fair one, because the two can feel quite similar in some ways.
Not All Back Pain Involves the Sciatic Nerve
The majority of lower back pain (the ache that comes on after a weekend of gardening or the stiffness that builds up after sitting at a desk all day) is muscular, postural or related to the small joints in the spine. It can be genuinely uncomfortable, but it doesn’t involve the sciatic nerve at all even though you may get referred pain in the buttock and thigh.
True sciatica means the sciatic nerve is being irritated or compressed somewhere along its path. The key marker that distinguishes it from ordinary back pain is the type of symptoms, and these travel into the leg, often below the knee.
Referred Pain or Nerve Entrapment Symptoms
Without seeing you in person and carrying out a proper assessment, we can’t say categorically what you have. But as a rough guide:
- Back pain that stays in the back, buttock, or upper thigh area: more likely to be muscular strain, joint irritation or postural stress. Still worth addressing, but a different picture to sciatica. This is probably referred pain from these tissues.
- Back pain that comes with shooting pain, numbness or tingling down the leg: particularly if it goes below the knee, probably involves irritation or compression of the sciatic nerve, i.e. true sciatica. This is worth getting assessed, especially if it’s been present for more than a couple of weeks.
- Leg pain or tingling without much back pain: can still be nerve-related, but may have other causes. Again, proper assessment is the right move.
If you’re not sure which of these descriptions fits your symptoms, that’s exactly the kind of thing one of our chiropractors can help you work out. There’s no obligation to commit to a course of treatment at that point: a good assessment starts with a proper conversation and a thorough examination.
What Is a “Slipped Disc”? And Is It the Same as Sciatica?
These two terms often get used interchangeably, but they’re not quite the same thing and understanding the difference can make the whole situation feel less mysterious.
“Slipped Disc” Explained Simply
Your spine is made up of a series of bones (vertebrae), and between each pair sits a disc, a structure with a tough outer ring and a softer, gel-like centre. These discs act as shock absorbers, allowing your spine to move, bend and twist.
“Slipped disc” is the everyday term for what clinicians call a herniated or prolapsed disc. The disc doesn’t literally slip out of place; instead, the outer ring weakens or develops a tear and the softer inner material bulges outward. If this bulge presses against a nearby nerve root (one of the nerves that feeds into the sciatic nerve), that’s when sciatica-type symptoms develop.
So a herniated or prolapsed disc is one common cause of sciatica. But sciatica can also result from other things, including:
- Spinal stenosis: a narrowing of the spinal canal that puts pressure on the nerve
- Piriformis syndrome: where a muscle deep in the buttock irritates the sciatic nerve
- Degenerative, wear and tear type changes in the spine that develop over timeIn rare cases, other causes that require medical investigation
This is one reason why getting a proper diagnosis matters. “Sciatica” tells you what you’re experiencing; it doesn’t tell you why. And the why shapes the best approach to treatment.
Will a Slipped Disc Heal on Its Own?
This is one of the most common questions we hear, and the answer is often, yes. The body has a remarkable capacity to reabsorb herniated disc material over time. A narrative review published in Neurospine (Rashed et al., 2025) describes spontaneous disc resorption as a well-established phenomenon driven by inflammatory processes and the body’s natural macrophage activity: essentially, the immune system helps break down and clear displaced disc tissue. This process often correlates with meaningful symptom improvement without surgical intervention.
That doesn’t mean you simply wait it out without any support. Conservative care, which includes physiotherapy, chiropractic treatment, appropriate exercise and self-management advice, plays an important role in keeping you moving, reducing pain during the recovery period and helping prevent a recurrence. But for most people, surgery is not necessary.
Recovery time varies. Mild to moderate cases often show meaningful improvement within 6 to 12 weeks. More significant or longstanding presentations may take longer, but improvement is still happens with the right care.
How Serious Is Sciatica? When to Act
People want to know whether their back pain is something to take seriously or something they can safely manage at home.
The reassuring answer is that most back pain, even when quite uncomfortable, is not dangerous. But there are some situations that require prompt action and it’s important to know what they are.
Red Flags: When to Seek Urgent Medical Help
The following symptoms alongside back or leg pain require urgent medical attention, either from your GP on an emergency basis or at A&E:
- Loss of bladder or bowel control: if you suddenly cannot control your bladder or bowel function, this needs to be assessed immediately
- Numbness in both legs, the inner thighs or around the groin and saddle area: this can indicate a condition called cauda equina syndrome, which is a medical emergency
- Severe weakness in both legs that comes on suddenly
- Back pain following a significant fall, accident or trauma, particularly if you are older or have a history of osteoporosis
These presentations are uncommon but they are important. If any of these apply to you, please do not wait for a routine appointment; go to A&E.
When to See a Chiropractor for Sciatica
Outside of those red flags, the following situations suggest it’s sensible to get a professional opinion:
- Leg pain, numbness or tingling that has been present for more than two to three weeks
- Back pain that is getting worse rather than settling, even after two to three weeks of rest and gentle movement
- Pain that is significantly disrupting your sleep, your work or day-to-day activities like walking, cooking or driving
Getting a proper assessment does not mean committing to a long course of treatment. It means understanding what’s happening, which puts you in a much better position to make sensible decisions.
Treatment Options for Sciatica and Back Pain
What You Can Do at Home
The guidance around back pain has shifted considerably in recent years. Bed rest, once commonly recommended, is now known to often make things worse. Current evidence, including NICE guidance on low back pain and radiculopathy, favours staying as gently active as your symptoms allow. Research published in PLOS ONE (Corrêa et al., 2022) reinforces that advice to stay active remains a first-line recommendation in the management of sciatica across most international clinical practice guidelines.
A few practical things that can help in the early stages:
- Keep moving, within your comfort. Short, gentle walks are generally better than lying still. Movement helps maintain circulation to the discs and surrounding tissues.
- Be mindful of positions. Lying on your side with a pillow between your knees often reduces pressure on the lower back. Sitting for extended periods, particularly on soft sofas, tends to aggravate nerve symptoms.
- Avoid prolonged static postures. If you’re working from home, set a reminder to get up and move every 30 to 40 minutes. The spine does not cope well with being held in one position for hours on end.
- Avoid bending over. Bending from the waist puts pressure on your low back discs.
- Think before you lift. Avoid heavy lifting in the acute phase. When you do lift, keep the load close to your body, bend your knees and engage your core. If you go to the gym, avoid deadlifts.
These steps won’t resolve an underlying nerve problem on their own but they can meaningfully reduce your symptoms while you work out the next steps.
Chiropractic Care for Back Pain and Sciatica in Brighton
Our chiropractors specialise in the assessment and management of musculoskeletal conditions like back pain.. For lower back pain and appropriate cases of sciatica, chiropractic care works well
A comprehensive network meta-analysis published in The Journal of Pain (Zhu et al., 2025), analysing 50 randomised controlled trials involving nearly 5,000 participants, found that spinal manipulative therapy, like we do here at Sundial, produced some of the largest reductions in leg pain intensity in the short term for people with chronic sciatica, compared to other non-surgical approaches. A 2024 review of clinical practice guidelines, published in the Journal of Clinical Medicine, found that spinal manipulation was recommended for low back pain in 90% of relevant guideline statements.
It’s worth being clear: spinal manipulation is not suitable for everyone, which is why we always do a thorough assessment first. Our approach works for most patients who find it reduces pain and improves mobility alongside exercise and lifestyle advice.
Massage Therapy
Therapeutic massage won’t resolve a herniated disc or decompress a nerve on its own but it can be a valuable part of the overall picture. Muscle tension and spasm around the lower back are almost always present alongside nerve-related pain and that tension can become a significant pain driver in its own right.
Targeted massage work can ease that muscular component, improve circulation to the area, and help you feel more comfortable in between other treatment sessions. Many patients find it a useful complement to chiropractic treatment or physiotherapy, particularly in the earlier, more painful stages.
Physio or Chiropractor: Which Is Right for Me?
This is one of the most common questions people ask when they’re considering treatment. The honest answer is: it depends on your individual situation and at Sundial Clinics here in Brighton, you don’t have to make that decision in isolation.
Our team includes both physiotherapists and chiropractors. After your assessment, we’ll recommend the approach that suits your specific presentation and if a combination works better, that’s what we’ll suggest. Some people respond particularly well to chiropractic care alongside home exercises; others benefit most from a physiotherapy-led rehabilitation programme. Some benefit from both, at different stages of their recovery.
What we won’t do is fit you into a predetermined treatment pathway before we’ve properly listened and assessed. That’s not how good musculoskeletal care works.
Is Surgery the Answer?
For the vast majority of people with sciatica, surgery is not necessary. A landmark systematic review and meta-analysis published in The BMJ (Liu et al., 2023), one of the most comprehensive analyses to date, covering 24 randomised controlled trials, concluded that while surgery for sciatica due to lumbar disc herniation can produce faster short-term relief of leg pain, long-term outcomes between surgical and non-surgical management are broadly similar. International guidelines recommend a stepped approach: starting with conservative management such as chiropractic or physiotherapy and appropriate medication, with surgery considered only when non-surgical treatment has been tried and has not provided adequate relief, or in cases with significant neurological deterioration.
This is an important context. If you’ve been worrying that your only option might be an operation, the evidence strongly suggests that conservative care (the kind Sundial Clinics provide) should always be the starting point and is the right answer for the majority of people.
How Long Will It Take to Get Better?
Recovery is often up and down and anyone who promises a specific outcome is overstating what they can know before assessing you. This is what we can say, based on clinical experience and the research evidence.
For most people with mild to moderate sciatica or back-related leg pain, meaningful improvement is common within 8 to 10 treatment sessions, particularly when combined with appropriate self-management and gentle exercise. Many people feel noticeably better sooner than that.
More longstanding or complex presentations, particularly where symptoms have been present for several months, or where there are significant neurological signs, may take longer. But improvement is still the expected outcome in the majority of cases managed conservatively.
We review progress regularly throughout treatment. If something isn’t working as expected, we’ll tell you and adjust the approach accordingly. And if we feel that onward referral (for imaging, a specialist opinion or medical review) would serve you better, we’ll say so and help arrange that.
Staying Active: What This Means for Your Life in Brighton
One of the concerns we hear most often from patients is not just “will I get better?”. It’s “will I be able to keep doing the things I love?”.
Whether that’s your regular walk along the seafront, a round of golf at the weekend, tending the allotment, cycling in Stanmer Park or simply being able to sit comfortably through a meal out in the Brighton Lanes: these things matter. They’re part of how you stay well, connected and yourself.
In most cases, the goal of treatment is not to restrict your activity: it’s to help you return to it more quickly and more safely. We’ll talk through which activities to ease back on temporarily, which ones are fine to continue and how to manage any flare-ups that come along the way.
For those of you working from home in Hove, Kemptown, or anywhere across the city, we’ll also look at the practical elements of your daily set-up (screen height, chair position, movement patterns) that may be contributing to the problem.
When Is a Professional Assessment Worth It?
As a rough guide, if you can say Yes to the following points, it’s sensible to seek a professional assessment.
- You have back pain and leg symptoms (pain, numbness, tingling) that have been present for more than two weeks without clear improvement
- Your pain is disrupting your sleep, work or normal daily activities
- You’re unsure what’s causing the pain and you want a clear, honest explanation
- You want to know what your options are before deciding whether to do anything
You won’t be wasting anyone’s time. Uncertainty about your own symptoms is a completely valid reason to get an expert opinion. Our role is to assess properly, explain clearly and give you the information you need to make a sensible decision, not to push you into treatment you don’t need.
At Sundial Clinics in Brighton, this kind of assessment is exactly what we do every day. If it turns out conservative care isn’t right for your situation, we’ll tell you and help point you in the right direction.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is sciatica the same as a slipped disc?
Not exactly. A slipped disc (properly called a herniated or prolapsed disc) is one of the most common causes of sciatica, but it’s not the only one. Sciatica describes the symptoms (pain, numbness or tingling along the sciatic nerve); a herniated or prolapsed disc is one cause of those symptoms. Other causes include spinal stenosis, piriformis syndrome and age-related changes in the spine. A proper assessment helps identify which is most likely.
Can sciatica go away on its own?
In many cases, yes. Research consistently shows that the majority of people with sciatica, including those with a herniated disc improve significantly without surgery, often within 6 to 12 weeks. Conservative care (physiotherapy, chiropractic treatment, exercise and self-management) plays an important role in supporting and speeding up that recovery. If symptoms are severe, worsening or persisting beyond a few weeks, an assessment is well worth having.
How do I know if my back pain is serious?
Most back pain, even when uncomfortable, is not medically serious. The situations that require urgent attention are: loss of bladder or bowel control, sudden numbness in both legs or around the saddle area and severe weakness in both legs. If any of these apply to you, seek medical attention immediately. For back pain that is worsening, not settling after two to three weeks or accompanied by unexplained symptoms such as fever or significant weight loss, speak to your GP promptly.
Is physiotherapy or chiropractic better for sciatica?
Both can be effective and the right choice depends on your individual presentation. At Sundial Clinics, our team includes physiotherapists, chiropractors and massage therapists, so rather than choosing before you’ve been assessed, we’ll recommend the approach that suits your situation after we’ve properly understood your symptoms. Sometimes a combination works best.
How many sessions will I need?
This depends on the cause, severity and duration of your symptoms. Many people notice meaningful improvement within 8 to 10 sessions, combined with self-management between appointments. We’ll give you an honest expectation at the outset and review your progress regularly. If things aren’t moving in the right direction, we’ll tell you and adjust the approach.
Can massage therapy help with sciatica?
Yes, as part of a broader plan. Massage won’t resolve an underlying disc or nerve problem on its own, but it can significantly ease the muscular tension and spasm that often accompany sciatica and which can become a major source of pain in their own right. Many patients find it a very helpful complement to their main treatment.
Should I rest or keep moving with sciatica?
Current guidance, including NICE recommendations, is firmly in favour of staying as gently active as your symptoms allow. Complete bed rest tends to slow recovery. That said, “staying active” doesn’t mean pushing through severe pain: it means finding movements and activities that are manageable and keeping your body moving within those limits. We’ll advise you on what’s appropriate for your specific situation.
Do I need a GP referral to see a physiotherapist or chiropractor at Sundial Clinics?
No. You can contact us directly, no referral needed. We see self-referrals every day, and it’s often the quickest route to getting the assessment and advice you need.
About Matthew Bennett, Chiropractor Brighton
Matthew Bennett is the founder and principal chiropractor at Sundial Clinics Brighton, established in 1991. With over 35 years of clinical experience, Matthew qualified from the Anglo-European College of Chiropractic in 1987 and served as President of the British Chiropractic Association for four years. As a Fellow of the Royal College of Chiropractors and former team chiropractor for Brighton and Hove Albion FC and the British Alpine Ski Team, Matthew combines evidence-based chiropractic treatment with sports performance expertise. His authority in musculoskeletal health has been recognised through national media appearances, expert witness roles and contributions to professional publications. Matthew’s commitment to clinical excellence ensures patients receive the most effective chiropractic care in Brighton.
References
The clinical content in this article draws on the following peer-reviewed research:
Liu C, Ferreira GE, Abdel Shaheed C, et al. Surgical versus non-surgical treatment for sciatica: systematic review and meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials.
Zhu Z, Schouten T, Strijkers R, Koes B, Gerger H, Chiarotto A. Effectiveness of non-surgical interventions for patients with chronic sciatica: a systematic review with network meta-analysis.
Rashed S, Vassiliou A, Starup-Hansen J, Tsang K. Spontaneous resorption of lumbar disc herniation: a narrative review of pathophysiology, predictive factors, and clinical decision-making.
Corrêa LA, Bittencourt JV, Mathieson S, et al. Neural management plus advice to stay active on clinical measures and sciatic neurodynamic for patients with chronic sciatica: study protocol for a controlled randomised clinical trial.
This article is written for general information purposes and does not constitute medical advice or diagnosis. If you have concerns about your symptoms — particularly any of the red flag symptoms described above — please seek appropriate medical attention. The clinical evidence cited reflects published peer-reviewed research at the time of writing; individual outcomes vary. Sundial Clinics’ team is happy to advise on whether an assessment with us is the right next step for your situation.