If you've ever experienced the leg pain and aching that go along with sciatica, you know how uncomfortable that pain is. But just what is sciatica, and why is a problem in the back felt down the leg? Sciatica represents a degenerative process in the discs of the low back. Each vertebra is cushioned above and below by an intervertebral disc. Discs can degenerate and bulge. The bulging disc can sometimes place pressure on nearby spinal nerves, and this is felt as pain in the back, buttock, thigh, leg, or foot.

To achieve relief from sciatica one must understand:

• Leg pain is not prevented by the strengthening or stretching the muscles of the leg or back
• The stability of the back rather than the strength of the back prevents sciatica
• Therapy for back stability is quite different from strength training

A Feldenkrais approach to sciatic pain treatment begins with an evaluation of your spinal core and considers:

• The stability of the back is dependent on a properly functioning spinal core
• The spinal core is a complicated series of discs and vertebra, each with a slightly different function
• Faulty interactions between vertebrae create excessive strain in the back discs and sciatica
• Optimizing interactions between vertebrae stabilizes the back, providing sciatic pain relief

If you've rested enough or if physical therapy has not worked for you, the Feldenkrais Method can be used to treat all problems for which surgery isn't necessary. Feldenkrais uses simple, gentle movements to reorganize posture, flexibility, strength and coordination. Based on the neurological processes by which we learn movement skills, it is a novel approach to sciatic pain relief, harnessing the power of the brain to help the body function more efficiently. More efficient use of self creates environments within which this type of chronic pain can heal. Feldenkrais helps you to have fun with all those things for which your sciatica now holds you back; discover what it can do for you.