For physios, sciatica is characterised by pain radiating down the knee from the lumbar spine associated with altered sensation and/or weakness in the leg. Sciatica is common, with 60% of patients with low back pain presenting with leg pain features (1). It’s challenging for physios to find a structural cause as it could happen from disc herniations, compression, inflammation or tumors. At times, sciatica is wrongly mixed with the term ‘lumbar radiculopathy’. By now, physios should know that sciatica is a symptom and not a specific diagnosis (2).

For patients, sciatica can be an ‘all-encompassing’ experience with ‘physically and mentally draining’ symptoms with many feeling underappreciated in their consultations with the lack of clear explanations about treatment and prognosis. This failure of understanding the patient’s whole story leads to lack of trust and poor therapeutic alliance.