Manual therapy
Gentle techniques for the lumbar spine, the sacroiliac joint and the hip, matched to the acute or sub-acute phase.
Treatment
Sciatica — treatment and physiotherapy in Warsaw
The pain shoots from your buttock down the leg, sometimes all the way to the foot. Sitting is hard, sleeping is harder, and every cough reminds you it is there. Sciatica is not a diagnosis in itself — it is a sign that the sciatic nerve is irritated.
The first job is to work out where and why that irritation is happening: whether the source is in the spine, in the sacroiliac joint, or in tight tissue in the buttock. The choice of therapy follows from that.
While the pain is at its worst we focus on reducing symptoms and finding the positions and movements that bring relief. Only then do we start working on the cause and on your tolerance to load.
Typical symptoms
- Pain radiating from the buttock, down the back of the thigh to the calf or the foot
- Sharp, burning or electric-like pain, usually on one side
- Numbness and pins and needles in the leg or foot
- Loss of strength — difficulty standing on tiptoe or on your heels
- Pain that worsens when sitting, coughing, sneezing or bending forward
- Relief when walking, or in one particular lying position
Most common causes
- Compression or irritation of a nerve root by a bulging intervertebral disc
- Degenerative changes and narrowing of the spinal canal
- Increased tension in the buttock muscles, irritating the course of the nerve
- Prolonged sitting and overload of the lumbar spine
- Lifting something heavy suddenly, or an abrupt twisting movement
- Overload of the sacroiliac joint
How we reach a diagnosis
- A detailed history: how the pain runs down the leg, what makes it worse and what brings relief
- Neurological tests — sensation, muscle strength, reflexes
- Nerve tension tests, including the straight leg raise (Lasègue) test and the slump test
- Working out the source: the spine, the sacroiliac joint or the soft tissue of the buttock
- Assessment of your walking and of the positions in which symptoms ease
- Ruling out warning signs that need urgent medical assessment
How we run your therapy
We match the methods to what the assessment shows — usually combining several of the following.
Direction-specific exercise therapy
Exercises that improve nerve gliding and restore movement in the direction that eases the symptoms in your leg.
Deep tissue massage and myofascial techniques
Reducing the tension in the gluteal and paraspinal muscles that keeps the irritation going.
Electrotherapy and therapeutic ultrasound
Pain relief support while symptoms are at their worst.
Kinesiology taping
Taking load off the lower back and supporting your return to activity.
Who will run your therapy
Licensed physiotherapists with a PWZFz licence number.
Oleksandr
MSc Physiotherapy
PWZFz no. 70983
Anita
MSc Physiotherapy
PWZFz no. 86026
When to see a doctor urgently instead of a physiotherapist
The symptoms below are not an indication for physiotherapy. If you have any of them, contact a doctor urgently or go to the emergency department (SOR).
- Loss of bladder or bowel control, together with numbness around the groin and the inner thighs
- Symptoms in both legs at the same time
- Increasing weakness in the leg, foot drop, tripping
- Pain after a fall, an accident or another serious injury
- Fever, chills, severe night pain that does not change with position
- Unexplained weight loss, or a history of cancer
If your condition suddenly gets worse, call 112. If we notice any of these signs during your assessment, we will not start therapy and will refer you to a doctor.
Prices for the treatments used with this condition
The items from our price list we use most often here. We discuss the final plan and the cost of therapy after your consultation — before you decide to start.
- Konsultacja45 min
- 180 zł
- Terapia indywidualna45 min
- 180 zł
- Terapia indywidualna60 min
- 230 zł
- Masaż tkanek głębokich45 min
- 140 zł
- Elektrostymulacja30 min
- 100 zł
- Kinesiotaśmy30 min
- 60–180 zł
Frequently asked questions
How long does sciatica last?
In most people the symptoms settle gradually over several weeks, but the course varies a great deal. We do not give a timeframe in advance — after the assessment we tell you what we found and how we plan to run the therapy.
Should I keep moving with sciatica?
Yes, movement within the limits of your pain usually helps more than lying down. We agree the type and the amount of activity individually after the assessment.
Does massage help with sciatica?
It can reduce tension and pain, but on its own it does not remove the cause of the nerve irritation. We use it as one element of therapy, not as the whole of it.
Do I need an MRI?
Not always. A doctor decides whether imaging is needed — usually when symptoms are not settling or when neurological deficits appear. If we see such signs during the assessment, we will refer you to a doctor.
Related conditions
Symptoms often overlap — these pages may help too.
Disc problems and herniation
Disc bulge and herniation, pain radiating into the leg or arm — therapy guided by your symptoms, not by the MRI report alone.
See detailsBack pain
Low back pain, morning stiffness, pain when you bend — we look for the cause, not just quieten the symptom.
See detailsKnee pain
Pain on the stairs, when running and after long periods of sitting, swelling, a feeling of instability — we assess the hip and the foot too.
See detailsBook an appointment
Start with a consultation
At your first visit we examine you, look for the cause and set out a therapy plan together with the expected cost. We see patients in central Warsaw, a few minutes from Rondo ONZ metro station.
- Address
- ul. Pańska 96 / lokal 207A, 00-837 Warszawa
- Getting here
- 5 minutes' walk from Rondo ONZ metro (M2)
- Languages
- Consultation and therapy in English, Polish and Ukrainian
- Phone
- +48 573 323 068
Request
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Leave your details — during opening hours we call back within 5 minutes, answer your questions and offer a consultation time.
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+48 573 323 068Contact
Find us in central Warsaw
We're here to help you get back to full health.
- kontakt@crpomoc.pl
- Phone
- +48 573 323 068
- Opening hours
- Mon–Sat: 8:00–20:00 · Sunday: closed
This page is for information only and does not replace a medical consultation or an individual physiotherapy assessment.