Sciatica is pain that travels along the sciatic nerve — usually down the back of one leg — and it is a symptom rather than a diagnosis in itself. Most often it comes from a disc pressing on or irritating a nerve root, which is what people mean by a slip disc. Most cases settle with the right rehabilitation and do not need surgery, but the assessment has to establish what is actually driving the pain before treatment starts.
When to seek urgent medical help instead
Go to hospital the same day, rather than booking physiotherapy, if you develop any of the following: loss of bladder or bowel control, numbness around the groin, inner thighs or buttocks, or weakness in both legs that is getting worse. These are rare, but they need emergency assessment. Please also see a doctor first if leg weakness is progressing quickly, or if the pain follows a significant fall or accident.
What assessment establishes
Your physiotherapist examines how your spine moves, which positions provoke and which relieve the pain, and tests nerve involvement — sensation, reflexes and muscle strength in the leg. That distinguishes genuine nerve-root pain from referred pain arising from the joints or muscles of the back, which behaves differently and needs different treatment.
What treatment involves
We treat herniated disc and sciatica with movement-based rehabilitation, manual therapy and education, coordinating with medical specialists when required. In practice that means finding positions and movements that reduce the nerve irritation, hands-on treatment to restore movement in the stiff segments, and a graded exercise programme that rebuilds the strength and control to keep it settled. Understanding what is happening — and what is safe to do — is a substantial part of recovery.
Why rest is usually not the answer
Prolonged bed rest tends to make disc-related pain worse rather than better. Staying as active as the pain allows, with guidance about which movements to favour and which to avoid for now, generally leads to a better recovery. Your physiotherapist will tell you specifically what that means for your presentation.
What a disc problem is, in plain terms
The discs between the vertebrae are tough, pressurised cushions. When part of one bulges or herniates beyond its normal border, it can press on or chemically irritate a nearby nerve root. Nothing has “slipped” — the disc has not moved out of position, which is worth knowing, because the phrase frightens people into protecting a back that would do better moving.
Why symptoms often improve before the scan does
People are frequently surprised that their leg pain settles while the herniation is still visible on imaging. Much of the pain comes from irritation and inflammation around the nerve rather than from the size of the bulge itself, and that settles first. It is one of the clearest examples of why treatment follows symptoms and examination rather than the scan report.
How the pain usually behaves as it recovers
A good sign is centralisation: pain that was travelling down the leg begins to withdraw towards the back, even if the back itself is temporarily more sore. Pain moving further down the leg, or new weakness, is the opposite and should be reported. Your physiotherapist will show you which positions and movements produce which effect for you, so you can steer your own recovery between sessions.
Surgery, and when it enters the conversation
Most people with disc-related sciatica recover without surgery. It is generally considered where there is significant or progressing weakness, or where genuinely disabling symptoms have not responded to a proper course of conservative treatment. If your presentation moves in that direction, we say so and coordinate with a specialist rather than continuing regardless.
Getting back to normal loading
The last phase is often skipped and it is the one that prevents recurrence. Once pain has settled, the back needs to be progressively reloaded — lifting, bending, sitting, carrying — so it tolerates ordinary life again. Stopping at “no longer painful” is what leaves people vulnerable to the next episode.
Booking an assessment
Available across APARC’s centres in Delhi NCR, Gurugram and Pune, and through home physiotherapy if sitting or travelling is difficult. See also back pain physiotherapy and manual therapy. Call +91 98189 11195 to book an assessment.
Find an APARC centre near you
APARC Health & Motion has 12 centres across Delhi NCR and Pune. Services, equipment and clinical teams vary by centre — please contact your nearest centre to confirm what is available there.
Medically reviewed by Dr Arjit Vashishtha, MPT · Last reviewed: 2 August 2026 · Our clinical team