Target Audience:

This lecture is for the physicians (GPs and Orthos) who see patient’s dealing with sciatica and not 100% sure of what is being done in physical therapy. This also is open for the general audience as well. Many patients are prescribed physical therapy, however, the treatment and recovery journey is a black box. The big problem with this reality is that when multiple patient’s “fail” physical therapy, it is misconstrued that the patient would need to go through countless lines of medications and ultimately surgery. In some cases, this is a very viable route for patients. However, the realm of physical therapy is vast, especially in the pain management sector. With the right physical therapist providing the care, a greater number of patients can avoid using medications and surgery. But in order to do this, we need to understand the process as to how physical therapists can help with sciatica pain.

Learning Objectives:

• Define the roles that physical therapists play in sciatica pain management
• Breaking down the specific problem solving process for pain management
  • The scientific method
    • Gather data
    • Formulate hypothesis
    • Test hypothesis
    • Reevaluate intervention
  • Evaluation
  • Treatment
  • Reassessment
  • Repeat as necessary
• The importance of medical literacy in optimal patient/provider communication
• Strategies on how to find the right physical therapist for patients