First Assessment
Free
45 minutes, at home
- Full clinical examination at the patient's home
- The likely cause explained in plain language
- A realistic recovery plan and what it will cost
- No obligation to book any further sessions
Pain that shoots down the back of one leg, sometimes with tingling or numbness in the foot, usually means a nerve root in the lower back is irritated. On Shankar Sheth Road, two things tend to set it off. The first is the ride: stop-start traffic and uneven patches, such as the potholes and broken divider near Dhobi Ghat that local news reported in 2024, send a jolt up through the seat with every bump. The second is sitting. Students who spend long hours at the coaching classes along the road, and office staff at their desks, often notice the leg getting worse as the day goes on.
Our sciatica treatment page explains the condition in general. This page covers what we see along this road and how a home session tackles it.
Jolts, bumps and long hours seated
- Bumps on a two-wheeler. A pothole taken at speed compresses the spine suddenly, and the irritated nerve reacts.
- Riding hunched. A low seat or a long reach to the handlebars keeps the lower back rounded for the whole trip.
- Classroom and desk sitting. Long spells in a chair, particularly a slumped one, keep pressure on the lower discs and the nerve.
- Getting up and down. Bending to put a scooter on its stand, or rising from a low seat, can bring on the sharp catch many people describe.
Finding out whether the nerve is involved
Not all leg pain is sciatica. Hip joints, muscles and circulation can each refer pain into the leg, so the physiotherapist begins by working out the source. The examination includes nerve tension tests, checks of strength, reflexes and skin sensation in both legs, and movements of the back and hip. It also screens for signs of severe nerve compression. Any scan reports are read alongside the examination findings, since a disc bulge on an MRI does not always match the symptoms.
Early treatment looks for positions and movements that ease the leg pain, often called a directional preference, and builds from there. Gentle nerve mobility exercises, walking and progressive strength work follow as the leg calms. Where a disc problem has been confirmed, our page on slip disc physiotherapy in Shankar Sheth Road goes further; where the back itself is the main complaint, see back pain physiotherapy.
Riding and sitting while the leg settles
- For a few days, skip trips that reliably worsen the leg, or take an autorickshaw and sit upright.
- When you do ride, slow right down for rough patches and keep your back tall rather than hunched.
- Break up sitting every twenty to thirty minutes: stand, take a few steps, or repeat the movement your physiotherapist gave you.
- Try sleeping on your side with a pillow between the knees, or on your back with pillows under them.
- Notice whether the pain is spreading further down the leg or retreating towards the buttock, and report it at the next visit; that change tells the physiotherapist a lot.
Leg symptoms that cannot wait
Go to an emergency department if sciatica comes with numbness between the legs or around the back passage, new trouble passing or holding urine, or loss of bowel control. Weakness that is getting worse, such as a foot that starts to slap or drag, also needs urgent medical review.
Book a home assessment on the booking page, or see how home physiotherapy on Shankar Sheth Road is arranged.