How to Manage That Pain in the Butt: Sciatica Solutions
Live Event

How to Manage That Pain in the Butt: Sciatica Solutions

Tue, Jan 20th, 2026
7:00pm – 9:00pm US Eastern Time
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About the Event

Sciatica is characterized by buttock and leg pain in the sciatic distribution. How does one distinguish between the various sources of sciatic pain, from lumbar disc disorder to a thick wallet in someone’s back pocket? Multiple clinical entities share similar presentations such as lumbosacral radiculopathy, spondylolisthesis, piriformis syndrome, spinal stenosis and red flag diagnoses such as epidural hematoma or cancer. Explore the causes of sciatica, how to perform provocative testing and determine optimal interventions to target involved tissues. Discover how to rapidly assess sciatica and design a plan of care to effectively address the pain, sensory, motor, and functional impairments associated with sciatica. Master the art of sciatica management and help your patients rid themselves of that pain in the butt.

Live Event
This live online event will be held as a Zoom Webinar. Attendees will have the option to interact through features such as the Chat and Q&A, but cameras and microphones will not be enabled.

Live Event Instructor

Theresa Schmidt

Theresa Schmidt

Dr. Theresa Schmidt PT, DPT, OCS, LMT, CEAS of Educise.com is an Orthopedic Certified Specialist PT, Expert Consultant, educator, massage therapist, hypnotherapist and author in private practice at Educise PC Health & Wellness in NH. She is a Clinical Specialist in the Pain program at New Hampshire VA. She received her DPT at UNE., served as faculty in PT and massage programs and presented for International Fascia Research Congress, APTA, AMTA, AOTA, NASA, Johns Hopkins, and Cleveland Clinics. She focuses on hands-on natural solutions to pain and mobility problems integrating manual therapy, precision exercise, functional training and alternative medicine approaches. Her engaging seminars inspire clinicians with practical tools they can apply immediately for measurable results clients rave about.

Target Audience

This live interactive webinar is intended for Physical Therapists, Physical Therapy Assistants, Occupational Therapists, and Occupational Therapy Assistants. (PT, PTA, OT, COTA)

Learning Objectives

After taking this activity, you should be able to:

  1. 1 Discuss factors contributing to development of sciatica and differentiation between sciatica and herniated disc, lubosacral radiculopathy, nerve root impingement, piriformis syndrome, spinal stenosis, muscle spasm, Potts (TB) disease, neoplasm, epidural abscess or hematoma,
  2. 2 Perform assessment of the sciatic nerve (sensory and motor tests, SLR, slump tests, sciatic neurodynamics and piriformis test).
  3. 3 Incorporate manual therapy, exercise, neurodynamics, education and home program interventions to reduce compression and tension impairments, reduce symptoms and improve function for people with sciatica.
  4. 4 Evaluate the evidence for effectiveness of manual interventions, education and home exercise programs for sciatica.

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Bailly, F., Trouvin, A.-P., Bercier, S., Dadoun, S., Deneuville, J.-P., Faguer, R., et al. (2021). Clinical guidelines and care pathway for management of low back pain with or without radicular pain. Joint Bone Spine, 88(6), 105227.

Delgado-López, P. D., Rodríguez-Salazar, A., Martín-Alonso, J., & Martín-Velasco, V. (2017, May–June). [Lumbar disc herniation: Natural history, role of physical examination, timing of surgery, treatment options, and conflicts of interests]. Neurocirugía (Asturias), 28(3), 124–134. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neucir.2017.04.002

Flug, J. A., Burge, A., Melisaratos, D., Miller, T. T., & Carrino, J. A. (2018, July). Post-operative extra-spinal etiologies of sciatic nerve impingement. Skeletal Radiology, 47(7), 913–921. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00256-018-2956-2

George, S. Z., Fritz, J. M., Silfies, S. P., Schneider, M. J., Beneciuk, J. M., Lentz, T. A., et al. (2021). Interventions for the management of acute and chronic low back pain: Revision 2021: Clinical practice guidelines linked to the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health from the Academy of Orthopaedic Physical Therapy of the American Physical Therapy Association. Journal of Orthopaedic & Sports Physical Therapy, 51(11), CPG1–CPG60.

Hicks, B. L., Lam, J. C., & Varacallo, M. (2023, August 4). Piriformis syndrome. StatPearls. StatPearls Publishing. https://www.statpearls.com

Hong, X., Shi, R., Wang, Y. T., Liu, L., Bao, J. P., & Wu, X. T. (2018, December). Lumbar disc herniation treated by microendoscopic discectomy: Prognostic predictors of long-term postoperative outcome. Orthopäde, 47(12), 993–1002. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00132-018-3662-9

Jensen, R. K. (2019). Diagnosis and treatment of sciatica. BMJ, 367, l6273. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.l6273

Ji, M., Wang, X., Chen, M., Shen, Y., Zhang, X., & Yang, J. (2015). The efficacy of acupuncture for the treatment of sciatica: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine, 2015, 192808. https://doi.org/10.1155/2015/192808

Kreiner, D. S., & Matz, P. (Eds.). (2020). Evidence-based clinical guidelines for multidisciplinary spine care: Diagnosis and treatment of low back pain. North American Spine Society.

Krenn, C., Horvath, K., Jeitler, K., Zipp, C., Siebenhofer-Kroitzsch, A., & Semlitsch, T. (2020). Management of non-specific low back pain in primary care: A systematic overview of recommendations from international evidence-based guidelines. Primary Health Care Research & Development, 21, e39. https://doi.org/10.1017/S1463423620000391

Koes, B. W., van Tulder, M. W., & Peul, W. C. (2007, June 23). Diagnosis and treatment of sciatica. BMJ, 334(7607), 1313–1317. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.39182.604584.80

Korownyk, C. S., Montgomery, L., Young, J., Moore, S., Singer, A. G., MacDougall, P., et al. (2022). PEER simplified chronic pain guideline: Management of chronic low back, osteoarthritic, and neuropathic pain in primary care. Canadian Family Physician, 68(3), 179–190.

Lagerbäck, T., Fritzell, P., Hägg, O., Nordvall, D., Lønne, G., Solberg, T. K., Andersen, M. Ø., Eiskjær, S., Gehrchen, M., Jacobs, W. C., van Hooff, M. L., & Gerdhem, P. (2019, November). Effectiveness of surgery for sciatica with disc herniation is not substantially affected by differences in surgical incidences among three countries: Results from the Danish, Swedish, and Norwegian spine registries. European Spine Journal, 28(11), 2562–2571. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00586-019-06052-6

Liu, S., Li, Q., Wang, H., Zhang, H., Zhao, Q., Su, J., Zou, J., Feng, P., & Zhang, A. (2024, July 31). Exercise as a promising alternative for sciatic nerve injury pain relief: A meta-analysis. Frontiers in Neurology, 15, 1424050. https://doi.org/10.3389/fneur.2024.1424050

Meroni, R., Piscitelli, D., Ravasio, C., Vanti, C., Bertozzi, L., De Vito, G., et al. (2021). Evidence for managing chronic low back pain in primary care: A review of recommendations from high-quality clinical practice guidelines. Disability and Rehabilitation, 43(7), 1029–1043. https://doi.org/10.1080/09638288.2020.1717642

Mescouto, K., Olson, R. E., Hodges, P. W., & Setchell, J. (2022). A critical review of the biopsychosocial model of low back pain care: Time for a new approach? Disability and Rehabilitation, 44(13), 3270–3284.

Ng, J. Y., Mohiuddin, U., & Azizudin, A. M. (2021). Clinical practice guidelines for the treatment and management of low back pain: A systematic review of quantity and quality. Musculoskeletal Science and Practice, 51, 102295. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.msksp.2020.102295

Ostelo, R. W. (2020, April). Physiotherapy management of sciatica. Journal of Physiotherapy, 66(2), 83–88. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jphys.2020.03.008

Roth, E. L. (2018). Diagnosis and management of piriformis syndrome: A rare anatomic variant analyzed by magnetic resonance imaging. Journal of Clinical Imaging Science, 8, 6. https://doi.org/10.4103/jcis.jcis_10_18

Siddiq, M. A. B. (2018, May 10). Piriformis syndrome and wallet neuritis: Are they the same? Cureus, 10(5), e2606. https://doi.org/10.7759/cureus.2606

Stafford, M. A., Peng, P., & Hill, D. A. (2007, October). Sciatica: A review of history, epidemiology, pathogenesis, and the role of epidural steroid injection in management. British Journal of Anaesthesia, 99(4), 461–473. https://doi.org/10.1093/bja/aem219

Stynes, S., Konstantinou, K., Ogollah, R., Hay, E. M., & Dunn, K. M. (2018). Clinical diagnostic model for sciatica developed in primary care patients with low back-related leg pain. PLoS One, 13(4), e0191852. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0191852

Supik, L. F., & Broom, M. J. (1994, May 1). Sciatic tension signs and lumbar disc herniation. Spine (Philadelphia), 19(9), 1066–1069. https://doi.org/10.1097/00007632-199405010-00017

Vroomen, P. C., de Krom, M. C., & Knottnerus, J. A. (2000, January). Consistency of history taking and physical examination in patients with suspected lumbar nerve root involvement. Spine (Philadelphia), 25(1), 91–96; discussion 97. https://doi.org/10.1097/00007632-200001010-00018

Wheeler, A. H. (1995, October). Diagnosis and management of low back pain and sciatica. American Family Physician, 52(5), 1333–1341, 1347–1348. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/7565527/

Zhou, T., Salman, D., & McGregor, A. H. (2024). Recent clinical practice guidelines for the management of low back pain: A global comparison. BMC Musculoskeletal Disorders, 25, 344. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12891-024-07468-0

Disclosure to Learners

CE Learning Systems adheres to the ACCME's Standards for Integrity and Independence in Accredited Continuing Medical Education. Any individuals in a position to control the content of a CE activity – including faculty, planners, reviewers, or others ― are required to disclose all relevant financial relationships with ineligible entities (formerly known as commercial interests).

The following relevant financial relationships have been disclosed by this activity's planners, faculty, and the reviewer:

Planners and Reviewers

The planners of this activity have reported that they have no relevant financial relationships.

Faculty

There are no known relevant financial relationships to disclose.

Course Creator

Theresa A. Schmidt, PT, DPT, MS, OCS, LMT, CEAS – None to report.

Commercial support

There is no commercial support for this distance-learning course.

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Event Agenda

Agenda times are listed in US Eastern Time. That is 3 hours later than US Pacific Time. The event starts at 4:00pm US Pacific Time.

7:00 - 8:00pm ET: Characteristics of sciatica, epidemiology, risk factors. Clinical presentation, differential diagnosis, assessment tools and outcome measures.

8:00 -9:00pm ET: Interventions to manage sciatica: manual therapy, exercise, education, and home programs. Research review of effectiveness of interventions. Case studies. Evidence review. Q&A.

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