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Fort Collins, CO/Chiropractic + Rehab Coaching/Accepting New Patients
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Condition

Sciatica Treatment in Fort Collins, CO

Pain, numbness or electric sensation that travels from the low back or glute down the leg. The goal is to find what is irritating the nerve, calm it down, then build enough capacity that it stops being reactive.

The short answer

Sciatica is pain along the path of the sciatic nerve, usually caused by irritation of a lumbar nerve root from a disc, joint or muscular source rather than by the nerve itself. Treatment at Tier 1 Performance & Rehab in Fort Collins identifies the specific movement direction that relieves your symptoms, uses hands-on care and nerve-glide work to calm the leg pain, then loads the hips and trunk so the low back tolerates sitting, lifting and running again.

Serving Fort Collins, Loveland, Timnath, Windsor and Wellington, CO.

01 — What it is

Sciatica, and how to tell that's what you have

Signs you're dealing with this

  • —Pain that travels below the glute into the hamstring, calf or foot
  • —Numbness, pins and needles or a burning line down the leg
  • —Symptoms worse with prolonged sitting, driving or bending forward
  • —A leg that feels heavy or gives way on stairs
  • —Pain that spikes with coughing or sneezing

What's actually causing it

  • —A lumbar disc irritating a nerve root, most often L4-L5 or L5-S1
  • —Joint or facet irritation referring into the leg
  • —Deep hip and glute tissue compressing the nerve along its path
  • —A trunk and hip that cannot tolerate your sitting, lifting or running volume
Photo: Dr. Alec assessing or treating Sciatica — drop real clinic photo here
“Dr. Alec did a great job of identifying where I was in the healing process and matching the right exercises for my rehab… I found that this builds trust.”
Brad Tietel

02 — Our approach

How we treat Sciatica at Tier 1

  1. Find the direction that helps

    We test which movements and positions reduce your leg symptoms and which provoke them, plus a full neurological screen for strength, reflexes and sensation.

  2. Calm the nerve

    Hands-on care, positional relief, nerve glides and specific loading to bring symptoms out of the leg and back toward the spine.

  3. Load the hips and trunk

    Hinge, squat and carry patterns built back up so the low back has capacity for real life, not just for the clinic.

  4. Bulletproof it

    Sitting strategy, warm-up rules and a strength program that keeps the nerve quiet long after care ends.

What to expect, week by week

  • Weeks 1–3

    Leg symptoms shrink toward the back. Clear rules for what to avoid.

  • Weeks 4–10

    Loaded hinge and carry work, sitting and driving tolerance rebuilt.

  • Weeks 10–16

    Full training load, plus the maintenance program that keeps flare-ups away.

Programs here run 8 to 16 weeks depending on how long the problem has been going on and the load you need to return to. These are typical ranges for active adults, not a guarantee — you get specific goals and a target program length after your first assessment.

03 — FAQ

Sciatica: common questions

Written as direct answers so Google and AI assistants can quote them.

How long does sciatica last?+

Leg symptoms usually start retreating within the first two to three weeks, and programs here run eight to sixteen weeks so the low back is rebuilt to full load rather than just quiet. The first thing we look for is your leg pain moving back toward the spine — that is the sign it is heading the right direction.

Can a chiropractor help with sciatica?+

Yes. A chiropractor can identify the source of nerve irritation, use manual care to reduce symptoms, and prescribe the loading program that stops it recurring. If there is progressive weakness or bowel or bladder change, that is a medical referral, not a chiropractic one.

Should I rest or move with sciatica?+

Move, within the directions that do not provoke the leg. Extended bed rest slows recovery. We give you a specific list of what to do and what to hold off on.

Is sciatica the same as low back pain?+

No. Low back pain stays local. Sciatica refers below the glute along the nerve, and it needs a plan that addresses nerve sensitivity as well as strength.

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Get a straight answer about your Sciatica

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