Is It Really Sciatica? How to Tell What’s Causing That Shooting Pain Down Your Leg
- Ellen Argo
- Oct 21
- 6 min read
If you’ve ever felt that deep, sharp pain radiating from your lower back down the back of your leg, you’ve probably wondered:
“Is this sciatica?”
It’s one of the most common pain complaints we see at Treasure Valley Rossiter, and while it’s easy to assume “sciatica” every time the back starts screaming, the truth is — that shooting pain isn’t always as straightforward as it seems.
And that’s actually good news.
Because when you understand what’s really causing it, you can finally find relief that lasts.
Before You Rush to Surgery, Here’s What You Should Know
When you’re in the kind of pain that keeps you from walking comfortably, sleeping well, or feeling like yourself. It’s completely understandable that you’d do anything to make it stop.
And sometimes, surgery feels like the only answer.
But here’s what most people don’t realize in the moment:
getting surgery can take months of waiting, cost tens of thousands of dollars, and often comes with a long and difficult recovery. Even then, results can vary — because if the root cause of the compression isn’t addressed, the pain sometimes returns in a new form.
Surgeons mean well, and for some people, surgery truly is the right path.
But for many others, there are ways to create the same kind of space and relief, naturally, safely, and often in just a few sessions — without cutting into the body.
That’s where understanding how your fascia and movement patterns contribute to nerve pain can make all the difference.
Your body is intelligent, capable, and designed to heal! Often it just needs the right kind of support and space to do what it already knows how to do.
What Sciatica Actually Is (and What It Isn’t)
Sciatica happens when the sciatic nerve — the largest nerve in your body — gets irritated or compressed.
It can be caused by things like:
A herniated or bulging disc pressing on the nerve
Spinal stenosis (narrowing of the spinal canal)
Bone spurs or other structural compression
In these cases, the pain may feel like:
Burning, shooting, or electric sensations down one leg
Numbness or tingling in your calf or foot
Pain that worsens when you sit, cough, or sneeze
But here’s the thing: while your sciatic nerve may be involved, what’s causing that irritation isn’t always what you think.
The Fascia Factor: A Hidden Source of Sciatica Pain
At Treasure Valley Rossiter, we see this all the time — people who have been told for years they have “sciatica,” when in reality, their pain is coming from tight, restricted fascia.
Fascia is the connective tissue that surrounds and supports every muscle, nerve, organ, and even every cell in your body. When fascia tightens or becomes restricted, it can pull on bones, compress nerves, and create pain patterns that mimic sciatica, without any actual nerve damage.
That means your very real nerve pain might actually be a fascial restriction pulling your bones and squeezing your disc into your spinal cord. Something that can often be released quickly and safely with expert guidance.
Through guided weight and precise movement, our Master Certified Rossiter Instructors help you create the specific space your body needs to release those deep restrictions and restore balance.
It’s not just about managing pain. It’s about giving your body room to heal.
Creating Space: How the Body Naturally “Unbulges”
Many times, the sciatic nerve is being compressed by a bulging disc. But here’s where the body’s brilliance shines.
Bulging discs can often “unbulge” themselves when we restore balance and even movement to the body.
Discs bulge because of uneven tension — when one side of the body tightens and pulls, it squeezes the disc toward the other side, pressing on the sciatic nerve.
When we create space around the disc through very specific Rossiter movements, we help the legs return to symmetry and allow the body to heal naturally. The disc can gently work its way back home, relieving that painful compression on the nerve.
Because these imbalances usually develop over years, true healing takes a little consistency.
For most people, pain relief begins within just three Rossiter sessions — but in cases of disc compression, we typically recommend five sessions close together to help the body rebuild new, balanced movement patterns.
As we like to remind our clients: Rome wasn’t built in a day.
When we restore length and openness to the body, new strength patterns form. The key to long-lasting sciatica pain relief.
What About Spinal Stenosis, Bone Spurs, or “Structural” Issues?
When there’s space, everything improves.
Many of our clients who were told they needed surgery for spinal stenosis now live full, active lives with regular Rossiter maintenance. Their pain is significantly reduced, often to the point where surgery is no longer needed.
Even with bone spurs, clients have walked miles on vacation pain-free after releasing fascial compression. The bone spurs were still there, but the pain was gone because the space around it released the compression on the nerve.
Structural compressions can and do heal.
A fascinating study from Sweden even found that the meniscus can fully heal itself given the right environment.
The key is movement symmetry — when old patterns of imbalance are corrected (like getting the knees to point forward like headlights on a car again), the body can rebuild and repair itself just as it once created those tissues in the first place.
Our bodies are truly incredible.
The more you plug into love and connection with your body, the faster it can and will heal.
When you believe it’s broken, it will respond that way.
When you believe it’s capable, it rises to meet that truth.
And we’re here to help you remember what’s possible.
Why Fascia Tightens (and How to Help It Release)
Fascial tension can build up from:
Sitting too long
Past injuries or surgeries
Repetitive movement (or lack of movement)
Emotional stress or protective muscle guarding
Over time, these restrictions cause the body to twist, shift, and compensate, putting uneven pressure on nerves like the sciatic nerve.
Through Rossiter Stretching, our trained master level coaches use gentle weight, precise positioning, and guided movement to help your body unlock those deep fascial restrictions.
This isn’t stretching as you’ve known it.
Rossiter Stretching helps you release tension at the root cause, not just the symptom.
When It’s Time to See a Professional
If your pain:
Radiates below the knee
Includes numbness or weakness
Keeps you up at night
Or has lasted longer than a few days without improvement
…it’s time to get it checked out.
Our Rossiter coaches can help you identify whether your pain is coming from nerve compression, fascial restriction, or a combination, and design a plan that gets you real relief.
We’ve helped thousands of people in the Boise, Garden City and Eagle, Idaho area move freely again, even after years of chronic pain. Our practice has been voted Boise’s Best Pain Management Clinic two years in a row. An honor we’re deeply grateful for and one we hold with love and responsibility.
Every practitioner on our team trains directly under Ellen Argo, one of only 12 Master Rossiter Instructors in the world, so you can trust you’re in expert, caring hands.
Want to Start Feeling Better Right Away?
If you’re not local, or you’d like to start learning how to care for your body right now, visit PainReliefin30.com.
It’s our free and affordable online program that teaches you how to:
Identify the true root cause of your pain
Support your fascia through guided movement
Learn how your body heals so you can recover faster than ever
You’ll discover proven steps to get out of pain, often working areas completely different than where you feel it — which helps you understand your body better and communicate more effectively with your MD or PT.
Your Next Step Toward Relief
If you’re ready to find out what’s really behind your pain and experience a kind of relief that lasts, come see us at our Boise or Garden City/Eagle locations.
Let us help you discover what your body has been trying to tell you, and guide you back to comfort, alignment, and freedom.
Because your body isn’t broken.
It’s just asking for support.
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