Your back did not give out overnight.
Bending down to pick something up is rarely the cause. It is the moment a structure that had been quietly running out of capacity finally said so. A lumbar disc, a facet joint, or the deep muscle that stabilises the segment gets loaded more often, or in worse positions, than it can currently tolerate. Pain is the alarm, not the diagnosis.
Sciatica is that same story with a nerve involved. When a lumbar nerve root is compressed or chemically irritated where it exits the spine, or the sciatic nerve is squeezed as it passes through the deep hip, the pain no longer stays in your back. It runs into the buttock, down the back of the thigh, sometimes past the knee, and it can bring numbness, pins and needles, or a leg that feels weak. That is why we cover both on one page. Finding which structure is doing it is the whole job. Stop managing it. Start finding out what it actually is.
Where it hurts tells us what to test.
Back pain and sciatica do not feel the same on everybody. Where the pain sits, what sets it off, and how far down the leg it travels narrow the list before we lay a hand on you.
Deep Lower Back Ache
A band of ache or a sharp catch across the lumbar spine, usually worse after long sitting, long standing, or a day on your feet.
Stiff Out Of Bed
The first few minutes of the morning are the worst of the day, then it loosens as you start moving around.
Pain Down One Leg
The classic sciatica pattern. Pain that leaves the back and runs into the buttock, the back of the thigh, and sometimes past the knee into the calf or foot.
A Back That Locks Up
Muscle guarding that grips without warning and holds you bent to one side until it lets go. Protective, painful, and not something you can stretch out of.
Numbness Or Tingling
Pins and needles, a patch of numb skin, or a leg that feels heavy and unreliable. Nerve symptoms change what we test and how we load you.
Worse In The Car
Driving, desk work, and long flights build it. Standing up takes a moment before you are upright, and the first few steps are the hardest.
One clinician. The whole session. Hands on your back.
It starts with a full one-on-one evaluation with a Doctor of Physical Therapy. We watch you bend, hinge, rotate and load, we test the nerve directly when your symptoms travel below the knee, and we palpate the segments that reproduce your pain. That tells us which structure to treat, and it tells us fast when something belongs with a physician instead.
Then we treat it. Hands-on work to the stiff segment and the guarded muscle around it, needling when the muscle will not let go, and loading that rebuilds the spine's tolerance instead of teaching you to avoid it. Two of our three clinicians are Certified Orthopedic Manual Therapists.
No referral needed. Texas direct access lets us treat you for up to 30 consecutive business days without one.
What our patients say.
"After dealing with severe lower back pain and reduced mobility for over a month, I went to The Complete Athlete Performance Therapy, and it was one of the best decisions I could have made."Luis R. · Severe Lower Back Pain
Schedule an Appointment
No referral needed under Texas direct access, up to 30 consecutive business days.
Your first visit is a full one-on-one evaluation with a Doctor of Physical Therapy. Tell us everything, including what you have already tried, and leave with a plan and something to do that day.
You’re all set.
We’ll reach out within one business day to confirm your appointment. If you need to speak with us sooner, call us directly.