That sharp, shooting pain running from your lower back down through your leg, sometimes reaching all the way to your foot, is one of the most disruptive kinds of pain there is. Sciatica is a specific type of back pain, caused by irritation or compression of the sciatic nerve, and it can make sitting, walking, even sleeping feel impossible.
I’m Joseph Alban, a New York City-based Doctor of Acupuncture with over 20 years in practice, and sciatica is one of the conditions I treat most successfully. I’ve helped hundreds of patients find relief using acupuncture to calm the compressed nerve, ease inflammation, and address the root cause, not just mask the pain until it flares again.
Below, I’ll walk through what causes sciatica, the research behind treating it with acupuncture, and what you can expect from a personalized treatment plan.
Causes of Sciatica
Sciatica happens when something compresses the sciatic nerve. It can come from a muscle spasm, a spinal disc, or a more serious underlying condition, so if symptoms persist, it’s important to see a doctor.
Spinal disc herniation (also called a slipped disc) occurs when part of a spinal disc bulges out and presses on the sciatic nerve. This is one of the most common causes of sciatica. For more on how I treat disc-related sciatica specifically, see my Lumbar Disc Herniation page.
Spinal stenosis, a narrowing of the spinal canal, can also compress the nerve and cause severe pain. Spinal tumors are a rarer but serious cause of sciatica and require immediate medical attention.
Piriformis syndrome is one of the most common muscular causes of chronic sciatica. The sciatic nerve runs under, or in some people through, the piriformis muscle, which connects the base of the spine to the top of the femur. When this muscle spasms or tightens, often from injury, a sedentary lifestyle, or long hours sitting at a desk, it can compress the nerve and cause radiating pain down the leg.
How can Acupuncture help sciatica
Because sciatica involves the sciatic nerve itself, not just the muscles of the back, treatment extends further than a typical back pain protocol. Along with points at the lower back, I needle along the path of the pain, often including points in the glutes and down the back of the leg. This directly calms the irritated nerve and reduces the referred pain, numbness, or tingling. When piriformis syndrome is the underlying cause, I focus on releasing the trigger points in the piriformis muscle itself, since it’s the tightness and spasm in that muscle compressing the nerve in the first place.
As treatment progresses, sciatica typically resolves in a predictable pattern: the pain lessens and gradually retreats back toward the lower back before fading out completely, rather than disappearing all at once. I combine acupuncture with electroacupuncture and cupping, adjusting the balance of the three based on whether stagnation, nerve irritation, or a trigger point pattern like piriformis syndrome is the dominant issue. For more detail on this combination and what a typical treatment course looks like, see my Lumbar Disc Herniation page, since the two conditions often overlap and respond to a similar underlying approach.
Research on Acupuncture for Sciatica
A 2024 randomized, sham-controlled trial published in JAMA Internal Medicine found that acupuncture significantly reduced pain and improved function in patients with chronic sciatica from a herniated disc.¹ A 2025 review examining seven systematic reviews and meta-analyses on acupuncture for sciatica similarly found that acupuncture significantly improves treatment effectiveness, reduces pain intensity, and increases pain threshold, while noting it’s generally safe.²
Get Relief from Sciatica
Sciatica can turn everyday movement, sitting, walking, even lying down, into a source of pain. Acupuncture offers a natural way to calm the compressed nerve, ease inflammation, and address the underlying cause.
To schedule your appointment, please call us at 212-319-5757 or schedule your appointment online.
References:
- Tu JF, Shi GX, Yan SY, et al. Acupuncture vs Sham Acupuncture for Chronic Sciatica From Herniated Disk: A Randomized Clinical Trial. JAMA Intern Med. 2024;184(12):1417-1424.
- Zhang J, Guo Z, Wang L, et al. Acupuncture Therapy for Sciatica: An Overview of Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis. J Pain Res. 2025;18:4651-4671.
Feedback From our clients…
I had been suffering from sciatica pain for months before coming in for acupuncture with Dr. Joe. I began to notice a significant improvement in my pain levels after just a few sessions. He is a master of his craft! I am now pain-free and able to sit again! I cannot recommend him highly enough. He is also a very kind and nice guy. Dr. Alban truly has a gift for healing, and I am grateful for his treatments.
~ Brooklyn, New York