Fix Your Sciatica Podcast

In this conversation, Dr. Ashley Mak and Frank Lobb delve into the complexities of medical bills and the insurance industry. They discuss the evolution of health insurance, the common errors found in medical billing, and the challenges patients face when navigating insurance denials. Frank shares his personal experiences with the healthcare system, emphasizing the importance of understanding one&#...

In this conversation, Dr. Ashley Mak and Dr. Torkil Færø delve into the significance of heart rate variability (HRV) and its implications for health, stress management, and recovery. They explore how HRV serves as a vital metric for understanding the autonomic nervous system, the impact of stress on health, and the various tools available for measuring HRV. Dr. Færø shares insights from his book,...

In this conversation, Dr. Ashley and Dr. Anna Hammond, PT, DPT delve into the complexities of pelvic tilt, particularly focusing on anterior and posterior pelvic tilt. They discuss how pelvic positioning affects movement, pain, and overall function, emphasizing the importance of understanding these concepts in physical therapy and rehabilitation. The discussion highlights the need for a holistic a...

In this conversation, Dr. Ashley and Rob Brown discuss the challenges of parenting, especially when dealing with pain or injury. They explore the importance of communication between partners, the need for self-care, and how to balance self care and parenting. Rob shares insights on sustainable fitness practices, the significance of sleep, and nutritional habits that can help parents maintain their...

In this conversation, Dr. Ashley and Bjørn Ekeberg discuss the growing popularity of light therapy, particularly red light therapy, and its applications in pain management and injury recovery. Bjørn shares his journey from skepticism to becoming the CEO of Recharge Health, a company specializing in light therapy devices. They explore the science behind red light therapy, its benefits for cellular...

In this episode, Dr. Ashley explores the misconceptions surrounding movement, particularly the binary of good versus bad movement. This episode emphasizes that our bodies are designed to adapt and manage various stresses. The discussion highlights the importance of understanding load management and efficiency in movement to prevent pain and injury. By reframing our mindset from fear of movement to...

The Mulligan concept is another manual therapy and treatment based approach to sciatica pain. In this episode we learn more about its components and how the Mulligan concept can help people suffering from sciatica pain. Our guest Dr. Eric Dinkins, PT, MSPT, DPT, OCS, Cert. MT, CMP, MCTA, CDN shares more about the Mulligan concept, the history and treatment methods. You can reach out to him here: e...

What are the best strengthening exercises for sciatica? We need to figure out what muscles need work, why they’re weak and the best way to find the right exercises for you. Squat- https://youtu.be/T91HVqcb4J4 Hinge- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ATNIc5ufAh4 Goodmorning- https://youtu.be/Rf4-nvkvKdU Check out our favorite products! (affiliate page): https://ifixyoursciatica.gymleadmachine.co/favo...

Mik Discover the truth about sciatica stretches! Learn which muscles are often culprits in causing sciatica pain and the best stretches to target them. Understand the difference between shortened and lengthened muscles and how stretching can help or hinder your recovery. This podcast will guide you through specific stretches for hamstrings, piriformis, and hip flexors, helping you find relief from...

After 9 days of my wife breastfeeding our daughter, here are my thoughts as a physical therapist to help you overcome the neck, shoulder, and hand pain that comes with breastfeeding. You don’t need to deal with pain while providing this amazing gift to your child. Here’s our affiliate link (we receive a commission) to the breast friend pillow- https://amzn.to/3N8mcGd Did you know that our YouTube...

What is insurance? Do you know what your deductible is? How do you know how much you’re going to pay when seeing a doctor? We answer these questions and more with Niko Caparisos CSFS CHVP, an insurance broker (for brokers and consumers). We take a deep dive inter understanding the terminology and how insurance works when trying to access your healthcare. If you’re interested in speaking or hearing...

What are the best foods for sciatica pain? What nutrients do I need to add to my daily regiment? We answer these questions and more with Jamie Campbell, MS, LDN, CNS dietitian nutritionist who helps folks in the functional medicine space. We take a deep dive into nutrition and the role it has on the nerves in our body and recovering from injury. If you would like to hear more from Jamie, you can f...

Gabapentin is a common medication prescribed for sciatica pain. How does it work? What are things to consider? Today we answer some questions that you probably wanted to ask, but couldn’t find the answers, with Dr. Bailey Schroeder, PharmD. Here are some research articles about gabapentin and sciatica pain: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/journals/3749/ and https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articl...

What happens when a physical therapist themselves go through a bout of sciatica pain? How good are we as patients? Today we interview Dr. Diana Wang, PT, DPT (who’s also an athletic trainer), and founder of https://www.openmatphysio.com/ and we discuss her bout of sciatica pain and the strategies she went through to return back to doing the sports that she loves, jiujitsu. We also discuss some ret...

Bone density will decline with each decade in life. But it isn’t a death sentence. Today we interviewed Dr. Susan Baumgaertel, MD FACP and we discuss menopause and the changes that happen in regards to bone density. You don’t want to miss this! Here’s the link to the FRAX score: https://frax.shef.ac.uk/FRAX/tool.aspx?country=9 You can find Susan here: mymdadvocate.com Did you know that our YouTube...

We take a break from your regularly scheduled sciatica content to interview Dr. Samuel Kelokates, PT, DPT an expert on headaches. We go through the evaluative process and what to expect when going into a physical therapy evaluation. You don’t have to go through this headache or pain journey alone. To get in touch with Dr. Sam, you can find him here: kelosphysicaltherapy.com Did you know that our Y...

Over the years I’ve come across articles touting very strange modalities and treatments for nerve pain: supplements, apple cider vinegar, ultrasound… But do they actually work? Maybe. If you come across research articles about specific treatments, there may be 1 or 2 people in the sample group that did benefit, but compared to the rest of the group, it may not have been effective at all. So we nee...

What to do when you have butt pain? Is it sciatica? If not, how can we manage this? Today we answer these questions and more.  Did you know that our YouTube channel has a growing number of videos including this podcast? Give us a follow here- https://youtube.com/@fixyoursciatica?si=1svrz6M7RsnFaswN Are you looking for a more affordable way to manage your pain? Check out the patient advocate progra...

What is a migraine? Why does it happen? How can we navigate the healthcare system with it? Today we take a break from the regular sciatica content to learn more about this neurological disease with Lindsey de los Santos, patient advocate and founder of migraineroad.com. We talk all things migraines and how to navigate the system. You don’t need to get through pain alone. You have people like Linds...

Would you wait 4 weeks to get started on a program to manage your sciatica pain? You no longer have to wait nor be by yourself in your recovery. Hear about Danielle’s experience with the Patient Advocate Program. She’s a physician, mother, and wife, and super active. She didn’t want sciatica pain to stop her so she began the program with us and within about 6 months, she’s back to normal and even...

What is Ehlers Danlos Syndrome (EDS for short?). How can something like this impact my sciatica pain We discuss this and more with Jennifer Balducci, PT, MSPT, cert MDT , and expert in working with folks who have EDS. Take a deep dive into this subject and have all your questions answered. Beighton score: https://www.ehlers-danlos.com/assessing-joint-hypermobility/ You can reach Jennifer at one@on...

Bulging or herniated disc? What can you do about it? Will they actually heal? We answer this and more in today’s episode. Here’s the research on disc healing: https://arthritis-research.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s13075-022-02894-8 And https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10683841/ Are you looking for a more affordable way to manage your pain? Check out the patient advocate program...

A few years ago I shared a self treatment episode to walk you through sciatica pain management. Over the years, I’ve acquired new knowledge through working with 100s of patients and interviewing experts on this podcast. It is time that we update my guidelines on how to manage your own sciatica pain. Here are the links to some of the exercises that I’ve mentioned. Turkish getup - https://youtu.be/u...

What is a pain management specialist? Why would you see one? How are they different than any other doctors out there? Today we interview Dr. Sarah Merritt, MD, and she’s a pain management specialist. We learn about the journey to this specialty and understand how this concentration can help out with conditions like sciatica pain. You can learn more about her clinic here: https://lifestreamhealth.c...

Meet Dr. Shivani Gupta, entrepreneur, and PhD in Turmeric. Today we discuss the benefits of Turmeric, Ayurvedic medicine, and how this amazing plant and curcumin extra can help with pain management. Here are some scientific studies citing the benefits of turmeric in pain management like sciatica: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3946321/ These results indicated that curcumin exerted a...