Sciatica · San Francisco + Virtual

That shooting leg pain isn't coming from your leg.

Sciatica is what you feel when your sciatic nerve gets squeezed somewhere upstream, usually in your hip or pelvis. Garrett finds where the compression starts and teaches you how to take the pressure off at the source.

25+ years of hands-on practice First session guaranteed San Francisco + virtual
Book your first session
Why it keeps coming back

Sciatica is leg pain. The nerve is just the messenger.

The compression that causes sciatica almost always starts somewhere your leg can't reach on its own, in your spine or your hip. Chasing the pain down your leg misses where it began.

01

Your sciatic nerve is being squeezed somewhere

Sciatica is your body telling you the sciatic nerve is under pressure. That pressure usually shows up between a disc and the bone in your lower spine, or where the piriformis crosses the nerve in your hip. Both trace back to pelvic position and hip mechanics. The nerve is reporting a problem, not causing one.

02

Why piriformis stretches and nerve glides fade

Stretching the piriformis or working the nerve directly eases things for a while. The piriformis is tight because the deeper hip muscles underneath it stopped doing their job, so stretching it releases the symptom and leaves the cause in place. It tightens again the moment you stand up.

03

Once the compression lifts, it stays lifted

Once Garrett finds which part of your hip or pelvis went quiet and brings it back online, the structures pressing on your sciatic nerve stop working overtime. The compression eases. The leg symptoms follow.

The body wants balance, not pain relief. Once your hip and pelvis are sharing the load again, the nerve stops carrying the difference.

How Amari helps

What happens in your first session.

Full assessment, guided protocols, and a take-home practice. About 60 minutes, in San Francisco or over video.

01

Assessment

Garrett looks at how your pelvis and hips are loading your spine and where the compression on your sciatic nerve is coming from.

02

Guided protocols

Using a yoga block or foam roller, Garrett guides you into positions that take pressure off the nerve at its source, not just down the length of your leg.

03

What changes

Most clients notice the leg symptoms ease alongside the back pain before the session is over.

04

Take-home practice

You leave with a short practice, about five minutes, that keeps the pressure off the nerve between sessions.

Virtual sessions work well for sciatica. The work is in changing what's loading the nerve, not hands-on tissue work, so Garrett can guide you through it over video.

I always thought a herniated disc meant surgery. Everything's changed.
Julian · Avoided Surgery
FAQ

Common questions.

If something isn't here, ask on a free discovery call. Garrett answers everything before you book a paid session.

I've been diagnosed with a herniated disc. Does that change things?

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Not necessarily. Sciatic symptoms are often blamed on disc herniation, but many people with disc changes on imaging have no nerve pain at all. The actual driver is the load on the disc, pelvic position, hip mechanics, and how force moves through your spine. Reducing that load reduces the compression on the nerve. Garrett has worked with clients whose imaging showed disc issues and whose sciatica resolved without surgery.

Is this piriformis syndrome work?

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Piriformis tightness is one of the patterns that can compress the sciatic nerve. But the piriformis tightens for a reason, usually because the deep hip stabilizers underneath it have shut down. Releasing the piriformis directly works for hours. Changing what's loading the piriformis lasts. Same logic across the entire pattern.

What about nerve glides or sciatic mobility work?

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Nerve glides can help with mobility once the compression is reduced. They're the wrong tool when the nerve is still being squeezed by an upstream pattern. You're moving an irritated nerve through tight tissue. Garrett addresses the compression first. Mobility work becomes more useful once the source is changed.

Does the leg numbness or tingling go away?

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Usually, yes, though it depends on how long the nerve has been compressed and how much irritation has built up. Most clients notice leg symptoms reducing alongside the back pain in the first few sessions. Numbness and tingling tend to be the last symptoms to fully resolve, but they typically improve as the nerve gets more space.

Will I be lying on a table?

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Mostly no. The work happens through movement and positioning, not passive bodywork. You'll be on a mat, using simple props like a yoga block or foam roller, finding positions where your body starts to rebalance itself. Garrett guides you through what to feel and where to soften.

The guarantee

Most clients feel a difference in their first session.

Book a session with Garrett. If you don't experience noticeable relief, he keeps working with you until you do, at no additional charge.

$225 · First session · San Francisco + virtual