Can sciatica caused by spine problems reoccur multiple times?

Yes. The thing that most people do not consider is that nerve tissue is just as much a connective tissue as a ligament, muscle, or tendon. When connective tissue is injured, it becomes inflamed, tissue changes occur such as scar tissue formation, and tissue re-injury is likely to happen. So even if the spine problem is corrected by surgery, epidural injections, or mechanical traction, the sciatic nerve is still irritated and can easily be re-aggravated.

Think of the sciatic nerve as a bungy cord. Normally the nerve has enough elasticity to elongate to match the range of motion the leg needs to have during the day to stand, walk, kick, etc. When sciatica occurs, not only is there pain, numbness, or ache in the leg, but the nerve itself becomes irritated and can scar - losing its elasticity. Many times patients feel like their hamstring is very tight after their sciatic nerve symptoms calm down. They try stretching it and find that their sciatica symptoms are re-aggravated. This is due to the nerve being less elastic, still irritated, and the stretching of what the patient thinks is hamstring tightness is actually the nerve being overstretched causing the sciatica to return.In these cases, it is recommended that the patient consult with a Physical Therapist trained in a technique called ‘neurodynamics’. Neurodynamics are specific manual therapy techniques that decrease nerve irritation and improve nerve mobility to restore the nerve back to its normal elasticity and allow the patient to function without re-injury.