Chiropractor for Sciatica

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What is Sciatica?

Sciatica is a type of pain that is caused by pressure on the sciatic nerve. Your sciatic nerve starts at the lower back and runs through the buttock, down the posterior thigh, calf, and into the foot.

Sciatica can be caused by a herniated disc, spinal stenosis, or other conditions. There are many different treatments for sciatica including medication and surgery.

Common Causes of Sciatica

The most common cause of sciatica is a herniated disc in your spine. This can happen when there is a tear in one of your discs which puts pressure on your spinal cord and nerves. When this happens, you may experience numbness or tingling sensations in your leg or back.

Other common causes of sciatica include:

• Spondylolisthesis: a spinal condition that causes lower back pain. It occurs when one of your vertebrae, the bones of your spine, slips out of place onto the vertebra below it.
• Piriformis syndrome: a condition in which the piriformis muscle, located in the buttock region, spasms and causes buttock pain, while also irritating the nearby sciatic nerve and causing pain, numbness and tingling along the back of the leg and into the foot (similar to sciatic pain).
• Postural problem that result in nerve compression
• Injury

What are the Symptoms of Sciatica?

Common symptoms of sciatica may include:

• lower back pain
• pain in the hip or down the leg
• pain that is brought on when sitting
• a burning or tingling sensation down the leg
• a shooting pain down the leg or in the hip area when walking/moving
• weakness, numbness, or difficulty moving the leg or foot.

Chiropractic Treatment of Sciatica Symptoms

Chiropractic care aims to identify and diagnose the root cause of your health problem so that we can provide the right treatment. Chiropractic care is a ‘hands-on’ approach that aims to improve joint movement.

Treatment may include gentle manipulation to the lumbar spine to restore joint mobility, massage therapy for muscle relaxation, and exercises or stretching to improve mobility.

One of the aims of chiropractic care for sciatica is to reduce pressure on the sciatic nerve while improving overall movement and function of the surrounding area.

Chiropractors for sciatica might also offer lifestyle and ergonomic advice to help manage and prevent sciatica symptoms.

Other Treatments for Sciatica

Generally speaking, there are many different approaches to treating sciatica. The right course of treatment will depend on your diagnosis and presenting symptoms. Some common sciatica treatments include the following:

Medication: A doctor may prescribe medication to help with the pain such as acetaminophen or ibuprofen. Sometimes they will prescribe muscle relaxers to help reduce spasms in the back.

Surgery: If the problem persists for an extended time, surgery may be necessary to remove any pressing on the nerve root or spinal cord.

Ice/cold therapy: ice therapy may help to reduce inflammation around the problematic area and may therefore help to control sciatic pain.

Ultrasound: ultrasound therapy is a form of physical therapy that uses sound waves to stimulate the muscles. This helps to increase circulation, reduce muscle spasms, cramping, swelling, stiffness, and sciatic pain.

It also speeds up the healing process and increases blood flow to the area being treated.

TENS unit: A TENS unit (transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation) is a type of electrical stimulation device that sends electrical impulses through the body. This method is used to relieve pain from various conditions.

TENS units are usually used for short-term relief of chronic or acute pain, and for postoperative pain. They are most often used to treat back pain, neck pain, and arthritis.