How Chiropractic Treatment Can Help With Sciatica

The sciatic nerve travels from your lower back through your hips, buttocks and down each leg. An estimated 40 percent of people experience sciatica, a condition that involves this nerve being pinched or compressed.

While mild cases tend to resolve themselves, more severe instances can interrupt quality of life, possibly contributing to incontinence, chronic pain and physical weakness.

Patients may be steered toward various lifestyle adjustments, medications or surgery but chiropractic has been increasingly recommended as a medication-free solution for pain management. If you’re considering this treatment, here’s what you should know.

About Sciatica

Sciatica results in pain that may feel like an irritating pins-and-needles sensation or more debilitating, electric shock-like pulses. It’s often misdiagnosed as neuropathy or neuralgia.

The pain does not have to be constant and may be intermittent. It can also be concentrated in one area – for instance, the hips, buttocks or lower back – that radiates downward or around your midsection. While pain can occur anywhere along the length of the sciatic nerve, people often experience symptoms on one side of their body. Particularly, one leg may feel weaker than the other.

Causes of Sciatica

One common cause of this condition is a herniated spinal disc pressing down on the sciatic nerve. Other potential sources include:

• A bone spur that presses down on the nerve
• A narrowing spinal pathway compressing the sciatic nerve
• An injury resulting in swelling and inflammation
• Degenerative disc disease
• Spinal stenosis
• Spondylolisthesis
• Pregnancy, during which the uterus can compress the sciatic nerve
• Being overweight or leading a sedentary lifestyle
• Routinely wearing high heels
• Not sleeping on a supportive mattress

While symptoms may resolve themselves, they can persist for some individuals. Ignoring the condition can lead to sciatic nerve damage, which may result in increased numbness in one leg or incontinence.

Chiropractic Care for Sciatica

During the initial appointment, you will be asked about your medical history, when the pain started and how it has manifested over time. X-rays may also be taken to see what could be pinching the sciatic nerve and where.

Based on the location and severity of the pain, your chiropractor may recommend a combination of:

• Stretching: Targeted pressure will be applied to the joints to improve blood flow, numbness and pain. At-home exercises help strengthen your back and core, while loosening tight muscles near the lower back.
• Spinal Adjustments: These involve identifying and addressing interferences along the spine, which may be placing pressure on the sciatic nerve.
• Hot and Cold Therapy: This approach helps lessen inflammation, which may be contributing to swelling near the sciatic nerve.

Multiple sessions, plus exercises at home are often needed to experience relief. If the pain intensifies, you notice numbness or symptoms don’t respond to rest or over-the-counter pain relievers, medical attention may be needed.
 
Are you looking for more effective ways to manage symptoms of sciatica? Contact us to make an appointment with The Chiropractic Health Center of Glastonbury today.