What is Sciatica & Will Chiropractic Help End It?
You’ve got pain running down the lower half of one side of your body, and you’re wondering what it is and why you have it. It may be due to sciatica. You’ve likely heard of it but may not understand what exactly sciatica is or why you have it.
Sciatica is a condition that affects the sciatic nerve, which starts in your lower back and goes through each buttock, hip, and leg.
The sciatic nerve is the largest in the body, and it helps most of us complete multiple tasks successfully. It’s used while we stand and walk, providing support and optimizing some of our most common everyday movements. When injured, you can experience numerous severities of symptoms.
This article is going to answer some of the most common questions about sciatica, including:
- What is sciatica?
- What are the symptoms of sciatica?
- How did I get sciatica?
- Will chiropractic treat my sciatica?
- And more
Let’s get into it…
Do I Have Sciatica?
Sciatica can appear when the sciatic nerve is injured; the pain that develops is referred to as sciatica because it travels along the nerve’s path. In most cases, the nerve becomes pinched, which can happen for various reasons.
The discomfort associated with sciatica runs the gamut and can affect people differently.
Common symptoms of sciatica include:
- Moderate to intense pain in the low back, radiating into the buttock and down the leg
- Numbness, weakness, or tingling sensation in your lower back, buttock, and leg
- Numbness in feet
- Pain that worsens with movement
- Loss of motion
- And more
All of these symptoms can be helped through safe, natural chiropractic solutions. Understanding how the soft tissues and spine work allows your doctor to assess the body, find what’s causing your sciatica, and treat the dysfunction.
Reasons We Get Sciatica
Sciatica can happen to anyone at any stage of life, no matter how different the lifestyles are. Because we generally put a lot of pressure on the nerve throughout the average day, the condition is quite common.
The nerve can become compromised due to other soft tissues putting undue pressure upon it.
This can happen for several reasons, including:
- Disc herniation
- Degenerative disc disease
- Age
- Pregnancy or weight gain
- Improper movement patterns
- Poor posture or ergonomics
- Overuse or repetitive use
- Active lifestyle
- Normal wear and tear
- Traumatic event (slip and fall, auto, sports)
The good news is that you can find pain relief with the right treatment plan, and proper function can be restored.
How Chiropractic Treats (and Ends) Sciatica
Utilizing an array of soft tissue and spinal services, you may find that chiropractic services not only rid you of sciatica but help keep your injury from recurring. With non-invasive, holistic methods, your body can reestablish its correct movement patterns as it heals and strengthens.
Common chiropractic techniques that can end sciatica include:
- Chiropractic adjustments– a gentle, controlled manual thrust to a targeted injured area of the spine or body
- Shockwave therapy– sound waves are transmitted into injured soft tissues to repair and restore the affected areas
- Dry needling– placing thin needles in the skin above injured areas will treat the muscular trigger points and allow effective healing
- Active Release Technique (ART)– a therapy that utilizes movement-based soft tissue manipulation that breaks up scar tissue and nurtures proper function and movement
- And many others
Most chiropractors will design a treatment strategy that uses at least one service to generate a quicker, safer recovery process as it amplifies the body. It’s often advisable to provide at-home exercises and stretches that work to complement clinic treatments, so your sciatica pain doesn’t reappear.
Visit Our St. Louis Chiropractic Clinic to End Your Sciatica
We know your lifestyle is important to you, and you want to return to it comfortably and confidently. We’d like the opportunity to help ensure that happens. We’re a team devoted to ending your sciatica and getting your body balanced and fully functioning so it can support all you do.
Feel free to contact our clinic or book your appointment today. We’re ready to start, are you?