October 23, 2018

Sciatica and Chiropractic: What’s The Connection?

What Is Sciatica?
Sciatica is a condition that causes pain in the sciatic nerve, which runs from the lower back, branching at the buttocks and all the way down each leg. Typically, sciatica will only affect one side of the body, the pain shooting through the back of the thigh and throughout the leg. Occasionally, it can also affect the feet or even the toes. Although it’s sometimes described as a disorder, sciatica is actually more of a symptom of other disorders. The severity really depends on the person — in some cases the pain is constant and completely debilitating, but in others the pain could be occasional and annoying at worse. Even if the pain isn’t all that bad now, if left untreated, it has large potential to become much worse.

Chiropractic care is the safest, non-invasive and drug-free way to treat sciatica. But in order to understand the connection between sciatica and chiropractic, we first have to understand what causes the condition.

What Causes Sciatica?
The causes of sciatica vary, but there are a number of disorders and conditions that can trigger the pain at any time, including:

• Degenerative disc disease: the discs act as a gelatinous cushion between vertebrae, softening the effects of strenuous activity. When discs deteriorate faster, they tend to irritate nerve roots in the area.
• Herniated discs: sciatica is the most common symptom of a herniated disc. When the soft, gelatinous material within the discs leaks out, it presses against, and pinches, the contiguous nerve root.
• Lumbar spinal stenosis: this condition is quite common in people over the age of 60, as it tends to occur naturally in the aging process. Lumbar spinal stenosis is the narrowing of the spinal canal; the narrowing of the open spaces in the spine. Sciatica is a main symptom of this condition
• Pregnancy: even pregnancies can cause sciatica in some cases. During the growth of a child, a woman’s body changes rapidly and significantly. Sometimes these rapid changes result in pinched nerves that cause sciatica.
• Injury or infection: significant injuries or infections of the lower spine have potential to cause sciatica. However, injuries must be somewhat significant, unless the patient suffers from osteoporosis or another condition that would otherwise make the spine weak.

How Does Chiropractic Help With Sciatica?
The majority of disorders that cause sciatica start with subluxations (aka misalignments in the spine). Since sciatica is merely a symptom of a larger issue, chiropractors don’t necessarily treat sciatica — they treat the root issue of the cause. In my practice, I usually use several different adjusting techniques. There are a few different types of traction (to help take pressure off of the disc), and/or soft tissue release techniques to relax some of the musculature around the problem area. These techniques and modalities are dependent on the exam and my findings. I start by properly diagnosing what’s causing the sciatica, since this factor will drastically change the treatment method. Once a cause is determined, I’ll create a customized treatment plan specifically tailored to the patient’s needs.

​If you or a loved one suffer from the nerve pain of sciatica, it’s important to get it checked out before it becomes a debilitating issue. Get in touch today to schedule an initial consultation and to start down the road to a healthier you.