Forty percent of the population will experience sciatic pain at some point in their lives, and often more than once. Unfortunately, people who already have regular lower back pain are more susceptible to bouts of sciatica than others.
Sciatica refers to pain, weakness, or tingling that radiates along the sciatic nerve path that runs from your lower spine through your hips and buttocks and down each leg. The sensation is typically concentrated on one side of the body and can range from mild tenderness or numbness, to a sudden feeling of electric shock, or even more severe, disabling pain.
Both diagnosis and symptom, sciatica can be the result of a variety of factors, so it’s important to know the cause of your sciatic pain. Traumatic injury, age-related spinal conditions, years of certain repetitive motions or even bending or sitting for long stretches can lead to spinal misalignment or other issues that cause inflammation and create pressure on the sciatic nerve.
While many cases of sciatica resolve themselves in a few hours or days with rest, anti-inflammatory medications and the application of ice at the onset of pain, more frequent or severe cases may need some help to encourage healing.
Chiropractic adjustments can help with many patients experiencing sciatic nerve pain.
As experts in the entire musculoskeletal system, we can determine the reason for the sciatic pain – herniated disc, bone spur, osteoarthritis – and determine the best course of treatment, referring you to a specialist if necessary.
In most instances, simply by manually realigning misplaced vertebrae or tending to hip or other skeletal misalignments contributing to spinal instability and nerve pressure, the pain is gone rather quickly, often in as few as three or four sessions.
Following up with manual massage reduces inflammation, while low-impact activity and exercise, as well as regular stretching strengthens the affected area and can reduce the severity and even prevent future attacks.
Chiropractic therapies are proven safe and effective for treating many cases of sciatic pain. Talk to us about whether spinal manipulation and a stretching regimen can provide natural relief for your sciatica and get you moving again.
