If you look around you, you have probably met countless people with low back pain, often accompanied by pain down the back of the leg, known as sciatica.
WHAT IS SCIATICA?
People with sciatica often have severe pain along the course of the sciatic nerve, usually in the back of the legs and thighs, sometimes down to the ankle, foot, and toes. Not only is there a stabbing, sharp pain, but it can also manifest as an abnormal sensation; nerve experiences such as tingling, burning, tingling, prickling, tingling, or tenderness. For some people, the pain is in the front or sides of the legs, or even both legs.
PAIN VARIES
For sciatica sufferers, a good night’s sleep may be a thing of the past. Simple things like walking, bending over, turning, sitting or standing can often be difficult or nearly impossible. There can often be constant palpitations at times, with pain going away for hours or even days, only to return a short time later. The intensity can also vary; it can hurt or be like a knife. Sometimes postural changes such as lying down or changing positions affect the pain.
CAUSES OF SCIATICA
Like most other conditions, sciatica has a wide variety of causes, with the most common cause being related to the spine. A misaligned spine, bulging or ruptured disc can irritate the sciatic nerve and lead to sciatica. Physical trauma, such as car accidents, cumulative repetitive trauma, such as sitting for long hours, or even gardening, golf, and other movements that put abnormal pressure on the lower back, have been linked to sciatica . Other causes of sciatica have been reported after slips and falls, injuries, and even childbirth, often due to spinal misalignments.
THE CHIROPRACTIC APPROACH
The US Department of Health has shown that uninjured people who visit a chiropractor have 50% fewer injuries than those who don’t. Let your chiropractor help you save time by operating at peak efficiency and health, not by curing your spinal condition.
Chiropractors correct spinal misalignment through spinal adjustments to relieve pressure on spinal nerves, joints, and discs. Throughout our lives, we get our teeth, blood pressure, and eyes checked regularly, but do we ever get our spine checked?
When your spine becomes misaligned, it can damage (impact or ‘pinch’) the nerves it is designed to protect. Spinal misalignment can disrupt the delicate functioning of our nervous system, which can contribute to secondary conditions such as pain, numbness, and biomechanical problems. Ask any mechanic about the importance of tire alignment and they’ll tell you that not checking your wheel alignment regularly can lead to car inefficiencies and potentially thousands of dollars in damage. And yet, if you have sciatica, chiropractic spinal correction is necessary, which involves a unique and specific plan.
HOW TO CHOOSE THE RIGHT CHIROPRACTOR?
Much like an orthodontist straightening teeth, our practice performs a comprehensive evaluation including orthopedic and neurological tests, x-rays, and establishes a specific spinal corrective plan using a variety of methods including corrective spinal restorative equipment to straighten the spine from the front and shift the curves of the spine from the side view closer to its proper normal structure, to remove pressure from the discs and nerves. Have you ever seen a chain where a link is crooked? The chain doesn’t work as well and loses its integrity; just like your spine can lose its strength and integrity if it becomes misaligned.
Those who suffer from sciatica and leg pain would do well to visit a Doctor of Chiropractic. For many people who suffer from sciatica and lower back pain, our unique approach to spinal correction has been a blessing. Our chiropractic approach is active, working to strengthen you now, so that conditions don’t “suddenly” arise to come back to haunt you.