Sciatica – Get Relief With Chiropractic

Sciatica can be distracting to severe pain that starts in the lower back and runs down the back of one or both legs.

The good news: Chiropractic care has proven to be quite effective!

Sciatica most commonly affects those who are in their 40’s and 50’s. Typically beginning with acute or sharp pain in the low back which then travels down the back of either or both legs. In most instances, it is made worse when standing or sitting for long periods of time.

The sciatic nerve can be viewed as a large cable, made up of smaller nerves, or nerve roots, which exit from five spinal levels in the low back. If one of these never roots becomes irritated or pinched, swelling and inflammation develops – resulting in pain!

How Do You Develop Sciatica?

In some cases, sciatica is caused by an obvious event: car accidents, slips/falls or sports injury cause immediate injury to the nerve roots or spinal discs. However, sciatica is often due to years of cumulative damage to the disc or spinal joints. Years of poor posture, weekend core muscles, prolonged sitting or repetitive movements begin the degenerative changes in the disc and joints. Once started, the area is easily injured by sneezing, coughing or mild lifting movement.

Typical degenerative changes that can cause sciatica include bulging discs, herniated discs, spinal degeneration or discitis (inflammation of the disc). With a bulging or herniated disc, there is direct pressure placed on one of the nerve roots by the bulge or herniation. Spinal degeneration happens when the small joints of the spine (facet joints) or discs slowly degenerate causing a physical narrowing of the opening which the nerve root passes through, limiting the ability of the nerve root to freely slide in and out with are regular movement.  Once this happens, the nerve root can be easily “pinched” by the surrounding bones.

Treatment Of Sciatica

In many cases, pain pills or muscle relaxers are prescribed for sciatica; unfortunately, the pills do nothing for the pressure that is on the nerve root.

The good news is that chiropractic care is effective to help relieve sciatica! The chiropractic approach is to restore the spinal joint alignment and motion of the affected joints and spinal bones. This is accomplished through specific, safe, chiropractic adjustments or manipulation This then helps to reduce the pressure on the nerve roots and the inflammation. Also, you do not have to worry about the side effects of medication.