Sciatica

Sciatica Symptoms:

Do you suffer from burning pain or a tingling sensation in your leg?
Do you have weakness and numbness of your leg and have trouble moving your leg or foot?
Do you suffer from low back pain, buttock and leg pain while sitting?

If you answered yes to any or all the above you probably have sciatica (pronounced SI-AT-I-KA).

Sciatica is defined as pain and numbness in the lower back, buttock and hip radiating down the back of the thigh into the leg.

Any irritation of the sciatic nerve can create low back, buttock or leg pain or numbness. For many people this can be very debilitating.

It can come on suddenly or can happen gradually over time. A person may know exactly what started the problem or have no idea. The pain may be quite bothersome and can come and go at random or be quite constant.

The sciatic nerve is the largest nerve in the body. It starts in the lower back and extends under and through muscles in the buttock down the leg into the foot. This nerve and its branches are responsible for sensory and motor function in the back of the leg right down to the foot.

Causes of Sciatica

lower spinal joint dysfunction
upper pelvic joint dysfunction
muscle syndromes and herniated discs (often referred to as slipped discs or pinched nerves) in the low back
space occupying lesions
tumours

Fortunately, many people who suffer from low back pain and leg pain suffer from joint or muscular problems (which can be treated). In fact, research shows that 90% of low back and leg pain is mechanical in origin.

Chiropractic treatment is extremely effective in eliminating the pain and numbness caused by an irritated sciatic nerve. Once it has been determined that your pain is caused by a mechanical problem (ie. tight muscle causing a pinched nerve or a joint problem), a Doctor of Chiropractic can perform specific adjustments and employ certain soft tissue techniques to eliminate the pain and numbness. A chiropractor will also use ice, electrical therapy or ultrasound to further reduce the inflammation and enhance the healing.

If a patient does not respond favourably to chiropractic treatment for sciatica, they will be referred to another health care practitioner or perhaps for surgery.

Research shows that chiropractic is the most effective and cost effective treatment for low back pain and sciatica.

Sciatica stretches for pain relief

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