The Truth About Sciatica

Have you ever heard of it? If not, you’re part of the fortunate crowd. Most likely if you have heard of this, you may know someone or have experienced a form of sciatica yourself. 

For those that have experienced it, you know that this is not a pleasant thing to encounter. 

Sciatica, or lumbar radiculopathy, can show up in many ways, it can present as a dull constant ache in the low back that travels down the back of the leg/s, sharp shooting pain in the hip joint/s that travels to the glutes, numbness and tingling in the back of legs and feet or a combination of all the above. Regardless of how it is presented, it is not a good feeling.

Sciatic Nerve Pain: What Should You Do? 

The first thing many do when they are experiencing symptoms of sciatica is to consult Dr. Google. From here, many try to self-treat and release or relieve the symptoms themselves through stretching, icing, heating, electric stimulation, resting, walking, MEDICATING pretty much anything to help. 

However, you’re likely treating only the symptom portion and not the cause will only yield temporary results. With alternative procedures 

Sciatica Symptoms

Before you come in for assistance with your sciatic pain, it may help for you to know how to identify that your nerve roots may be compromised. Typical symptoms of sciatica include:

• Muscle weakness, leg pain, etc. on one side. There may be a sense of heaviness in the affected leg
• Numbness – The pressure on the nerve roots may lead to a tingling sensation and numbness
• Pain – Moderate to severe pain is often a calling card for sciatica. It feels like a shooting pain or a consistent burning sensation.
• Posture-based symptoms – Sometimes, your sciatic nerve compression leads to symptoms worsening as you change posture or position.

Can You Get Your Sciatica Treated?

The good news is that here at Cornerstone Family Chiropractic, we are very skilled in this area. Dr. Robert has seen many cases and varieties of sciatica and we’d like to say we have a very high success rate in helping to relieve and to eliminate the pain through the specific care we offer.

You see, sciatica is a direct cause of nerve pressure. Whenever a nerve is pinched, it creates dysfunction somewhere in the body. In this case, it presents as dysfunction of the muscles and joints of the lower back. 

Rather than just treating the symptoms, our approach is to find the cause of the pinched nerve and adjust the spine/pelvis, especially in the direction it needs to be adjusted and then let the body do the rest… and that is to heal. 

Healing does take time and repetition, something many of us have had to experience the hard way. When chiropractic care is applied correctly and done specifically, healing will happen naturally. Sciatica is no different, and we treat it from three distinct angles:

• Temperature therapy – When we attack the sciatic nerve compression this way, we intend to offer speedy relief through muscle loosening, inflammation reduction, and slowing blood flow.
• Chiropractic adjustment – After having your sciatica diagnosed, we use our manual methods to mitigate disc herniation to ensure realignment. The aim is to get rid of the pressure on the sciatic nerve.
• Exercise/physical therapy – The goal here is to provide advice and recommend exercises to help with herniated disk concerns and other elements associated with sciatic nerve pain.

[Read: Chiropractic Adjustment Benefits: 10 Advantages of Chiropractic Care]

Diagnosing Why Nerve Roots Are Affected

As indicated above, a big part of what we do is discover why nerve root disruptions happened in the first place. Not only is this essential to help with your sciatica challenges, but we also need to understand what the real problem is.

Chiropractors are very familiar with the fact that sciatica, though it has symptoms, is a symptom itself. It is usually caused by an underlying condition, such as spinal stenosis. If the stenosis is your worry, it means that your spinal cord is under pressure, which translates to your spinal nerve roots being compromised.

[What to do after a chiropractic adjustment? Read our Post-Procedure Guide]

Relieve Sciatica Pain Now 

Do you know someone who is experiencing sciatica? Let them know about us and you never know! You may just be the catalyst that begins the person’s healing journey.

As your chiropractor, Dr. Robert is very honored to be able to care for you no matter what the reason is by providing non-surgical sciatica treatments. After, the less invasive the process, the better, right? Surgical treatment comes with other worries that patients would rather not have.

Hopefully, this short article will help you think about symptoms vs causes a little more, as well as instill confidence in you to trust us and with your health. 

There are no two spines that are exactly alike, just as there are no two people who are exactly alike. This is why we prefer practicing the Gonstead method, as it allows us to be as specific as possible with each person we lay our hands on. 

Cornerstone Family Chiropractic looks forward to serving you and our community for many years to come.

Don’t Wait for Your Sciatic Nerve to Get Compressed

While you may not need immediate medical attention if your lumbar spine feels fine and your sciatic nerves aren’t compressed, that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t see a chiropractor. 

Preventative measures can be taken to ensure that sciatica is not in your future. This applies to other potential spinal canal concerns too. Schedule a physical exam so a health plan can be specifically designed to maintain an existence free of back pain.

Reach out to Cornerstone Family Chiropractic Today!

If you’re in Prescott, Arizona, and are experiencing sciatica symptoms, schedule a visit with Cornerstone Family Chiropractic as soon as possible.

We have a documented history of working with compressed nerve cases and have helped numerous patients return to their optimal health! Additionally, we have helped others prevent sciatic nerve concerns and we can do the same for you.

Let our expertise work for you!