Sciatica

Sciatica can be hard to live with, interrupting activities you enjoy. Some people are in near constant pain. Others find that the pain comes and goes depending on what they’re doing. Sometimes it’s noticeably worse if you remain sitting or standing in the same position for too long.

Treatment for sciatica involves identifying the underlying cause in order to ease the pain.

What is sciatica?

Sciatica is a nerve-related condition that can cause mild to severe pain in your lower back and buttocks. Dysfunction around this nerve can cause pain that travels down the backs of the leg, that may reach the knee, ankle and foot.

The sciatic nerve is the longest and thickest nerve in your body, beginning in your lower spine and sacrum, then running on a course through the pelvis and down each leg.

The sciatic nerve emerges from your spinal cord, travelling through openings between the lumbar vertebrae, individual bones of your lower back that make up your spine. It also has parts that go through foramen, holes in the sacrum, before journeying down each leg. It has great importance in supplying certain muscles in the back of the legs, so you can move them. It also shares branches to other nerves responsible for sensation.

Sciatica is a complex condition that should be assessed by a trained health professional such as your Chiropractor. What sometimes may appear to be sciatica can be related to a completely separate condition affecting the lower back, sacrum, pelvis, hips or sometimes knees. Having it properly assessed, your Chiropractor can determine if it is something chiropractic care may help with or if you need to seek help with another health profession for the condition.

Sciatic pain may strike anywhere along the path of your sciatic nerve. It can also cause weakness, numbness or tingling in your legs or feet. It can be debilitating and can last from days to weeks and in some sufferers lasting months to years.

What causes sciatica?

The causes of Sciatica can be varied. It could be due to obvious reasons such as a slip and fall or more subtle and gradual stressors such as repetative stress with work and/ or lifestyle. It can at times have an onset during pregnancy, which could also be helped, so worth having it checked.

Sciatica is really a side effect of another condition that has compressed, irritated or inflamed your sciatic nerve. Through either direct or indirect irritation to the nerve through:

• A slipped disc, which compresses your sciatic nerve

• Osteoarthritis, which causes bony overgrowths that pinch the nerve

• Spondylolisthesis, a slipped vertebra that compresses your nerve.

Or:

• Muscle spasm, in the lumbar or buttocks. From overuse, lumbar strain or your bodies innately protective mechanisms.

• Inflammation: from impact injury or also repetative stress/ overuse.

Chiropractic treatment for sciatica

At Nurture Chiropractic, care begins with a thorough initial consultation to assess the area of complaint, health history and examination using chiropactic, orthopaedic and neurological tests. With a thorough understanding of what is causing your complaint, which may or may not be sciatica, we can create a clear plan to work towards resolving the issue. Using a holistic and natural approach to allow your body to adapt, change and do what it is designed to do...heal. Chiropractic has been found in various studies to be successful in addressing a number of musculoskeletal and nerve-related conditions including sciatica.

Chiropractic care for sciatica could help ease the pain associated naturally, without the use of drugs, injections or surgery.

Following on from your thorough initial assessment your chiropractor may send you for x-rays.

Your following visit with your chiropractor they will report on your findings. This includes your xray and examination findings and your options for care. You may receive your first adjustment on this visit, should you choose to go ahead with chiropractic care.

Changes in your spine and nerve system, to relieve the condition, will be assisted by your chiropractor using many different tools and techique. Your chiropractor will explain each step of the process as you go through your first adjustment. They may also assign you home care advice that could include:

• Stretches

• Massage

• Heat or Ice application

• Avoiding certain movements or modifying activities. 

Should your chiropractor find your condition requires a care outside of chiropractic. They will assist in pointing you in the right direction on your report visit also.

We care for people from all walks of life

Living in the beautiful Northern Rivers, Tweed coast or southern Gold Coast areas we invite you to take action and investigate how chiropractic care for sciatica may help you. Please get in touch with us so we can assist you in the steps on your road to recovery.

We understand how debilitating sciatic pain can be and we’re eager to help you move beyond it.