SCIATICA -- PAIN DOWN THE LEG
Key Points:
· Sciatica is a common condition caused when the sciatica nerve is irritated and inflamed.
· Chiropractic treatment is effective and is far less invasive than surgery.
· My Office has been successfully treating sciatica for over twenty years.
Sciatica -- pain down the leg -- is a common condition affecting the young to the elderly. This pain is caused when the sciatica nerve is irritated and inflamed. The sciatica nerve starts from the spinal cord between the last lumbar vertebrae and the first sacral segment. The nerve then travels down the gluteal muscle to the leg and ends at the foot.
Aside from pain, the condition can also involve sensations, such as tingling, numbness, and coldness. These sensations are referred to as paresthesia. Paresthesia can be evoked when the sciatica nerve is impinged anywhere along its path after exiting from the spinal cord.
There are many causes of sciatica. Sciatica can result from misalignments of the pelvic structures, the fifth lumbar vertebrae and muscular spasms of the lower back and pelvis. The pelvic structures that are commonly involved in impinging the sciatica are the ilium, sacrum, and the sacroiliac joints.
Treatment of this common condition consists of re-aligning the misaligned structures by gentle chiropractic adjustments and releasing the involved muscles to ease the pressure on the sciatica nerve. This is far less invasive than surgery. Exercise can be part of the treatment program, but the structural misalignments and muscular spasms need to be addressed first. Otherwise, exercising too soon might aggravate the back pain and sciatica. No resistance exercise, including weights, should be used until the pain has been reduced significantly.
Sciatica can also be caused by disc material impinging on the nerve. However, it has also been shown in MRIs of healthy individuals that disc material appears to be impinging on spinal nerves, but yet creates no symptoms. And, in some post surgical cases that are termed failed back surgeries, lower back pain and sciatica still persist pointing to initial incorrect diagnosis and source of problem.
Key Points:
· Sciatica is a common condition caused when the sciatica nerve is irritated and inflamed.
· Chiropractic treatment is effective and is far less invasive than surgery.
· My Office has been successfully treating sciatica for over twenty years.
Sciatica -- pain down the leg -- is a common condition affecting the young to the elderly. This pain is caused when the sciatica nerve is irritated and inflamed. The sciatica nerve starts from the spinal cord between the last lumbar vertebrae and the first sacral segment. The nerve then travels down the gluteal muscle to the leg and ends at the foot.
Aside from pain, the condition can also involve sensations, such as tingling, numbness, and coldness. These sensations are referred to as paresthesia. Paresthesia can be evoked when the sciatica nerve is impinged anywhere along its path after exiting from the spinal cord.
There are many causes of sciatica. Sciatica can result from misalignments of the pelvic structures, the fifth lumbar vertebrae and muscular spasms of the lower back and pelvis. The pelvic structures that are commonly involved in impinging the sciatica are the ilium, sacrum, and the sacroiliac joints.
Treatment of this common condition consists of re-aligning the misaligned structures by gentle chiropractic adjustments and releasing the involved muscles to ease the pressure on the sciatica nerve. This is far less invasive than surgery. Exercise can be part of the treatment program, but the structural misalignments and muscular spasms need to be addressed first. Otherwise, exercising too soon might aggravate the back pain and sciatica. No resistance exercise, including weights, should be used until the pain has been reduced significantly.
Sciatica can also be caused by disc material impinging on the nerve. However, it has also been shown in MRIs of healthy individuals that disc material appears to be impinging on spinal nerves, but yet creates no symptoms. And, in some post surgical cases that are termed failed back surgeries, lower back pain and sciatica still persist pointing to initial incorrect diagnosis and source of problem.