Do You Have Sciatica Pain

I think most chiropractor’s would agree, we see a lot of lower back pain, and for good reason; we are very successful at fixing it! Often patients report that the pain will travel down their leg causing a “burning” or “tingling” sensation.

What could be causing this?

Your spine has spacer’s known as intervertebral discs which serve to produce smooth movement and also act as shock absorbers. Occasionally, these shock of absorbers will bear more of a load then they are prepared to bear causing them to crack or herniate.

Through your lower spine exits nerve roots which serve to innervate the lower body. If a herniated disc compress’ these nerve roots it will interfere with the signal leading to inflammation, pain, and tingling often to the foot producing “hard borders” of where the tingling and numbness is occurring that patients can readily identify.

Another possibility is entrapment of the sciatic nerve. This is a huge nerve (about the size of a highlighter) that forms in the buttocks from several nerve roots. This will often times lead to discomfort when sitting and “burning” pain in the gluteal region that may travel to the hamstring or calf. This will usually not produce pain in the foot. This is usually caused by tight muscles in the gluteal region.

Poor posture and biomechanics is a major cause of sciatic pain.

So How do You fix it?

Chiropractic manipulation serves to re-establish movement of the joints and decrease muscle spasm. This will in turn take pressure off the nerve and decrease inflammation via opening up the joint, allowing your body to heal!

After the pain is gone it is important for the person to correct any muscle imbalances as these are usually a pre-existing factor to disc herniation’s, as these are unlikely to go away on their own. Additionally, It is very important that patient’s visit receive periodical “tune-up’s” in order to keep things in check and moving the way they are supposed to thus preventing future flare up’s.

Keep Moving!