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If you’ve ever had shooting pain down your legs or arms, you may have already searched about sciatica and the chiropractic treatment of sciatica. But before we discuss how chiropractors can help relieve sciatica symptoms, let’s first understand what sciatica is, what causes it, and its symptoms.
Sciatica is a pain radiating down one or both lower limbs. Often, it happens because of damage to or pressure on the sciatic nerve. This nerve starts from multiple roots in the sacral plexus and moves down the back of your thigh before branching out into different muscles at various spots along its path.
The largest nerve in your entire body is the sciatic nerve, which is most probably prone to injury or disease. It can suffer damage at any point along its path and often runs near where a herniated disc might press against it.
What Is Sciatica?
Firstly, what do we mean by sciatica? Well, sciatica simply means irritation of the sciatic nerve. This usually results in pain in the lower back or buttocks that spreads down the back of the legs, occasionally reaching the foot but frequently just to the hamstring or calf regions. The discomfort may often come with a sensation of pins and needles running down the leg or sometimes even with numbness and weakness.
Generally, sciatica gets better within a 4-6 week period; however, it may occasionally take quite a lot longer than this.
What Causes Sciatica?
Sciatica causes discomfort and various symptoms because something is pressing or rubbing against the sciatic nerve. This pressing or rubbing might be connected to a particular injury, but sciatica can also appear over a longer period without any prior injury. This situation can be confusing and troubling, but it shouldn’t cause excessive alarm. Factors that may lead to sciatica include:
- Injuries to the intervertebral discs in our spine
- Spinal stenosis – a condition related to aging where the section of the spine that nerves travel through becomes more narrowed
- A buildup of muscular tension in the buttock then irritates the sciatic nerve.
- Other back injuries
Whatever the cause of your sciatica, there are many things you can do to help reduce the irritation on the nerve and reduce your pain levels and other symptoms.
Symptoms of Sciatica
Sciatica symptoms can vary greatly depending on which specific section of the Sciatic Nerve has been hurt or squeezed.
Sciatica may lead to numbness, tingling sensations, muscle weakness, or discomfort in the foot, knee, buttocks, and the back of the leg. A typical symptom includes pain that moves from the lower back down to one or even both feet. Sciatica pain often fluctuates based on your activity level (for example, when you are resting in bed and not moving much, there might be no noticeable Sciatica symptoms). Some individuals experience chronic sciatica, which indicates they endure ongoing pain.
The sciatic nerve roots from several nerves in the sacral plexus area. Its root splits into branches that enter muscles at various points along its length.
Chiropractic Treatment of Sciatica
A chiropractor specializes in conditions that lead to back pain. Therefore, they are equipped to address sciatica comprehensively. Some of the ways a chiropractor may address this condition include:
Accurate Diagnosis
The first step is to make an accurate diagnosis. A chiropractor will take a detailed history of the symptoms, their location, and when they showed up. A chiropractor will also perform a detailed physical exam and, if warranted, take X-rays to diagnose the condition accurately. Then, they will help you develop a comprehensive treatment plan.
Chiropractic Adjustments
Chiropractic adjustments are at the core of everything a chiropractor does. The goal of an adjustment is to ensure the spine is properly lined up. If the sciatic nerve has been irritated in some way, it is possible the bones, ligaments, and tendons may not be in proper alignment. A chiropractor can use manual adjustments to shift the spine into the right alignment. This could alleviate compression and pressure on the sciatic nerve, which might lead to the symptoms.
Heat and Cold Therapy
A chiropractor can also use heat and cold therapy. Alternating between cold and hot temperatures has been used by chiropractors to help people treat sciatic pain. Heat is used to release tight muscles that could be irritating the sciatic nerve. Then, cold therapy reduces inflammation that could lead to the symptoms.
Massage Therapy
Massage therapy could also be an important part of the treatment plan. It aims to target lactic acid buildup in the muscles, release lactic acid that could be causing the muscles to tighten, and calm nerves that could contribute to sciatica symptoms.
Spinal Decompression
Spinal decompression may also be recommended for sciatica. Spinal decompression aims to increase the space between each vertebrae slightly. If someone has sciatica, the vertebrae could be compressing the sciatic nerve. With spinal decompression, it is possible to increase the space surrounding certain nerves in the spinal column, alleviating symptoms.
Corrective Exercises
Finally, a chiropractor may also recommend corrective exercises. Corrective exercises are often recommended to help patients strengthen the amount of support surrounding vulnerable structures. In this case, a chiropractor may help you learn about corrective exercises that increase the amount of structure, support, and stability surrounding the sciatic nerve. By removing stress from the sciatic nerve, it may be possible to reduce these symptoms.
Conclusion
Chiropractic care is beneficial for people experiencing sciatica pain. By tackling the root causes of sciatica and offering noninvasive, medication-free relief from pain, chiropractic treatment can assist patients in recovering their movement and enhancing their overall quality of life. Whether utilized alone or with additional therapies, chiropractic treatment provides a comprehensive method for handling sciatica and avoiding future incidents.