The common term given to debilitating back pain that runs from your spine to buttocks and the outer leg is known as Sciatica. Sciatica can be so painful that it impedes your daily productivity. With this type of condition, it may be uncomfortable to walk and difficult to perform other daily tasks.
You should not just be sitting around with this condition. The best way to heal is to take immediate action. Lack of action often worsens the situation. Before resorting to prolonged use of painkillers and other forms of medication, consider visiting a Chiropractor.
How does a Chiropractor help Sciatica? The answers are below, so let’s dive right in by first looking at what Sciatica is.
What is Sciatica?
First, Sciatica is a medical condition that stems from a disorder at the Sciatic nerve – a nerve that branches from your lower back to hips then down your leg. Sciatica manifests as a painful irritant when this nerve gets compressed.
This compression then leads to pain which can be mild to severe. Remember, Sciatica goes beyond the back to other parts of the body (including legs and hips), so it’s usually something you can’t manage.
What Causes Sciatica?
Sciatica comes from inflammation of the bulging disc, which often comes whenever the lower back is injured. That could be a result of an accident.
For more context, inflammation and swelling accompany this condition which shoots a severe pain from the lower back straight to the legs. Besides, it could affect a part of the body bring some sort of imbalance.
Some common risk factors of Sciatica may be related to:
- Age: This refers to age-related changes in the spine where weakening and instability occurs, increasing the risk of sciatic nerve damage at the slightest pressure.
- Prolonged sitting: Sitting for too long puts a certain pressure on the spinal nerve.
- Obesity: Excessive weight in the body contributes to Sciatica in the long run.
While the above are risk-related factors, some of the actual common causes include:
- Disc bulge or herniation: Also known as a disc bulge or slipped disc, comes as a common cause of sciatic pain. Here, there’s a disruption of the disc(s) that separate the lower spinal bones. Hence this puts more pressure on the nerves between the spinal bones and results in Sciatica.
- Stenosis: Whenever the area around the spinal cord gets compromised and narrowed, it results in Sciatica.
- Piriformis syndrome: A tightening around the buttocks puts more pressure on the sciatic nerve. This leads to sciatica conditions solely because of the close proximity to the buttocks.
- Subluxation: When spinal bones lose their proper alignment with each other. Although a subluxation may not directly put pressure the nerves, the close proximity of the spinal cord allows a slight bone manipulation to irritate the nerves.
Signs and Symptoms of Sciatica
A case study reveals radiating leg pain and partial disabilities as typical signs of Sciatica. In this case, a person loses the ability to work freely, often distorting overall posture. Other symptoms of Sciatica include but are not limited to:
- Numbness of the lower back
- Pinching feeling in the lower back and buttocks
- Deficit in strength or sensory of the involved leg
How A Chiropractor Treats Sciatica
A chiropractor is a suitable person for treating Sciatica. Chiropractors are known as health experts with comprehensive knowledge of different body aches. They are equipped with the proper techniques to treat various forms of back pain. Of course, you can try medication (even use pain relievers), but they do come with some adverse side effects.
Even some of the commonly known medical treatments may fail to achieve a permanent cure for this condition. Treatment may involve surgeries that can have a more debilitating effect on the body. So this leaves us to the use of physical therapy or consulting a Chiropractor.
As you know, you can’t treat a sciatic condition just by sitting around. In fact, a lack of action on your part may worsen the situation. That’s why you need to consult a Chiropractor.
What Happens When You Visit A Chiropractor?
On a visit for chiropractic treatment, the health expert in charge may begin to ask you about your lifestyle, work, and even age. That gives a chiropractor an idea of the overall condition before taking diagnostic checks that may include using hands-on orthopedic tests, X-ray, and MRI scanners.
The chiropractor may proceed with spinal manipulation after a thorough assessment. Spinal manipulation (commonly called an ‘adjustment’) combines massage, exercise, and physical therapy in relieving the adverse effect of Sciatica. This form of treatment is entirely safe provided an expert does it. In fact, evidence from another study shows how many people get satisfactory results from manipulative therapy before some of them take a surgical operation.
A well-trained chiropractor places you on a flat surface in a specific position during therapy. This can be lying and facing down on the chiropractic table. Then a chiropractor applies light to moderate pressure to the joints using their hands. What follows is a popping or cracking sound during the treatment session. The session doesn’t end there. There is a need for follow-up and lifestyle adjustment. Some adjustments may be with instruments or light techniques by hand that don’t include a popping sound.
Conclusion
So, I hope you are thoroughly convinced about how effective chiropractic treatments can displace a condition like Sciatica. If you happen to have any of the mentioned symptoms, then it’s time you pay a visit to your Local Fort Worth chiropractor for treatment. Remember, good health is the ultimate requirement for excellent productivity.