Sciatica Treatment

Degenerative disc disease (DDD)

• Most often there are problems in the low back due to degenerative changes involving the L4, L5, or S1 intervertebral discs.  When the disc degenerates, it loses flexibility, leaving your more susceptible to injuring the structure.
• Disc injuries are typically worse first thing in the morning, cause difficulty moving from seated to standing, make it hard to bend over, and pain typically increases when seated.  These are just a few examples of how disc injuries present.
• This “environment” can irritate the nerves and create sciatic pain.

Sciatica

• Sciatica is a symptom that affects the sciatic nerves. These nerves run throughout a person’s legs. This often causes pain, tingling, numbness, or weakness in the legs.
• Caused from a variety of reasons, sciatica may be one of the top symptoms we address in our office.

Stenosis

• Narrowing of the spinal canal puts pressure on your spinal cord or nerve roots, you may have numbness, weakness, cramping, and pain in your legs. Some of these symptoms can mimic sciatic nerve pain/ irritation
• Usually, the narrowing is caused by osteoarthritis, or “wear and tear” arthritis, of the spinal column and/ or by bulging of the discs between the vertebrae (the bones of the back). It may also be caused by a thickening of the ligaments that hold the spine together.
• Management of this condition is best accomplished with a proactive and preventative approach utilizing chiropractic and strengthening rehabilitative care.

Arthritis

• For the first time in history, the American College of Rheumatology (ACR) has recommended that manual therapy (what we do as chiropractors), if added to exercise or rehabilitation, may further benefit osteoarthritis.
• Arthritis typically presents with stiffness in the AM when you first get moving. However, when you get moving, maybe take a hot shower, much of the symptoms improve.
• Arthritis responds very well to chiropractic care because we are aiming to improve movement in the body. We firmly believe movement is medicine!

Piriformis Syndrome

• Piriformis syndrome usually starts with pain, tingling, or numbness in the buttocks. Pain can be severe and extend down the length of the sciatic nerve (called sciatica).
• Diagnosis of piriformis syndrome is made by the patient’s report of symptoms and by physical exam using a variety of movements to elicit pain to the piriformis muscle. In some cases, a contracted or tender piriformis muscle can be found on physical exam.
• Often, there is a history of trauma to the area, repetitive, vigorous activity such as long-distance running, or prolonged sitting.

Disc Herniation

• When a disc herniates or “slips”, the nearby nerve can become extremely sensitive and irritated.  This is a severe example; however, you may experience severe symptoms when in reality your condition may only be a minor injury.  This is why a conservative evaluation and treatment to begin is beneficial.
• This can be a true “pinched nerve” rather than common “sciatica”.

Failed Back Surgery

• Pain after back surgery is more common than we would like to see. We have ways of working on your low back and spine even after surgery. Our Class IV Medical Laser has been a great addition to our practice specifically when treating patients with prior back surgery.
• Often times surgery addresses a specific problem, we can still work on the muscles and surrounding structures in the area improving scar tissue formation and strengthening this tissue around the surgery getting you back to functioning at 100%.
• Movement can be extremely helpful in controlling pain even after surgery. It is most beneficial when it consists of the proper movements which we can help you find and perform them properly!