| Can Chiropractic Help Sciatica? |
| Written by Philip Vincent | |
| Tuesday, 13 October 2009 | |
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Sciatica can cause numbness, pain, or weakness in your buttock, hip, and leg. Chiropractic and sciatica is a good match because chiropractic can address many of the issues that can cause sciatica pain. Sciatica occurs when the sciatic nerve is inflamed, compressed, or irritated.
Sciatica can cause numbness, pain, or weakness in your buttock, hip, and leg. Chiropractic and sciatica is a good match because chiropractic can address many of the issues that can cause sciatica pain. Sciatica occurs when the sciatic nerve is inflamed, compressed, or irritated. The sciatic nerve is the largest and longest nerve in the human body. It starts at the spinal column close to your pelvis and runs down each leg. This nerve can be as wide as your thumb near its origination point. As the sciatic nerve progresses down the lower extremity, it breaks into five branches that serve your thigh, knee, calf, ankle and foot. From this, it is easy to see why it can be so incapacitating when this nerve is compressed. Causes of Sciatica Misalignment (subluxation) of the spine Pelvic misalignment Slipped or herniated disc from a fall or accident Tumors Diabetes Arthritis Vitamin deficiencies Pregnancy Simple movements can often trigger sciatic pain. Doing something as simple as sitting, standing, walking, lifting, sneezing or bending may be enough to send sharp pains down your leg from your hip. Chiropractors have treated many sciatica cases successfully. Most people don't realize that sciatica commonly begins with mild lower back pain. They may feel these aches and pains for a few weeks before the true "sciatica pain" kicks in. They may feel numbness, pain or weakness that starts in the hip and moves through the buttocks, then down through the thigh, the calf and finally the foot. The pain can be a dull ache or it can be a hot, shooting pain. Pain can last for a few minutes, a few hours or several days or weeks. The pain going down the leg eventually becomes more severe than that in the low back. Those who have suffered sciatica for a long time will realize the pain will localize in the buttocks and thighs. If left untreated or ignored, the nerve can possibly sustain permanent damage and the calf muscle may begin to deteriorate. Some extreme cases also include a weakened bladder and paresthesia. Most people will wait until the sciatica pain is completely unbearable before they seek the aid of a doctor of chiropractic. This can and may lead to permanent nerve damage. If you contact a chiropractor when you first feel sciatic pain, there is a much higher success rate and a better chance of relieving the pain and fixing the cause. A chiropractor will take your personal medical history when you first meet, and then do a thorough physical exam. You may need x-rays, but that will depend on what they find. The chiropractor will discuss the results and recommended treatment with you. Chiropractic adjustments to your spine may be done to help correct any misalignments. These adjustments help remove any vertebrae that may be pinching the sciatic nerve. Muscle spasms may be treated with massage. Your chiropractor may also recommend ice packs or ultrasound treatments to help relieve the symptoms first. In the majority of cases, several sessions of manual adjustments (possibly months) are adequate to relieve the problem. Chiropractic and sciatica are a good fit. Sciatica has a direct cause that can be determined. Chiropractic care can not only relieve the symptoms but remove the cause as well, so the chance of a return of the pain is minimal. X-rays taken before and after treatment for sciatica have proven that chiropractic care realigned the spine and reduced the symptoms. Before you take pain medications to mask your symptoms, see a chiropractor if you think you may be developing sciatica. The Article Author: Philip Vincent is a health care educator. Need a Houston Chiropractor? Consider this Houston Chiropractor. |
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