What Is Sciatica? How Our Littleton Chiropractor Can Help: Ultimate Health Medical Clinic: Chiropractors

Do you have a shooting pain that starts in your lower back and radiates all the way down your leg? You could be suffering from sciatica pain. Did you know 10-40% of the population suffers from sciatica pain?

The medical term for sciatica is lumbar radiculopathy, and is a pain that originates in your lower back. The Mayo Clinic’s definition of sciatica is as follows: “Sciatica refers to pain that radiates along the path of the sciatic nerve, which branches from your lower back through your hips and buttocks and down each leg. Typically, sciatica affects only one side of your body.”

Symptoms of Sciatica

The most common symptom of sciatica is pain. Other symptoms include inflammation, burning sensations, shooting pain, weakness, and even numbness. If you’ve ever suffered from sciatica pain, you know how much it hurts to do pretty much anything.

“You might feel the discomfort almost anywhere along the nerve pathway, but it's especially likely to follow a path from your low back to your buttock and the back of your thigh and calf,” according to Mayo Clinic.

The good thing about sciatica pain is that it doesn’t usually require surgery or even medicine. Oftentimes a chiropractor that specializes in sciatica pain, like the doctors at Ultimate Health, can help alleviate the pain quickly without sugergy or medicine.

How Can a Chiropractor in Littleton Help With Sciatica Pain?

Chiropractic care is one of the most effective treatments for sciatica, and is a preferred method of treatment because of the noninvasive approach. A chiropractic adjustment or spinal manipulation helps to realign the spine, which frees restricted movements, like an impinged nerve that may be the root of your sciatica pain. An adjustment can help improve restricted movements as well as reduce pain associated with nerve inflammation.

Medical massage therapy is another way to treat sciatica pain in Littleton. The experienced massage therapists at Ultimate Health Medical clinic have knowledge of the entire musculoskeletal system and can release sore muscles and tension that may be putting too much pressure on the sciatic nerve. While it’s still relaxing and enjoyable, a medical or chiropractic massage is extremely beneficial for the overall performance of your body.

Spinal decompression is another effective chiropractic treatment for sciatica. Spinal decompression involves the mechanical stretching of your spine, used as a way to address the source of such pain, like sciatica. This is one of the most effective ways to treat a bulging or herniated disc.

Chiropractic stretches and rehab are also great ways to relieve sciatica pain. While things like yoga and foam rolling are incredibly effective, it’s important to seek treatment to get a specific set of stretches and movement that will help you relieve pain faster. Sciatica pain truly manifests itself differently in everyone, and certain movements that may aggravate pain in one patient wont’ in another.

Read more about sciatica from WebMD

Common Causes of Sciatica:

Disc problems: Trauma can cause an intervertebral disc to bulge or rupture, therefore putting pressure on the sciatic nerve
Spinal stenosis: A narrowing of the spinal canal, which sometimes comes with age or advanced workouts, can push on the sciatic nerve causing pressure and extreme pain
Spinal compression or misalignment: Having lower-back vertebrae that are even slightly out of alignment can crowd the sciatic nerve root causing pain
Piriformis syndrome: The piriformis muscle is situated directly over your sciatic nerve. If this muscle becomes too tight or starts to spasm, it can put pressure on the sciatic nerve
Injury: Any injury along the nerve’s path may cause sciatica

Most Common Risk Factors for Sciatica:

Age
Obesity
Occupation (jobs that require heavy lifting or driving for extended periods of time)
Prolonged sitting (see above for occupation, also frequent flyers, or those who aren’t as active)
Diabetes

Our Littleton chiropractors treat a number of conditions including:

Our Littleton chiropractic team has helped patients suffering from sciatica pain and other neck and back pain issues for more than 20 years. Call us to schedule your free consultation for any nagging pains. Don’t forget we have a new patient special in Littleton for only $29 for your first visit (*must call office for details).