Sciatica

What causes sciatica?

Sciatica may start as a bothersome pain in your lower back, but it can quickly become the kind of debilitating pain that radiates down your legs, reaching as far as your calf. It happens when something is compressing or impinging on your sciatic nerve where it’s rooted to your spine. Some of the most common causes of sciatic nerve impingement (and pain) include:

• Disc problems: When trauma causes an intervertebral disc to bulge or rupture, it can put pressure on the sciatic nerve
• Spinal stenosis: A narrowing of the spinal canal, which sometimes comes with age, can push on the sciatic nerve
• Spinal compression or misalignment: Having lower-back vertebrae that are even slightly out of alignment can crowd the sciatic nerve root
• Piriformis syndrome: When the piriformis muscle, which is situated directly over your sciatic nerve, becomes too tight or spasms, it can put pressure on the sciatic nerve
• Injury: Any injury along the nerve’s path, such as a pelvic fracture, may cause sciatica

Although it’s possible for sciatic nerve pain to radiate down both of your legs, it usually only affects one side of your body at any given time.

What does sciatica feel like?

The top sign of sciatica is having a pain that extends from your lower back down into your buttock, through the back of your thigh, and as far as your calf. The pain, which is sometimes described as a kind of burning sensation, may be a mild, ongoing ache, or a sharp, electric-like jolt. While it’s possible to experience sciatic nerve pain at any isolated point along the path of the nerve, sciatica is more likely to follow an uninterrupted path. It often gets worse after long periods of sitting or standing, and can be triggered or exacerbated by reaching, sneezing, and other minor movements.    

How is sciatica treated?

Sciatic nerve pain may begin gradually, but it usually intensifies over time and may even become long-term or permanent if it’s left untreated. But the good news, however, is that sciatica often responds well to a combination of high-quality chiropractic care, deep tissue massage, and specific stretching exercises. Depending on the exact nature of your problem, traction therapy, and flexion distraction therapy may also helpful. Both of these treatments help decompress the spine, which helps alleviate pressure from bulging or ruptured discs. These treatment methods have been proven to reduce pain, further recovery, and produce beneficial results for many sciatica patients.