Sciatica is often referred to as a group of symptoms instead of a diagnosis. Those afflicted often have pain that may be caused by the irritation or compression of one of five spinal nerve roots. These give rise to each sciatic nerve. Sciatica also may be caused by compression or irritation of the left, right, or both the sciatic nerves.
Often, those who suffer from sciatica feel pain in the lower back, buttock, or different areas of the leg and foot. In addition to pain, which can be quite severe, the following symptoms may be experienced:
- Numbness
- Muscular weakness
- Hip pain
- A burning sensation
- Pins and needles or tingling
- A shooting pain that makes it hard to stand
Usually, the symptoms are only felt on one side of the body.
What Causes Sciatica?
An irritated or inflamed nerve is the immediate cause of sciatica. However, the trigger that produces irritation or inflammation can be many different things. These include spinal degeneration or decay, bulging or herniated discs and bone spurs. All of these conditions can affect the nerves from the lower back into the legs. How? By restricting the space within the nerve pathways or by placing pressure directly on the nerve roots.
When we investigate and dig a bit deeper, we find that the causes of the spine and disc problems that result in sciatica often originate with different things, many of which are controllable. These things include poor posture, being overweight, lack of muscle tone and general neglect of the spine.
After years of the body automatically adjusting to accommodate these stressors, something happens, and the body can’t adapt any longer. An example is something as simple as bending over to tie your shoes or swinging your feet out of bed in the morning.
How Chiropractic May Help
It’s been our experience that chiropractic care gets excellent results for those with sciatica. That’s because we address its underlying cause. After we identify the area of interference in the nervous system, a specific chiropractic adjustment can be performed. At our practice, we feature an array of techniques that we can use depending on each patient’s situation. By achieving proper spinal alignment, the body can heal itself.
Contact us today to book an appointment!