Sciatica and the sciatic nerve

Sciatica is a description, not a diagnosis. It means pain following the path of the sciatic nerve — buttock, back of thigh, sometimes past the knee into the calf or foot. The useful question is what is irritating that nerve, because the answer changes the treatment. An untreated sciatic condition can continue to worsen and make the daily tasks of living go from difficult to impossible. This article is aimed at helping you to understand sciatica and explains how chiropractic treatment can help you to overcome it.

Sciatica, which is also known as sciatic neuralgia, is a condition that causes pain in the lower back, down the back of the leg, and into the foot. It can make sitting and standing for long periods of time difficult and can lead to weakness, tingling, and numbness in the leg and foot. It will often come and go throughout a person's lifetime, causing periods of varying degrees of pain and discomfort. If left unchecked, sciatic pain will generally grow worse and the nerve can become permanently injured.

The reason why the pain travels so far, seems to radiate up and down the legs and back, is because it is caused by the compression of the sciatic nerve, the longest nerve in the body. This nerve originates in the lumbar spine and extends into the buttocks before traveling down the leg to the ankle and foot. When the vertebrae in the low back are compressed, the roots of the sciatic nerve can become pinched and irritated which is what causes the pain and injury.

There are a number of factors that can lead to sciatica. It is most commonly caused by disc injuries and bulges. In this occurrence, the disc presses against the nerve root causing the issue. Disc Injuries can occur because of poor posture, repetitive use injuries, and accidents. Sciatica is also common when there are subluxations (misalignments) in the spine due to postural issues, pregnancy, or even trauma. Some patients say they simply bent over to pick up a piece of paper and they were hit with extreme pain. The reality is that the spinal condition was probably developing for quite some time before the triggering incident occurred.

After a thorough assessment of the individual's unique issue, gentle adjustments are made that will allow the body to recover its natural alignment.

The change we watch for is not the pain getting smaller — it is the pain retreating. Symptoms that pull back from the foot to the calf, then to the thigh, then to the back, are improving even if the back itself feels no better yet. That usually happens before you notice much difference sitting still.

IN8LIFE patients treatment often combines adjusting with flexion-distraction or decompression, because unloading the segment is what gives the nerve room.

So, are you sick of feeling that pain shoot down your leg? Wish you could stand or sit without being miserable? Maybe now it's time to take that step in the right direction!