Sciatica is a common condition that affects up to 40% of people. At 1st Choice Health & Wellness, our team of experienced chiropractors, physical therapists, and health care team is dedicated to helping patients find relief from sciatic nerve pain. Our local sciatica doctors will work with you to develop a personalized treatment plan that meets your individual needs and goals.
What is Sciatica?
Sciatica is the medical term for pain that radiates along the path of the sciatic nerve. This nerve branches from the lower back, through the hips, and down each leg. Many times, sciatica only affects one side of the body. There are many causes of sciatica, including narrowing of the spine, bone spurs, pinched nerves, and herniated disks.
Symptoms of Sciatica
The typical first symptom is pain that radiates from the lower back or buttock region down one leg. The pain feels as if it is coming from the sciatic nerve in the buttocks region because of its location, but the pain almost always originates from an irritated nerve in the lower spine.
Generally, symptoms include:
-Dull, aching, shooting, or "burning" pain that starts in your lower back and/or buttock and radiates down one of your legs. Back pain accompanied by leg pain is the key symptom that suggests you have sciatica rather than another type of back pain.
-Neuropathy such as numbness or a “pins and needles” tingling sensation.
-Feelings of muscle weakness or altered reflexes.
Depending on the location of the compressed nerve, your symptoms may worsen when you bend over, lift objects, twist, sit down, cough, or sneeze.
Causes of Sciatica
Causes of sciatica include:
- Disc Herniation – also known as a bulging disc, ruptured, or slipped disc – is typically the primary culprit behind sciatica in which the gel-like center of an intervertebral disc of the spine sticks out through a tear in its outer ring (called the annulus). This slippage puts pressure on the nerve roots located just next to the disc. Herniated discs can be brought on by wear-and-tear over time or by an acute back injury.
- Spinal stenosis – a narrowing of the canal that houses the spinal nerves.
- (Less often) inflammation of body parts adjacent to the spine, which in turn may be caused by:
- bone or muscle injuries such as a broken hip
- diseases such as tumors or infections
- pregnancy
- orthopedic surgery of the hip
Risk Factors for Sciatica
There are several risk factors for sciatica. Age-related changes in the spine are the most common causes of sciatica. Obesity also puts stress on the spine and can trigger sciatica. Those who have occupations which require carrying heavy loads, the twisting of the back, and driving a vehicle for long periods of time are at risk for sciatica. And those who live a sedentary lifestyle are more likely to develop sciatica than those who lead active lifestyles. Diabetes increases the risk of nerve damage and can cause sciatica.
Treating Sciatica in Our New Albany Office: Treatments & Therapies Our Nearby Chiropractor Uses To Relieve Your Sciatic Nerve Pain
At 1st Choice Health and Wellness in New Albany, IN, we offer a multi-faceted approach for the treatment of sciatica pain. We offer a variety of treatment therapies to provide our patients with long-term pain relief from here on out. After a full medical history, we will implement an appropriate and effective treatment plan to get you feeling better.
• Spinal Decompression - If your sciatica is due to pinched nerves, degenerated discs, or herniated disks, we use spinal decompression for treatment. Spinal Decompression is a computer-assisted program that implements gentle stretching to relieve the pressure on nerves. Our health care providers will determine the number of sessions required for an effective treatment of your sciatica based on a thorough physical examination, medical history, and the underlying cause of your sciatica. Each session is only 30-60 minutes long and requires no additional recovery time.
• Chiropractic care: Chiropractic care offers a non-invasive, holistic approach that targets the root cause of the pain, providing both immediate relief and long-term healing benefits. Our chiropractic adjustments involve swift, controlled thrusts in areas of your body where sciatic nerve pain may be originating from. These treatments are proven to reduce inflammation and fix structural problems causing pain in your body, including sciatic pain.
• Physical therapy: Our physical therapy techniques improve flexibility while boosting core strength. These benefits are associated with reduced sciatic pain and are regimens that you can use on your own for long-term results.
Call Us Today To Get Relief From Chronic Sciatic Nerve Pain!
If you’re suffering from sciatica in New Albany, IN give us a call at 1st Choice Health and Wellness at (812) 497-8479!
We are committed to providing you with the highest quality care possible, and we will do everything we can to help you achieve long-lasting or even permanent pain relief as well as improve function and overall quality of life. We offer free consultations to help you understand more about your options and begin the road to recovery!
