Sciatica is a fancy word for leg pain.
Of course, to those that have it, it can be much more than that. Sciatica can be a pain that does not go away. It may not relent. Plus, it can burn. It can be sharp and can even make it difficult to walk, sit, or stand.
In other words, this nasty ailment has the ability to lay you flat. But how does it happen, and why? Before you can begin to treat it or correct it, you need to understand it.
Locating the Epicenter of Sciatica
Your back is a comprehensive network of muscles, bones, ligaments, tendons, nerves, and more. One of these nerves is the sciatic nerve. It’s very large for a nerve (the largest in the body), and it runs from your lumbar spine (lower back), down through your buttocks, and continues down the rear of your leg.
This is why when there’s an issue with your sciatic nerve, you will feel it. Because you have a sciatic nerve in each leg, this condition will usually only
occur on one side of the body. Generally what happens is that this nerve becomes pinched in the lumbar spine. Whether caused by a sedentary lifestyle, sitting to work at a computer for too long, lifting something heavy while twisting, or a sports-related injury, sciatica can affect anyone.
Some people are more susceptible than others.
The Mayo Clinic Staff writes, “Sciatica most commonly occurs when a herniated disk, bone spur on the spine or narrowing of the spine (spinal stenosis) compresses part of the nerve. This causes inflammation, pain, and often some numbness in the affected leg.”
What Does Chiropractic Care Have to Do With Sciatica?
One of the reasons why seeing a chiropractor can help relieve sciatica is that proper spinal alignment reduces–and in many cases–eliminates inflammation. When everything is lined up where it is supposed to be, vertebrae and muscles do not pinch or harass nerves or discs. This allows the body to self-heal and return to complete, pain-free functionality.
Catherine Winters at Prevention.com says, “Sixty percent of people with sciatica who didn’t get from other therapies and then tried spinal manipulation experienced the same degree of pain relief as patients who eventually had surgery.” That’s a staggering result. Not only can chiropractic patients often avoid expensive surgery, but they can also achieve the same therapeutic results as if they had had that surgery. Winters also states, “In people who responded to chiropractic care, benefits lasted up to a year.”
Contact us today to set an appointment. We’d like to see you and discover if we can help relieve your Sciatica pain.