Do you have a sharp pain in your hip or lower back that extends down your leg? If so, you could be suffering from sciatica. Sciatica chiropractic is a natural, safe and effective way to treat your symptoms without popping pills or having surgery.
Chiropractors help address the underlying cause of sciatic nerve compression and provide pain relief with spinal manipulations and manual therapy. They use a variety of techniques including:
Alignment
For many people, sciatica pain starts in the lower back and radiates down to the hips and legs. This debilitating pain can cause tingling, numbness, and weakness. Medication can cover up the symptoms but won’t address the root of the problem, and surgery can be invasive and expensive.
Chiropractic care can help relieve sciatica by bringing the spine and surrounding joints into proper alignment. This reduces pressure on the nerves and can improve mobility and function. Chiropractors are also able to provide specific stretch routines for the body.
In addition to chiropractic adjustments, chiropractors can also recommend lifestyle and diet changes that support healthy spinal alignment. This can prevent future problems and prevent the sciatic nerve from becoming compressed in the first place. One technique that can help is called flexion-distraction. This uses a special table to gently stretch and decompress the spine. This can relieve sciatic nerve pain, reduce inflammation, and improve mobility. It also strengthens the back muscles, which can make it harder for discs to shift and put pressure on the nerves.
Posture
It should be no surprise that posture can greatly impact a person’s overall physical health and wellness. Poor posture can cause the body to compensate in other areas, resulting in pain and discomfort throughout. This is especially true when it comes to walking, as a slightly bad posture can place extra pressure on the lower back and sciatic nerve.
A good chiropractor can teach patients proper posture while also correcting their spinal misalignments that can contribute to sciatica. This ensures long-term relief, as well as an overall improvement in a patient’s quality of life.
Sciatica is typically caused by an abnormal amount of pressure on the sciatic nerve, which runs from the lower back through the leg. This can happen due to herniated disks, strange back movements, and even bone spurs, notes Healthline. While over-the-counter and prescription painkillers offer immediate relief, chiropractic treatments can reduce the root cause of the problem, allowing for permanent healing.
Strengthening
Symptoms like sciatic pain, numbness, and tingling can be a sign of herniated or compressed discs, spinal stenosis, or other musculoskeletal conditions. Chiropractors often use various treatment techniques to address the root cause of sciatica. They may also recommend stretching programs, such as yoga, to help ease tension in the lower back and spine.
Strengthening is a key part of chiropractic care. It helps you build muscle and reduce the stress on the nerves. The exercises don’t have to be intense; any activity that increases the intensity of your workouts can count as strengthening. Over time, it can relieve your sciatic pain and prevent future episodes of the condition. Other treatments that may be used for sciatica include spinal manipulation, which realigns the spine and pelvis to improve mobility, and massage, which can reduce trigger points and alleviate inflammation. Your chiropractor can develop a customized plan to address your sciatic pain symptoms and get to the root of the issue.
Massage
The sciatic nerve is the largest in the body and runs through your lower back, sacral area, buttocks and down the back of your leg. When it’s irritated, it can cause pain, burning, or searing sensations that travel down your legs and buttocks to your feet. It can also cause numbness or weakness.
If you’re experiencing sciatica, you can find relief through chiropractic care and massage therapy. Both can help relieve your symptoms, but chiropractic treatment helps address the root cause of the problem. Massage can loosen up the muscles and reduce tension before a spinal manipulation to make adjustments more effective.
A sciatica chiropractor can use a variety of techniques to treat your pain, including TENS therapy and hot stone massage. They may also recommend myofascial release, a form of bodywork that uses minor pressure on the fascia or connective tissue surrounding your muscles and organs to restore balance and reduce tension. This can also help to reduce inflammation and muscle spasms, which are common causes of sciatica.sciatica chiropractic