What is "Sciatica"?

Sciatica is a term that refers to the painful inflammation of the sciatic nerve, the longest and largest nerve in your body. Sciatica comes from the Latin word meaning hip. Your sciatic nerve extends from your buttocks all the way down to your toes!

Your sciatic nerve is formed from 5 nerve roots in your lower back which join together deep in your pelvis. from there, the sciatic nerve divides into many branch nerves that serve your muscled, joints, skin and other tissues in your legs and feet.

Sciatica flare-ups may or may not involve back pain; the pain can be "referred"  to the areas. Sciatica sufferers, however, often have a history of low back pain.

Scientifically Proven Relief!

A Recent Canadian study published in the Journal of Manipulative and Physiological Therapeutics surveyed 71 patients with low back pain and radiating leg pain or numbness. Researchers found that 90% of the patients reported improvement with chiropractic care! And, there was no evidence of any complications resulting from treatment.

Once again chiropractic has been scientifically proven to be safe and effective.

What Causes Sciatica? What You Do Every Day!

Your spine is directly affected by the chemical, physical, and emotional stress of everyday living. The results are often the same-spinal misalignments, or subluxations. Subluxations can occur following a car accident, a fall, or a sports injury. Being overweight, having poor posture...or even an allergic reaction can lead to a spinal subluxation.

Left uncorrected, subluxations can cause the opening between your vertebrae to narrow and compress, irritating and stretching your nerves. Sciatica can often be traced to one or more misaligned vertebrae.

The most common cause of sciatica is an irritation or nerve roots as they exit from your spine. Eventually, damaged nerves can restrict your joint movement, which interferes with the transport of lubrication to your discs.

When unhealthy discs dry out, this causes the gel-like center to bulge out or herniated. The bulging or herniated disc matter can press against your sciatic nerve, causing further irritation. Irreversible damage may occur if the nerve interference is not removed. That's where chiropractic comes in!

You Can Count on Chiropractic!

While your body tries to adapt to a sciatic nerve injury, chances are you won't feel a thing! By the time you feel pain or numbness, often permanent damage to your musculoskeletal system may have already occurred.

The goal of chiropractic is to locate the specific misaligned vertebrae and remove the resulting nerve irritation. Gentle chiropractic spinal adjustment can correct the underlying cause of your sciatica.

Early sciatic pain is often so mild that most people ignore it altogether. Prompt chiropractic care can help prevent sciatica or stop its progression. Call us before the pain starts. It is easier to maintain a healthy spine than it is to treat an unhealthy one.