Sciatica is a condition that affects the sciatic nerve, which is the largest and longest nerve in our body. It can cause back pain, numbness, tingling sensations, muscle weakness, and shooting or sharp pain that radiates down our legs. An injury, subluxation, bad posture, or stress can cause sciatic nerve compression, triggering sciatica symptoms.
Sciatic pain is an often misunderstood condition that can strike those with pressure on their spinal cord and nerves. It affects people who regularly participate in activities like sitting for long periods or exercising when it can cause pain down one or both of your legs due to a pinched, inflamed, or herniated disc near the lower back, buttocks, spine, or pelvis. It can be challenging to pinpoint the exact cause, but there are many ways to deal with this condition, including reducing the pain and inflammation.
When you struggle with lower back pain, leg pain, and other symptoms caused by sciatica, getting through your daily activities can feel like a struggle. At Pike Creek Chiropractic Center, our chiropractors in Newark, DE, help men and women looking for pain relief from their sciatica symptoms without the need for drugs or invasive procedures.
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How Our Sciatica Care Plan Works
Structural Correction Chiropractic
The body has a natural ability to heal itself but is often hindered by structural imbalances. Physical and emotional stress result in pain, reduced mobility, and other health problems. We detect and correct these imbalances to restore health and well-being.
Functional
Rehabilitation
Your personalized treatment plan will focus on correcting any imbalances or weakness, improving movement patterns, and restoring normal function. We design this plan based on your specific situation to help you get out of pain and achieve all your health goals.
Nervous System
Based Approach
The nervous system is the master control system, it controls every cell, tissue, muscle, and organ in the body. By focusing on the nervous system and optimizing its function, we can improve your overall health, reduce sciatica symptoms, and prevent future health problems.
How We Treat Sciatica in Newark, DE
Different courses of treatment can help to treat sciatica. Each case is unique, and a professional chiropractor will assess the situation and determine the best course of action. There are different approaches and treatment types available, including the following.
Comprehensive Consultation and Exam
A comprehensive consultation is where the doctor will get to know you and what you’re going through. They’ll want a complete health history to better understand how your current condition came about. They’ll then perform a thorough examination with orthopedic and neurological testing, postural analysis, and X-rays if needed. The consultation and exam create a clear picture from which the doctor can design an effective sciatica treatment plan individualized to the needs of each patient. Rather than chase symptoms, chiropractors aim to address the underlying cause of sciatic pain to achieve long-lasting results.
Specific Chiropractic Care
Chiropractic can treat a wide range of conditions, including sciatica. It is a safe, effective, and all-natural way to successfully deal with pain in your body. Some commonly used chiropractic techniques for this condition includes:
- Spinal manipulation
- Joint mobilization
- Soft tissue treatment and adjustment
- Trigger point therapy
Custom orthopedic tables adjust into various positions simultaneously to relieve pressure on the nerves responsible for this condition. Chiropractic adjustments help identify and correct misalignments in the spine that may irritate the sciatic nerve, causing your symptoms. Correcting these misalignments will relieve nerve pressure, reduce pain, and improve how your body functions.
Custom Therapeutic Exercise Plan
The therapeutic exercise involves using specialized equipment to specifically target your muscles and lower back. Therapeutic exercise will help relax those muscles and reduce their level of tension. It reduces pain, improves flexibility, decreases the risk of injury, and increases your range of motion. A physical therapist specializing in rehabilitation or a chiropractor experienced in custom therapeutic tables can perform this exercise.
The spine and muscles in your back depend on each other to work correctly. Once you have been treated, following a series of exercises designed for you is crucial. These exercises will help keep your muscles and the spine active and flexible. It will reduce the risk of those severe strains and tears to the forces that can lead to even more pain and nerve damage in your lower back.
Spinal Decompression
Spinal decompression, also known as spinal decompression therapy, is a safe and effective way to reduce pressure on nerve roots. It involves stretching the spine and relieving pressure on pinched or herniated discs. Decompressing the spinal discs reduces inflammation, relieves pressure on the nerves, encourages blood flow, improves oxygenation to the discs, and removes toxins and fluids from the disc space.
Deep Tissue Laser
Deep tissue laser therapy is a soft tissue treatment that uses light to treat severe pain and inflammation. It is a painless and non-invasive way to help reduce the pain directly from the nerve root. It is an effective treatment to relieve sciatica pain, decrease inflammation, and accelerate healing.
Laser is an advanced technique that uses light energy to treat nerves and tissues in the body. It helps restore its function by stimulating nerve growth factors, which keeps your muscles and bones healthy, supple, and flexible. It is also safe to use during pregnancy or for sensitive skin.
Common Causes of Sciatica in Newark, DE
Herniated Lumbar Discs
A herniated lumbar disc occurs when the intervertebral disc loses water, and the inner material escapes its position between two vertebrae. It compresses nearby tissues or irritates nearby nerve roots. The nerve roots supply feeling and movement sensations to your legs, arms, and other lower body parts. As a result, one or more of these nerves are injured and will respond by producing the symptoms of sciatica.
Degenerative Disc Disease
It is a common condition that leads to spinal degeneration. As the packing and spongy material inside the disc deteriorate, the disc space between the vertebrae becomes smaller. That means less room for nerves to pass through there. It also means more pressure on these nerves when they move around your spine. It can lead to friction and pinching with these nerves, ultimately leading to the symptoms of sciatica pain.
Spinal Stenosis
The spinal cord travels through the vertebrae and out to the body, controlling all aspects of function. When the interior channel begins to narrow, it doesn’t allow enough room for the bundle of nerves to pass through. These nerves become irritated and can trigger sciatica symptoms of shooting pain, muscle weakness, numbness, and tingling.
Muscle Strain or Spasm
Muscle strain or spasm is a common cause of sciatica symptoms. It happens when a nerve root becomes compressed or injured. For example, if you twist your lower back while lifting something, this will stretch the nerve root in that area. This injury can cause these symptoms in the legs, buttocks, and lower back.
Sacroiliac Joint Dysfunction (SI Joint Pain)
The sacroiliac joint is the joint that connects your spine to your pelvis. It comprises five small bones and has a limited range of movement. If damaged and inflamed, it can cause sciatic nerve pain in the lower back and buttocks. It is most commonly caused by osteoarthritis but can also occur due to tight hip flexors, tight hamstrings, and poor posture.
Subluxation
A subluxation is a partial dislocation of a joint. It happens when the bones in your spine are misaligned, causing pain, numbness, and tingling sensations in your lower back, buttocks, legs, and feet. Subluxation can happen due to injury, repetitive stress, or bad posture. It can lead to compressive forces on the nerve roots, which can cause pain and nerve damage. Chiropractic adjustments are the only way to correct a subluxation to restore proper nerve flow and reduce pain caused by sciatica.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Should I see a doctor or a chiropractor about sciatica?
If you suffer from sciatica symptoms and are unsure what to do next, you should see a doctor first. They will make an initial assessment and do a thorough neurological examination. They will be able to determine the extent of your problem and teach you about the various treatments available for your sciatica condition. A chiropractor can advise on other types of treatment that could help. If the chiropractor can provide relief after the treatment, this can confirm that you suffer from sciatica symptoms.
What exercises help with sciatica?
Many people with sciatica symptoms have found that exercising the affected muscles can help to provide relief. The most common exercises for sciatica are eccentric (negative speed) strength training and linear progressive resistance training. These activities build muscle strength, flexibility, and range of motion in your muscles. Some other exercises that might help include swimming and yoga.
What can I do to relieve my sciatica pain?
The most common treatments for sciatica are rest, heat, ice, and chiropractic care. A chiropractor may also make lifestyle change recommendations for posture and physical activity. Chiropractic adjustments can relieve pressure on the sciatic nerve to reduce pain and dysfunction, while muscle work can strengthen the stabilizing muscles to hold the adjustments longer and prevent future sciatica flare-ups.
What is the best treatment for sciatica?
The best way to deal with your sciatica symptoms is to see a chiropractor. A chiropractor is looking for the underlying cause of your pain so they can offer long-term relief rather than just covering up symptoms with a bandaid. A thorough evaluation will help them design a unique and effective sciatica care plan.
What causes sciatica flare-ups?
Sciatica is a long-term condition that does not tend to go away quickly. It will require you to alter your daily activities and might even keep you from working. When symptoms flare up, it is usually because of a particular action you have been doing. It would help to stretch the affected muscles before and after exercising and when the symptoms flare up in the middle of the night. These flare-ups can also be caused by long periods of sitting or sleeping. Your doctor can recommend exercises that can strengthen and stretch your muscles to improve your sciatica symptoms.
How long does sciatica last?
The duration of sciatica relates to how far the condition has progressed and the patient’s overall health. Chiropractic care helps to optimize the nervous system to speed up healing. The sooner you get any condition addressed, the easier recovery will be. Avoiding treatment only worsens the condition making sciatica more difficult to treat.
Sciatica is a common condition that can cause pain, numbness, or tingling in the lower back and legs. While several problems can cause it, it is most often due to degenerative changes in the lower spine. When these conditions are diagnosed early, they can be treated relatively easily. Left untreated, they can cause long-term symptoms and chronic pain. Thankfully, your doctor will be able to identify what is causing your sciatica symptoms and recommend the best treatment option for them.