By Dr. John Dettmer, DC
The term sciatica describes the symptoms of leg pain and possibly tingling, numbness or weakness that originates in the lower back and travels through the buttock and down the large sciatic nerve in the back of the leg.
Sciatica is often characterized by one or more of the following symptoms:
- Constant pain in only one side of the buttock or leg (it can occur in both but that is rare)
- Pain that is worse when sitting
- Burning or tingling down the leg (versus a dull ache)
- Weakness, numbness or difficulty moving the leg or foot
- Constant pain on one side of the rear
- A sharp pain that may make it difficult to stand up or to walk.
Sciatic pain can change from infrequent to irritating to constant and incapacitating. Specific sciatica symptoms also vary widely in type, location and severity depending upon the condition causing the pain.
By eradicating problems in the spine, the body can begin to heal itself.
The sciatic nerve is the longest nerve in your body. It runs from your spinal cord to your buttock and hip area and down the back of each leg. This nerve is connected to the nervous system and has a main function of relaying messages to the brain.
At SpinalCare Physical Medicine, non-surgical decompression or spinal manipulation is at the core of our treatment. Decompression restores derangement of vertebral discs. This adjustment frees any restrictions in the spine and promotes the restoration of the misaligned vertebrae or deranged discs to the proper position within the body’s spinal column.
This helps reduce nerve irritations including problems in the sciatica nerve that causes inflammation, pain, spasm and other discomforts. These adjustments are not painful and may immediately relieve pain.
There are other therapies that help alleviate sciatica pain and allow patients to regain strength and flexibility. Certain forms of massage therapy have been shown to have a number of benefits for back pain including increased blood circulation, muscle relaxation and release of endorphins.
Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation (TENS) helps reduce pain and muscle spasms through electric current and ultrasound emits heat with sound waves penetrating deep tissue.
At SpinalCare Physical Medicine, our treatment approach is often aimed at treating the discomfort rooted in spinal misalignment or disc derangement. Taking pain medication for sciatica only masks the underlying problems. Give our office a call at 317-272-4100 and let us help ease your sciatic pain.