Sciatica: Causes, Symptoms, and Chiropractic Treatment
Undoubtedly, sciatica is one of the most widely known chronic conditions in U.S health care systems. It often feels like a sharp pain that radiates down the back of one leg and into your buttocks.
Although there are many different types of sciatica, symptoms can vary greatly depending on where the problem originates. Its symptoms are often caused by compression of the sciatic nerve as it passes through the piriformis muscle on its way down toward the feet.
However, no matter how severe the sciatic symptoms are, you will always get relief when you visit the Creekside chiropractic care clinic. Book an appointment with our chiropractor in Salt Lake City, UT, today.
In this blog, we discuss sciatica in detail.
Understanding Sciatica
As mentioned above, sciatica is a medical term for pain that radiates or shoots down the back of the leg. It’s often caused by irritation of the sciatic nerve, a large nerve that travels down the back of each leg and exits through the lower spine.
It is often associated with numb legs and feet and tingling or burning sensations in your buttocks, hips, thighs, and calves. These symptoms are generally worse when you first wake up in the morning or after sitting for long periods while working at a desk or computer station.
Causes of Sciatica
A herniated disk commonly causes sciatica. A herniated disk is usually related to an injury or trauma that causes the spine to twist and pressure on one of the disks that cushion the nerves. This can irritate the nerve as it passes through this area hence pain down the leg.
Sciatica may sometimes be caused by a pinched nerve in the lower back or buttocks (the gluteal region). In this case, its symptoms may include numbness and tingling in the foot or buttock area, gradually spreading up into leg muscles and down into toes or fingers before shifting back down into other body parts.
Chiropractic Diagnosis of Sciatica
The chiropractic diagnosis of sciatica involves an evaluation of the patient’s medical history, physical examination, and diagnostic tests. A careful review of the patient’s medical history may reveal a possible cause for sciatica.
The physical examination will examine the patient’s range of motion (ROM) in the affected joints and muscles. The physical exam results will help confirm a diagnosis of sciatica and rule out other potential causes of pain.
Diagnostic tests are often used to narrow down the potential cause further and determine the best treatment plan.
Chiropractic Treatment of Sciatica
Chiropractic treatment of sciatica is based on the premise that vertebrae misalignments are the root cause of most back and leg problems, including sciatic pain. By correcting these vertebrae misalignments, chiropractors can relieve pain caused by disc herniations (collapsed discs) or spinal stenosis (narrowing).
The chiropractor’s goal is to restore normal motion of joints and muscles through gentle manual therapy techniques that release pressure on the joints and reduce tension on surrounding tissues.
Reach Out for Sciatica Chiropractic Care in Salt Lake City, UT
You need a chiropractor that cares about you and your health. At Creekside Chiropractic care, we do just that. We treat all medical conditions, including back pain, neck pain, sciatica, headaches, and more. We’re located in Salt Lake City, UT, but we also offer our services to patients in other areas of Utah. If you have any questions about our practice or services, contact us today!
