| CHIROPRACTIC A Personal Letter from Drs. Brenda and Erik Slovin... Sciatica can be a master of illusion, distracting you with pain that seems to shift from one leg to the other, from your lower back to even your feet and toes. These shifting sciatica symptoms can sometimes make an accurate diagnosis difficult to pin down. But like all illusionists, the mystery of sciatica pain can be stripped away, revealing a clear course of action. First, What Exactly Is Sciatica? Sciatica refers to pain that can range from mild to excruciating, and can even seem to come and go almost randomly. Sciatica pain is caused by the compression, irritation or inflammation of one or both of the sciatic nerves. Sciatic nerves are the longest and largest nerves in the human body and are about the size of your thumb in diameter. They run from the pelvis down through your hips and buttocks and then travel down the back of each leg, branching off into tiny nerves that run all the way into your toes. Should any point along these long sciatic nerves become irritated, sciatica pain ensues. Sciatica pain can cause a wide range of symptoms, including leg cramps or numbness, low back pain, a burning sensation, and even a “pins-and-needles” sensation. Sitting for long periods of time can increase the intensity of sciatica pain, as can any type of twisting activity such as golf or tennis. Sciatic nerve pain is often chronic and can severely alter your lifestyle by limiting your normal daily activities. Four Major Causes Of Sciatica The number
one cause of sciatica pain and symptoms is nerve root compression. It is indeed a fascinating puzzle that the spine and pelvis are created for a lifetime of flexible load bearing, and yet are so delicate that even a slight misalignment can restrict movement and irritate muscles, spinal discs and the sciatic nerve root. Another cause of sciatica can be traced to herniated spinal discs. Your spinal discs are cartilage-like cushions that act as spinal “shock absorbers.” These discs allow your back to turn, bend and twist with ease. However, when trauma or injury from a car accident or a nasty fall causes a spinal disc to bulge on one side, also called a herniated or slipped disc, painful sciatic nerve root compression can result. Spinal degeneration can be another culprit behind sciatic nerve pain. For example, as arthritic bone spurs intrude into the space that the sciatic nerve should occupy, pressure builds on the sciatic nerve resulting in chronic low back pain, stabbing pain down one or both legs and a loss of range of motion. Piriformis syndrome can also cause sciatic nerve root compression. Found deep in the buttocks, the piriformis muscle runs horizontally with the sciatic nerve running vertically directly beneath it. This syndrome is a condition in which the piriformis muscle irritates the sciatic nerve, causing pain in the buttocks, radiating down the back of the leg and into the foot. Piriformis syndrome is most common among women, and seems to occur frequently among active individuals who run, jog or walk on a regular basis. Chiropractic – The Sensible Solution To Sciatica Pain medication cannot correct nerve root compression and only masks sciatic nerve pain, which can put you at risk for further damage. There is absolutely no evidence that bed rest is an effective treatment for sciatica (1) and sciatica symptoms often only worsen with extended bed rest. Surgery is obviously a highly invasive procedure that typically involves cutting away disc tissue to make room for the nerve. The fact is that, for sciatica, many researchers have found that traditional medical approaches such as these are simply not effective. So what is your best, safest choice? Chiropractic. The chiropractic approach to sciatica treatment is to help your body heal and restore itself naturally, without invasive procedures or potentially dangerous drugs. By correcting the source of the irritation and relieving the pressure that is causing sciatic pain, the body can heal naturally without nerve interference. It is important
to note that research has shown chiropractic treatment to be highly successful
in addressing sciatic pain, including low back pain, leg pain, and the
associated restricted range of motion. In fact, through a series of gentle
chiropractic adjustments, most patients report dramatic improvement in
an amazingly short period of time.(2) .............................................................. |