What is sciatica?
Sciatica refers to pain that affects your sciatic nerve, which branches from your lower back, through your hips, and down both legs. This pain typically only affects one side of your body and results from pressure on your sciatic nerve, the longest nerve in your body.
With sciatica, you typically feel a sharp pain in your lower back, buttocks, and through your leg. Other symptoms include:
- Numbness or tingling in your leg and lower back
- Burning sensation
- Weakness in your leg and back
- Pain that worsens with movement
- Loss of movement
In more severe cases, you may experience difficulty controlling bowel or bladder function due to loss of sensation in your legs or bladder.
What are the risk factors of sciatica?
The pressure that causes sciatica may be due to a bulging or herniated disc, narrowing of the spine (spinal stenosis), spinal subluxations, muscle spasms, or bone spurs on your spine. You also may be at risk of sciatica if you have osteoarthritis or degenerative disc disease.
Additional risk factors of sciatica include:
- Being overweight
- Having a lower back injury
- Having diabetes
- Smoking
Contributing factors to sciatica also include a job or activity that requires frequent twisting of the body and lifting heavy objects, an excess of driving or prolonged sitting, or an inactive lifestyle.
How do you treat sciatica?
When you visit Eric Whitehouse DC to receive treatment for your sciatic nerve pain, Dr. Whitehouse asks you about your medical history and pain. He examines the affected area to determine the cause of your pain.
Once he understands the pain level and where it’s centralized, he uses therapeutic massage to apply controlled pressure to your joints.
If the cause of your pain is a herniated disc or misaligned vertebral discs, Dr. Whitehouse provides chiropractic adjustments to put your disc back into position and take the pressure off the sciatic nerve.
In addition, he may include spinal decompression, chiropractic exercises, and lifestyle changes in your treatment plan to ensure the best results possible.
When you receive sciatica treatment from a chiropractor such as Dr. Whitehouse, you benefit from natural and holistic care that brings positive results without the risks associated with medication and surgery.
To learn more about chiropractic treatments for sciatica, call Eric Whitehouse DC or use the online booking tool to schedule your appointment today.
