How the Right Chiropractic Care Can Help You Manage Sciatic Nerve Pain

If you suffer from sciatica, you already know how excruciating the associated pain can be. However, you should also know that surgery, medication, and simply learning to live with the pain are not your only options. The right chiropractor can treat sciatica non-invasively and effectively. We at Woodgrove Pines Wellness Clinic can help you get back on track and find out what it is like to live pain-free once and for all.

What Is Sciatica?

Running from your lower back to your hips through your feet, your sciatic nerve is the longest in your body. If it becomes compressed or irritated, it can result in generalized nerve pain called sciatica. Sciatica can be mild for some, but severe and nearly debilitating for others.

What Are the Symptoms of Sciatica?

You would know you are likely dealing with sciatica if the sensations involved follow the general path of the sciatic nerve from your lower back down through one or both of your legs. Common symptoms include one or more of the following.

• Pain: Most people experience sciatica as a dull ache, shooting pain, or uncomfortable burning sensation radiating from the buttock or lower back, down the thigh, to the feet.
• Numbness: Some people also experience tingling, prickling, numbness, or weakness along with their pain.
• Posture Factors: Sciatica is often worse when adopting certain positions or completing various everyday movements like standing, sitting, twisting, or reclining.
• One-Sidedness: Occasionally, people will experience sciatica in both legs, but it more commonly affects only one side of the body.

What Are the Causes of Sciatica?

Sciatic nerve pain is a symptom of a variety of underlying conditions. Common possibilities include:

• Lumbar spinal stenosis
• Herniated lumbar discs
• Spondylolisthesis
• Muscle inflammation or spasm
• Various sacroiliac joint dysfunctions

You may be at a higher risk of developing sciatica if you are either more or less active than average. For instance, athletes can experience it after an injury, while sedentary people may develop chronic sciatica due to lifestyle issues.

How Does a Chiropractor Treat Sciatica?

Once your doctor examines you and determines the cause of your sciatica, he or she will decide on a course of treatment. Possibilities include spinal adjustments or manipulations, hot/cold therapy, electrical nerve stimulation therapy, therapeutic massage, or any combination of those things.

Call Woodgrove Pines Wellness Clinic Today!

If you believe you may be suffering from sciatica, you do not have to learn to live with it. The right chiropractic care can help you get back to living life to the fullest. If you are in Nanaimo, British Columbia, call us at Woodgrove Pines Wellness Clinic today for an appointment!