When Sciatica Pain Strikes, See Your Chiropractor
By Sandy Schroeder
If you, or someone in your family, is facing sciatica pain, you know how incredibly frustrating and painful it can be.
Sciatica is pain in one leg, triggered by a pinched nerve in the lower back, that travels down the leg, from the buttocks to the foot, creating a pain that many compare to an excruciating toothache.
When it hits, standing, walking or sitting can generate so much pain that sleep, mobility and everyday tasks may all give way as the individual seeks immediate relief.
Seeing Your Chiropractor
Seeing your chiropractor may be the best way to gain control over the situation. The Joint Chiropractic clinic in your community is staffed with licensed chiropractors, who are trained to help seek pain relief without medications or surgery.
When you come in, your chiropractor will discuss your pain, normal routines, and your medical history. Using a spinal adjustment to correct dysfunctions may create a response in the nervous system that provides pain relief, helping you regain normal use.
The sciatic nerve supplies feedback and support to the legs, and links key muscles to the spinal cord. As we age, risk increases for sciatica from obesity, long sitting sessions, and diabetes.
Research Approval
According to chiropractor and researcher Gordon McMorland of National Spine Care in Calgary, Alberta, chiropractic treatment achieves sciatica pain relief, and cuts inflammation, encouraging the body to help with healing. Results were published in a 2006 issue of Spine.
Another study in a 2010 Journal of Manipulative and Physiological Therapeutics, said 60 percent of sciatica patients found as much relief in chiropractic as patients who had surgery. A hundred patients saw chiropractors three times weekly for four weeks. Benefits worked for up to a year.
As you pursue treatment, your chiropractor may also suggest you continue moving to improve back and nerve circulation, and dump inflammatory chemicals. If walking is difficult, warm pool therapy can be a good alternative. Stretching exercises may also improve flexibility in the back and strength in core muscles.
I have had a couple friends with sciatica, who had mild cases that became worse over time. They found that chiropractic treatment, coupled with weight loss, stress reduction, increased activity and less sitting, all worked to keep sciatica in check. The last time I talked with them, they said they were holding their own, thanks to continued activity and no weight gain.
The Joint Chiropractic clinic in your community is ready when you need support. An affordable care program eliminates the need for insurance. Weekend and evening hours are available. No appointments are needed.
To learn more about your health and wellness, see your local chiropractor at The Joint Chiropractic.