LOWER BACK PAIN AND SCIATICA

Sciatica, which is also known as sciatic neuralgia, is a condition that causes pain in the lower back, down the back of the leg, and into the foot. It can make sitting and standing for long periods difficult and can lead to weakness, tingling, and numbness in the leg and foot. It will often come and go throughout a person’s lifetime, causing periods of varying degrees of pain and discomfort. If left untreated, sciatic pain will generally get worse and the nerve can become permanently injured. This nerve originates in the lumbar spine (lower back) and extends into the buttocks before traveling down the leg to the ankle and foot. For this reason, you might feel pain or numbness in any part of your leg depending at what level the Lumbar spine nerves (origin of the Sciatic Nerve) are compressed.

Causes

Many reasons can trigger sciatic pain. Disc injuries and bulges are the most common causes. In this occurrence, the disc presses against the nerve’s root, causing the issue. Disc Injuries can occur because of poor posture, repetitive use injuries, and accidents. Sciatica is also common when there are subluxations (misalignments) in the spine due to postural issues, pregnancy, or trauma. Some patients say they simply bent down to pick up an object and they felt the extreme pain. The reality is that the spinal condition was probably developing for quite some time before the triggering incident occurred.

Symptoms

Sciatica will usually only affect one side of the body on the lower extremities. Pain will travel down from the lower back to the back of the thigh and down the leg. Symptoms can grow quite intense during sudden movements or when changing positions.

Some combination of the following symptoms is most common for sciatica:

• Constant pain in only one side of the buttock or leg, but rarely on both sides
• Pain originating in the low back or buttock and continues along the path of the sciatic nerve
• Pain that worsens when standing or sitting
• Sharp, searing pain rather than a dull sensation.
• Weakness or numbness when moving the leg or foot

• Constant pain in only one side of the buttock or leg, but rarely on both sides
• Pain originating in the low back or buttock and continues along the path of the sciatic nerve
• Pain that worsens when standing or sitting
• Sharp, searing pain rather than a dull sensation
• Weakness or numbness when moving the leg or foot
• Pain and other symptoms in the toes, depending on where the sciatic nerve is affected
• Difficulty standing, sitting, or walking
• Shooting pains from the buttocks downward through the feet
• Tingling and numbness in the buttocks, legs, or feet
• Pain or spasms while coughing or sneezing
• Lower back pain

Chiropractic Treatment for sciatica

Chiropractors are highly trained to diagnose the cause of sciatica and to work with the patient in determining the most suitable treatment protocol. After a thorough assessment of a patient’s symptoms, gentle adjustments are performed that will allow the spine to recover to its natural alignment and patient to be pain free.

Some people respond very quickly while others take more time to recover. It really depends on the condition of the disc or the joints that the chiropractor has to correct. In most cases, the longer the issue persists, the longer it will take to achieve correction. The great news is that it typically takes less time to fix an issue like this than it took to create it.