What is sciatica?
Sciatica is a medical condition caused by compression of the sciatic nerve. This nerve, the largest in your body, carries nerve signals back and forth between your spinal cord, buttocks, legs, and feet. When this nerve becomes impinged, you can feel pain from your lower back through your buttocks all the way down your legs.
What causes sciatica?
One of the major causes of sciatica is degeneration of spinal discs due to wear and tear or chronic conditions. As these discs press on your sciatic nerve, you’ll feel painful symptoms. Sciatica pain can also be caused by acute injuries that cause misalignments in your spine or herniated discs. Obesity, pregnancy, and poor posture can also lead to this condition due to undue pressure being put on spinal nerves.
What are the symptoms of sciatica?
Pain is the main symptom of this condition. This pain generally starts in your lower back and travels through your hip and buttock all the way down your leg. In addition to pain, you may feel a tingling sensation or numbness in your leg or foot. Some people lose muscle strength and/or motor control in the affected leg when experiencing a sciatic episode.
How long does sciatica last?
Sciatic pain may last up to several weeks or more, depending on the severity of your condition. Unfortunately, attacks are likely to return unless you rectify the cause of your symptoms.
How can chiropractic care help with sciatica pain?
Our Fox Chapel chiropractor uses spinal adjustments to correct imbalances in your spine that are pressing on your sciatic nerve. Adjustments and spinal decompression can also help with nerve impingement caused by herniated discs. Hot/cold treatments can be used to reduce inflammation while soft tissue massage helps ease muscle spasms and reduce pain. We can also recommend corrective exercises to strengthen spinal support to minimize future episodes.
How can I prevent sciatica?
By managing your weight, improving your posture, and maintaining strong muscle tone in your back, you can help prevent problems with sciatica. Periodic adjustments to keep your system in balance can also help reduce lower back pain and sciatica issues.
Visit Our Fox Chapel, PA Chiropractor for Sciatica Treatment
To schedule a consultation for sciatica treatment, contact Cenk Integrated Health in Fox Chapel, PA at (412) 967-9767.