Sciatica Treatment In Allison Park, PA
The sciatic nerve is a combination of several nerve roots. The spinal nerve roots exiting at L4 to S3 spinal levels (the lower back and pelvis) rejoin and form the sciatic nerve. This recombination makes the sciatic nerve the largest nerve in the body, and it runs from the lower back and pelvis down the back of the leg to the foot.
Sciatica is pain along the path of the nerve caused by pinching/compression of the nerve roots at one or more of the spinal levels where they exit. At worst, this pain can feel hot and burning, but it can range from numb and tingling to hot and burning.
New Patient Visit
- Consultation With Your Doctor
- Thorough Chiropractic Examination
- X-Rays If Needed
- Customized Plan of Action
Risk factors for sciatica include age, obesity, occupation, and lifestyle choices. Unfortunately, most people don’t know that they should be properly caring for their spine throughout life. As a result, degenerative changes occur over time, and this makes sciatica more likely as we age. Carrying extra weight increases pressure on the spine and spinal nerve roots. It can also directly increase pressure on the sciatic nerve itself. Different occupations also increase the risk of sciatica. Jobs that require long periods of sitting, jobs that involve lifting and twisting, and others can cause sciatica problems. Lifestyle choices affecting the sciatic nerve range from a sedentary lifestyle to Olympic athlete training.
It is best to address sciatica immediately when it occurs. Delaying treatment allows the problem to worsen, which means more treatment will be necessary. It is common for people to put up with things until they can’t. This is a terrible approach to health and wellness.
An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.
That may be a little off… prevention is worth 16 times more than a cure…
No value can be placed on health. It is invaluable. Therefore, prevention is always best.
If you haven’t worked to prevent and develop a problem, do not delay in addressing it. Don’t just get by.
Don’t change how you do things.
Don’t stop doing things that you want to do.
Address the problem.
The conventional approach to treating sciatica is medication to mask the symptoms. If that fails to relieve the symptoms, the next step is physical therapy. If the symptoms persist, MRI and surgery may be required.
This is one path to travel.
There is an alternative.
Chiropractic care is a natural approach that addresses the actual cause of the problem. It targets the nerve root(s) that are being compressed and relieves the compression. Decompression therapy can also help speed recovery. Treatment is based on individual patients’ exam findings and needs.
How Our Sciatica Care Plan Works
1. Schedule Your New Patient Appointment
Meet with the doctor to discuss your problem and receive a thorough evaluation to determine its root cause.
2. Your Tailored to Fit Plan
Your doctor will create a custom plan of attack to not only get you out of pain fast but to keep you out of pain long term.
3. Enjoy Optimal Health
Receive the care you need for your problem so you can do the things you want to do, when you want to do them, with the people that you love the most.
How We Treat Sciatica In Allison Park, PA
Thorough Consultation and Exam
All patients schedule their visits and complete paperwork before arriving at the office. Before the first visit, we will review the paperwork to determine what additional questions need to be answered during the consultation.
Once we have an understanding of the symptoms and how they are affecting your life, we will complete a thorough examination that includes:
- Evaluation of posture and range of motion
- Orthopedic and neurological testing
- Hands-on evaluation of spinal joints and the paraspinal musculature
In most cases, we will also take X-rays to ensure a complete understanding of the problem and how to treat you best. Getting a clear picture of what is causing your symptoms allows us to treat the cause of the problem rather than the symptoms.
Specific Chiropractic Care in Allison Park, PA
In many cases, sciatica is caused by what chiropractors call subluxation. Subluxation is the misalignment of spinal bones that compresses the nerves exiting through tunnels on either side of the spine. The misalignment reduces the size of the tunnel, pinching down on the nerve.
Subluxations in the lower spine can cause sciatica and other issues, such as problems with digestion (constipation, colitis, IBS, etc.), incontinence, impotence, and infertility. A subluxation can also contribute to the development of disc problems like bulging or herniation. Chiropractic can help!
Adjustments address the cause of the problem. Decreasing nerve compression and improving motion in the spine allows the body to heal itself. Joints that are not moving properly over a long period degenerate at a much more rapid rate than joints with proper motion. Decompression can also help patients with degenerative, bulging, and/or herniated discs.
In addition to chiropractic care, patients need stretches and exercises to aid in recovery. When bones are out of place for any period, muscles begin to function differently and will change in length and strength, so conditioning muscles is an essential part of recovery.
Spinal Decompression
Spinal discs function as shock absorbers and space savers. They cushion impacts and keep the bones separated so that nerves from the spinal cord can pass through on their way to all the different parts of the body. The disc is comprised of an annular band of coarse connective tissue fibers that surround a gelatinous nucleus.
When the discs begin to break down, the connective tissue fibers can tear. Partial tearing through the band results in a disc bulge; complete tearing results in a disc herniation. Both bulging and herniation can pinch the nerve and cause sciatic pain.
For many people, decompression therapy helps to improve disc hydration and reduce bulging or herniation. Decompression therapy is done by securing the area above the disc injury, setting the correct angle to address the disc involved, and using a machine to create tension on the specific disc in need of treatment. Decompression is set to a maximum and minimum tension, and the computer cycles through between maximum and minimum to decompress the disc.
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Common Causes Of Sciatica In Allision Park, PA
Degenerative Disc Disease
Degenerative disc disease (DDD) is the breakdown of the disc caused by improper positioning and improper motion over time. Discs are fed fluid and nutrients from the spinal bones above and below, and the transfer only occurs with motion. Joints that are stuck (subluxated) don’t move properly, discs are then not fed adequately, and as a result, the disc begins to degenerate.
It takes time for the changes to become noticeable, and, of course, we age as time passes, so it is a commonly held belief that disc degeneration is the result of aging, but this is not the case. There is undoubtedly a correlation because it takes time for the degeneration to occur, but it is the lack of proper position and motion that is causing the breakdown of the disc. You can see this illustrated in the vast majority of X-rays that show degenerative disc disease because not all of the discs are affected.
Spinal Stenosis
Spinal stenosis is the narrowing of the spinal canal, which can cause sciatic pain. This narrowing can occur in two different ways. One is the result of increased bone deposition, which decreases the diameter of the canal. The other is misalignment of vertebrae, which alters the diameter of the canal, making it more narrow at one or more vertebral levels. This second cause of stenosis is treatable with chiropractic care. X-ray and/or MRI can determine which of these two possibilities is the cause of the stenosis.
Spondylolisthesis
Spondylolisthesis is a different type of spinal misalignment. With subluxation, bones move backward in relation to the bones above and below them. In cases of spondylolisthesis, a spinal bone has moved forward relative to the bone below it. This can also create sciatic pain, and it is best treated with spinal decompression and exercises.
Subluxation
Subluxation is a misalignment of one or more of the bones in the spine. This misalignment alters the openings on either side of the spine where spinal nerve roots pass through, conducting messages between the brain and different body parts. This closing of the opening compresses or pinches the nerve root, leading to diminished communication between the brain and body. It can result in pain, including sciatic pain.
Different spinal nerve roots exiting at different spinal levels connect the brain to different parts of the body. Nerve root compression causes many different symptoms. Chiropractic is the only healthcare discipline focused on finding and removing nerve root compression to restore proper communication and function to the human body.
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4655 William Flinn Hwy # 125A, Allison Park, PA 15101
Frequently Asked Questions
Should I see a doctor or a chiropractor about sciatica?
The answer to this question depends on what kind of treatment you want. Both medical and chiropractic treatment can alleviate symptoms, but only chiropractic care addresses the cause of the symptoms. Medications can decrease pain, but they cannot correct a mechanical misalignment. Medications may or may not work initially, but generally, the problem will worsen until the medicines can no longer relieve the symptoms. The medical path is often medications, physical therapy, and surgery. Chiropractic addresses the root cause of the problem. Correcting the cause relieves the symptoms.
How can I relieve my sciatica pain?
Stretches can often help decrease sciatic pain. Be careful! Focus on stretching the hamstrings and piriformis muscles. In a pinch, a lumbar support pillow or even a rolled-up bath towel can also be helpful.
What is the best treatment for sciatica pain?
The answer to this question depends on what is causing the sciatic pain. Degenerative disc, subluxation, and spondylolisthesis are all best treated by chiropractic care. The cause of the sciatica determines the different types of therapy necessary: specific chiropractic adjustments, decompression, or a combination of the two.
Can stretching make sciatica worse?
Yes, it can. If you are going to attempt stretching without consulting a doctor, you must be careful. Listen to your body. Stop if anything makes the problem worse. If the sciatica is caused by disc herniation, it is almost certain that the stretching will make it worse. In fact, an orthopedic test is performed in the office to determine whether or not there is disc herniation involved, and it looks just like a hamstring stretch.
Should I go to the gym?
Probably not. Pain is a warning signal. If this is a new symptom, there is likely inflammation associated with the problem, and going to the gym is going to increase the inflammation. Additionally, impact on your spine when bones are out of place is equivalent to hammering a bent nail—you’re likely to make it worse.
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