Chiropractic Care And Sciatica: Can Chiropractic Address Sciatica Or Is It A Waste Of Time?

Sciatica is a condition in which the Sciatic Nerve experiences pain.  It is a common condition – over 3 million cases are reported in the US alone, and for many people it dramatically impacts quality of life, limiting movement and activity levels.

HOW DO YOU KNOW IF YOU HAVE SCIATICA?

Sciatica commonly occurs with these symptoms:

  • Lower back pain
  • Numbness or tingling down the leg, going as far as into the foot
  • Burning or pain down the back of the leg
  • Weakness in the leg or foot
  • Pain on one side of the buttocks
  • Difficulty standing up
  • Difficulty moving the affected leg
  • Difficulty standing on the toes of the affected foot

These symptoms can vary in intensity. It can occur with injury, but many times can appear “out of the blue”, but after an injury went untreated or under-treated.

HOW CAN CHIROPRACTIC HELP SCIATICA?

Chiropractic care starts from a healthcare philosophy that the body can heal itself if given the chance. Chiropractic care alone will likely not fully address a full-blown case of Sciatica. What Chiropractic care CAN do is play a role (even a major role) in the healing and recovery of Sciatica.

HOW WE ADDRESS SCIATICA

The first step is to isolate exactly what is causing the Sciatica. Is it an L5 Disc Protrusion? Is it an L4 with less than optimal disc height? The first step is proper diagnostics, which allows us to see exactly what is causing the issue. Once we see it, we then begin to understand how we can fix it.

The second step is the approach. We have several different tools that we may pull from when addressing Sciatica, including Spinal Adjustments, Spinal Decompression Therapy, Class 4 Laser Light Therapy, Massage Therapy, and Functional Movement Training. A Doctor will build a plan, pulling these resources together in a way that addresses the issue in the fastest, most economical way possible.

The next step is to put the plan into action, and observe the impact. Every case of Sciatica is different, and the goal is to understand how the specific case of Sciatica is responding to the specific protocol being used. In this step, adaptations are common as everything gets “dialed in” for that particular Sciatica case.

And finally, we have the results, which is hopefully, Sciatica no more! We have documented some of our Sciatica case studies in our Case Study section.

Sciatica is a very addressable condition: it does not always require surgery to address. With the right combination of techniques, we have been able to create incredible outcomes for patients suffering from Sciatica, without the need for surgery.

We offer these treatments for Sciatica in our clinics:

Thrive Colorado Springs West
Thrive Colorado Springs East
Thrive Wheat Ridge
​Thrive Roswell

TAKEAWAY: Sciatica is a common problem, and for those that suffer, Chiropractic may be a viable solution.

Our offer to you: If you’d like to come in, see one of our doctors to discuss Sciatica pain, or how Chiropractic Care or Functional Medicine might support your body, then you can do so by claiming our $19 new patient special. Simply select the location you want to visit, give us a call, and we’ll look forward to meeting you!

Sources:

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-sciatica-backache-chiropractors/chiropractic-care-may-ease-back-related-leg-pain-idUSKBN0HA27Z20140915
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16517383
https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/sciatica/symptoms-causes/syc-20377435?utm_source=Google&utm_medium=abstract&utm_content=Sciatica&utm_campaign=Knowledge-panel