Sciatica
Pain that travels from the low back or buttock down the leg, following the path of the sciatic nerve.
What it is
Understanding sciatica
The first job is working out where along the path the nerve is actually being irritated. Sciatica from the disc and sciatica from the hip look similar to the patient and need different treatment.
That is also why we do not run a single protocol for it. The assessment determines whether decompression, soft tissue work through the hip, or both, is the right starting point.
What is behind it
Where it usually comes from.
Disc irritation in the low back. A bulging lumbar disc can crowd the nerve root where it exits the spine.
Prolonged sitting. Extended sitting loads the lumbar discs and shortens the hip flexors and glutes at the same time.
Muscular entrapment through the hip. Tight tissue around the deep hip rotators can compress the nerve on its way down the leg.
Repetitive bending and lifting. Repeated loading through a rounded low back concentrates stress at the same segment.
How we treat it
Our approach to sciatica.
Care typically combines decompression at the low back with soft tissue work through the glutes and deep hip rotators, then loading to keep it settled.
Common questions
Sciatica FAQs
Should I rest or keep moving?
Complete rest usually makes sciatica stiffer rather than better. Which movement helps depends on where the irritation is, which is what we work out at the first visit.
“The purpose of chiropractic care is not the treatment of conditions or disease; rather, it is the restoration of normal body function.”
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Whether something hurts today or you simply want to move well for a long time, it starts with one visit.