Sciatica Specialist

What is sciatica?

Sciatica is a condition where nerve compression in your lower back results in shooting pain that passes through your hip or buttock. The pain spreads down one leg and along the sciatic nerve. While sciatica can affect both legs, it's much more common to experience pain in one.

The sciatic nerve originates in your lumbar spine, near the bottom of your back. It divides into two and goes down each leg to your feet. Strain on the sciatic nerve causes other symptoms in addition to the familiar shooting leg pain, such as:

• Tingling
• Prickling
• "Pins-and-needles" sensation
• Numbness
• Weakness
• Loss of function in the legs

Severe cases may affect your bladder and bowel control, but that is rare.

Sciatica pain is usually worse if you sit for a long time and eases when you stand. Coughing, sneezing, and other violent movements can cause a severe pain flare-up.

Why would I have sciatica?

Sciatica develops when something in your spine starts pressing on your sciatic nerve. That compression could result from:

• Subluxation (spinal misalignment)
• Traumatic injuries
• Spinal stenosis (spinal narrowing)
• Degenerative disc disease
• Herniated discs
• Osteoarthritis
• Bone spurs

If it's mild and you allow the tissues to heal, sciatica may clear up in a couple of weeks. That means resting, but not complete immobilization, as it's important to keep moving. Modifying your activities so you combine rest periods and some gentle exercise is the most helpful approach.

What treatment might I need for sciatica?

Dr. Addona uses gentle chiropractic manipulation to relieve the sciatic nerve pressure causing your sciatica. He combines hands-on manipulation with specially designed chiropractic instruments and technologies where necessary to address the root cause of the nerve compression in your spine.

Dr. Addona also designs a personalized rehabilitation program for you to do at home. The program might include stretches and strengthening exercises to help your tissues recover and grow stronger. Treatments like Biofreeze — a cooling preparation that relieves musculoskeletal pain — and EPAT® acoustic shockwave therapy could also be helpful.

Chiropractic techniques offer fast, effective relief from sciatica and help prevent the condition from reappearing. To find out how you can benefit from expert chiropractic care for sciatica, call Mark Addona, DC, today and schedule a consultation or arrange an appointment using the online booking form.