Sciatic nerve pain is not your friend

Sciatica is characterized by pain that begins in the lower back and radiates to the lower extremities. Symptoms are often experienced only in on leg and include: pain that begins in the lower back and radiates downward, as well as numbness and weakness in the legs and feet, But the important thing to remember is that sciatica is not a condition itself, but rather a symptom of another condition. The pain is most likely being caused by compression of the sciatic nerve, the largest nerve in the human body which runs from the lower spine through the buttock, the back of the thigh and all the way down to the foot. A compression at any point along the way can cause dysfunction, but it is most often impinged upon because of misalignment in the lower back.

Why sciatica is such a painful condition

While there are a host of potential conditions that cause sciatica, the most common is the compression of spinal nerves, especially the ones that exit from the L5 and S1 vertebrae and form the beginning of the sciatic nerve. Something as slight as a misalignment, or something more severe such as a herniated disc impinge upon these nerves and causes the pain to radiate down the sciatic nerve. Because the condition can be felt as far down as the lower extremities, the condition also causes what is known as referred pain, where the pain emanates from a place different than the origin. 

Chiropractic is among the most effective forms of pain relief for sciatica

Chiropractic utilizes non-invasive modalities such as chiropractic adjustment, which corrects the misalignment that impinges on spinal nerves. If something like a herniated disc is contributing to your pain, decompression modalities such as spinal traction help to elongate the spine and allow for retraction of bulging disc material that may be impinging on your spinal nerves. If you are suffering from sciatica, give our office a call to find out how we can help you overcome the pain and discomfort in a natural way.