Sciatica

What Is Sciatica?
If you are experiencing pain that radiates from the back or buttocks all the way down the legs, you may have a common condition called sciatica.
Sciatica, or sciatic neuralgia, is a condition which creates pain, starting in the lower back and continuing into the buttocks and down the back of the leg. Extended periods of standing or sitting can be unbearably painful when dealing with sciatica. In addition it can cause weakness, tingling, and numbness throughout the leg and foot. Generally sciatica shows up periodically throughout a person’s life with different levels of pain and discomfort. An untreated sciatic condition can continue to worsen and make the daily tasks of living go from difficult to impossible.
Compression or irritation of your sciatic nerve, the body’s longest nerve, is the reason why pain travels throughout the legs and back. Originating from the lumbar spine, and then extending into the buttocks and down the legs, the sciatic nerve covers a wide range. When pinched or irritated by the compression from spinal structures in your lower back, the roots of the nerve become inflamed which causes the pain.
How Do You Develop Sciatica?
Sciatica is common when there are misalignments in the spine combined with poor postural issues, weak back muscles and sitting too much, poor ergonomics with repetitive bending and lifting, pregnancy, trauma, and a whole host of other causes. Some patients say they simply bent over to pick up a piece of paper and they were hit with extreme pain. The reality is that the spinal condition was probably developing for quite some time before the triggering incident occurred. It’s like the “straw that breaks the camel’s back” scenario. That piece of paper just happened to be the last straw. Most spinal problems don’t happen overnight, they build up over years of time.
Sciatica Treatment at Barrick Family Chiropractic
Treatment length can vary significantly from person to person. Some people respond very quickly while others take more time to recover. It really depends on the condition of the discs, joints, and condition on the spine that the chiropractor has to correct. In most cases, the longer the issue persists the longer it will take to achieve correction. When you get started with care you’ll be surprised to know that it takes less time to fix the problem than it did to create it.
In the U.S. the amount of people that end up with back surgery is staggering, and the low success rate is disappointing. Chiropractic treatment for sciatica is highly successful, and in most cases surgery is not necessary.