Sciatica
Treating
at Ozark Holistic Center
The longest nerve in your body affects many different parts.
What is sciatica?
Sciatica refers to a pain that extends down the nerves of the leg. Typically, only one side of the body is affected, though some patients experience pain in both legs. The sciatic nerve, the source of the pain, begins in the back of the pelvis, splits, and runs down both legs. Some patient report numbness, tingling, and weakness in addition to pain, or even an electric jolt that flares up when sneezing or coughing. Sciatica is sometimes also referred to as lumbar radiculopathy.
What nerves and muscles are involved in sciatic pain?
The body has several primary nerves that run along pathways throughout it, connecting body parts to the spinal cord and brain. These act as highways for smaller nerve segments to link up with and transmit information to the central nervous system (brain and spinal cord). The sciatic nerve is the longest and thickest of these nerves. It begins at the back of the pelvis and branches down all the way through the thighs of both legs. Some of these primary nerves control movement (motor nerves) and other control sensory input (sensory nerves); however, the sciatic does both so we call it a "mixed nerve." This dual function explains why some individuals with sciatica may experience not only pain, but difficulty controlling their leg)s when walking or standing; it can be a challenge to gather the strength needed to perform leg-based movements.
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The sciatic nerve supplies motor capabilities to muscles in the thighs, calves, and feet. Any movement in the legs is primarily supplied by the sciatic nerve
Think flexing the hamstrings, bending your knee, curling your toes, swaying your hips, or twisting your foot from side to side. Different impairments in the nerve can affect different muscle groups more acutely, but overall sciatic make movement more difficult.
How does sciatic pain develop?
Sciatica is typically caused by a habit or injury that's resulted in compression or irritation of the nerve, but the leading causes of sciatica are prolonged sitting and strains from lifting. If you have ever stood up from your desk after several hours of working steadily and felt that you could not fully extend your legs or that they were tingling, that is the sciatic nerve reacting to compression. That feeling alone does not indicate you have sciatica, but most people are familiar with this sensation. Often, patients experiencing sciatic pains have developed another types of injury or misalignment and the sciatic is yet another symptom or byproduct.
These can include:
Any trauma to the lumbar, legs, or spine that left your body off-balance
Sports injuries
Overexertion or strain on the leg muscles or lower back
Smoking
Obesity
Diabetes
Awkward sitting or standing posture or gait
Blood clot
Nerve disorders
Blood clot or tumor near the lumbar area
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Severe cases may notice:
Increased or intense pain
Slipped or herniated disc
Loss of feeling in leg(s) or permanent nerve damage
Decrease control over bowels and bladder
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How do we fix it?
Our methods for working to improve sciatica symptoms usually involve efforts to decompress the pinch sciatic nerve or calm irritation. This can come from chiropractic adjustments, acupuncture treatments, or target massage therapy.
Chiropractic adjustments for sciatica will be geared toward loosening up and constrictions in or around the pathways of the nerve that are causing tingling or misfire. You may have muscles that are especially tight around the base of your spine or surrounding areas that are causing the nerve to become irritated.
Acupuncture treatments focus on stimulating the sciatic nerve and surrounding areas to get the body back to normal functioning. Massage appointments that target specific areas will help relieve pain, stimulate eh nerves in the legs and low back, loosen tight muscles, and help you relax.
If your job or lifestyle requires that you spend most of your day at a desk or driving car, it's important to stand up and stretch periodically. We recommend starting with 5 minutes every hour. Reach to the stars, touch your toes, stretch your hips out the sides. Small increments of movement can be immensely helpful in decompressing nerves and blood vessels, and will in turn keep blood flow and nerve sensation moving throughout the legs properly.
Need help?
If you are dealing with any of the symptoms listed above, have endured low back or upper leg injury at any point in the past, or have a family history of sciatic pains, please call us. We would love the opportunity to help you stay on top of your pain. Our practitioners have a lot of experience dealing with musculoskeletal and nerve issues naturally and safely. We offer a free phone or in-person consultation to help you understand how we can get your health back on track.