- Sciatica: Definition, Causes, Symptoms and Treatment
- What types of doctors can help find relief?
- What should you do before you see a chiropractor?
- How do i choose a correct type of doctor?
- What should people expect at the chiropractor?
- Different treatment options
- How can a chiropractor help?
- Why do i need a chiropractor?
- How many visits will it take?
Sciatica is a common condition that causes pain and discomfort in the back, hips, leg, or foot. The symptoms can be debilitating and cause difficulty with day-to-day activities. There are many treatments for sciatica but no cure. If you’re looking for relief from your sciatic pain, then it’s essential to know what to expect when visiting a chiropractor who specializes in this area of expertise.
Sciatica: Definition, Causes, Symptoms, and Treatment Options
Sciatic pain is one of the most common types of back pain. It’s caused by pressure on the sciatic nerve in your lower back, running from the spine to both legs. The symptoms can be debilitating and include not only tingling, numbness, or weakness but also extreme pain when sitting, standing, or walking as well as a burning sensation extending down to the foot.
There are many possible causes for sciatica, including:
- Injuries such as a low-back sprain
- Degenerative disc disease, which happens with age due to wear and tear on spinal discs
- Bone spur growths that make it hard for nerves to pass through bony areas
- Herniated discs where there’s damaged tissue within spinal discs causing discomfort and compression on the nerve
Sciatica can be treated with a combination of medication, physical therapy, and surgery, but there is no cure. Chiropractic care has been shown to relieve the pain many people experience due to sciatica by treating spinal misalignments or pinched nerves that lead to their back and leg pain.
This means correcting any problems in your spines, such as herniated discs, vertebral subluxation (minor displacement), scar tissue around the joints, and muscle spasms that cause pulling on muscles, leading to inflammation. Sacroiliac joint dysfunction where one side of this joint doesn’t move smoothly, causing pressure on other areas, leading to discomforts like low-back pain or hip pain.
People who have sciatic pain often face a dilemma when it comes to finding relief. There are many treatments for sciatica but no cure. Suppose you’re looking for relief from your sciatic pain. In that case, it’s essential to know what to expect to make the best decision on how you want to proceed with treatment options and make an educated choice of which chiropractor is right for your condition and needs.
First, let’s learn about:
What types of medical doctors can help find relief?
There are many types of medical doctors that can help you find relief. The specialists who specialize in your specific condition are an excellent place to start by asking them about their experience, specifically treating patients like you. You should also be aware that most treatments involve some physical therapy, medication, or surgery.
It’s important to know what side effects may occur from these treatments before deciding how best to proceed without regretting it later down the line because there is no cure for sciatic pain. A thorough evaluation will take place during your first appointment, at which point you will be able to make the best decision for your individual needs.
What should you do before you see a chiropractor?
You’ll need a referral from an orthopedist or neurologist if the pain is coming from these areas of the spine. If it’s on other body parts, they can provide that information and refer you accordingly. You also want to avoid any significant lifestyle changes like starting new physical activities or heavy lifting without consulting with them first. This could cause more damage than good in some cases.
How do I choose the correct type of doctor who specializes in my specific condition?
There are many types of doctors who specialize in treating Sciatica, also known as radiculopathy. A doctor specializing in spinal problems is typically the best choice for treatment. These specialists will have extensive training on treating sciatic nerve pain that radiates from your lower back down through your legs.
The type of physician you should visit depends mainly on what your symptoms are like. If you experience numbness or tingling sensations running down both legs, then an Orthopedist might be right for you, while someone with sharp stabbing pains may need to see a Neurosurgeon.
Chiropractors specialize in treating spinal problems and are often the best choice for people suffering from Sciatica. Chiropractors do not perform surgery, but they can provide treatment that reduces pain and prevents any further damage to your spine or nerves due to pinched discs or other types of nerve compression.
The process involved treatment following diagnosis and before getting started with care, including preparing yourself mentally and physically for the experience.
You may be told to avoid any activities that could cause you pain or discomfort for two weeks following your diagnosis to not aggravate it unnecessarily and set back healing.
There’s no one way to predict just how long recovery will be, though there are a few things we know about nerve damage in general that might help give us an idea of where we’re at on the timeline. Such as whether or not inflammation has subsided and if numbness has receded yet.
It can take anywhere from days to months (on average) before sciatica symptoms are relieved with chiropractic adjustments because of how complex our nervous system is. The more severe the injury was when it happened, the longer it will take: a sudden, dramatic injury is likely to be more severe and will therefore require significantly more time for nerve pathways to heal.
It can also depend on which part of the spine was injured (the lower back or neck) – as each area may need different types of treatment depending on where they are and what else might be happening with them at any given time.
It’s best if you’re able to get chiropractic care from someone who understands all this about your body so that adjustments can be made accordingly; such providers should have an extensive understanding of anatomy and physiology related specifically to these regions.
If left untreated for too long following diagnosis, sciatica can lead to more serious conditions later on, such as chronic back pain and sciatica-related leg disorders.
It’s not just a matter of finding someone who has the proper credentials or education; it’s about making sure they’re willing and able to make adjustments in your body to help relieve any pressure that might be causing damage. Someone with experience may take longer but have better results overall for you.
If you want relief now rather than eventually, this is something worth considering when looking into different chiropractors in your area. You can schedule an appointment with Dr. Renato Bevanda to provide a tailor-fit plan for your needs and goals.
He can help you find out how to prepare yourself mentally before a visit, what to expect during one (including the process involved in beginning treatment following diagnosis), and give recommendations on where to get started with care: including preparing yourself physically.
What should people expect when visiting a chiropractor who specializes in this area of expertise?
When you visit a chiropractor who specializes in sciatica, the first thing you might notice is that there are several different machines and other equipment. You may even see something called an Activator Method machine. These devices help to diagnose what your problem areas are for this condition.
Since the pain can come from any one of five places along the spine when someone has sciatica, it’s essential to figure out which area needs attention by using these diagnostic tools before trying anything else.
Different Treatment Options For Sciatica
Chiropractic adjustments and manual therapies can provide relief from back pain, which often accompanies sciatica. Some people find that a treatment plan involving chiropractic care provides adequate relief of their symptoms, while others require surgery to remove pressure on nerves.
Nerve damage, such as neuropathy (loss or reduced sensation in hands). Neuropathic conditions may be relieved through chiropractic care rather than with surgical management. This is because the nerve roots are not compressed by bone spurs but instead by muscles attached to them within your spine.
Osteoarthritis or another degenerative joint disease: If you have osteoarthritis or another condition affecting one side of your body more severely than the other, your doctor may recommend chiropractic care to help improve muscle function and joint mobility.
Work injuries: If you have an acute injury of sciatica at work or elsewhere that affects one side more than the other, it might be a good idea to consult with either your local chiropractor or orthopedist. They will know how best to treat this type of back pain while minimizing any long-lasting damage.
Spinal stenosis: Chiropractors can adjust spinal segments to remove pressure on nerves and provide treatment for symptoms such as numbness, tingling, and weakness. This chronic condition has often been alleviated by surgery because there are no surgical treatments available for these particular nerve symptoms.
Pregnancy-related sciatica: Chiropractic care, when used as a complement to other treatments such as pain medication and physical therapy, has been shown in some studies to be helpful for pregnant women with low back pain due to sciatica.
Fibromyalgia: Research on the effectiveness of chiropractic treatment for these conditions is ongoing but promising so far, given that chiropractors use manual therapies like spinal manipulation and massage, which may affect muscles and nerves.
How Can A Chiropractor Help With Sciatica?
It’s essential to choose a chiropractor who is qualified and experienced in treating sciatica. They can give you exercises to do at home, stretches for your muscles, as well as pain relief medications.
A good chiropractor will always ask questions about working or not working, how long the discomfort has been present, etc., which helps them tailor their approach to best address your needs and goals.
Some treatments may include spinal adjustments (manipulation) done by hand or with special instruments, soft tissue massage therapy like trigger point release techniques or myofascial release techniques, nutritional advice including diet/food sensitivities testing, and supplements such as vitamins D&E.
Acupuncture for pain relief – needles are inserted into specific points on the body to increase blood flow and promote relaxation, electrical muscle stimulation (EMT), which consists of a machine that sends low-voltage electric currents through the skin into muscles or joint areas.
After an initial appointment, your chiropractor will review your medical history and physical exam findings and discuss treatment options for sciatica. They may recommend diagnostic imaging tests to pinpoint the cause of pain – X-ray or MRI scans can help determine if spinal misalignment contributes to symptoms.
CT scan uses computerized tomography technology to create cross-sectional images of bone tissue-like spongy discs between vertebrae. This type of test does not use radiation, but it’s important to note that such a test has side effects.
Why Do I Need To Find A Qualified Chiropractor For Sciatic Pain?
Finding a well-versed chiropractor to diagnose and treat a patient’s sciatica can seem daunting. There are many chiropractors out there, so it becomes difficult to know which one is the best for your specific case.
There are four main steps that you need to take before finding a qualified chiropractor: determining if you have sciatica, identifying whether or not this condition requires an urgent treatment plan, defining what kind of care you want from your provider (massage therapy, spinal adjustment), and finally checking their credentials with the local board of health.
You may be feeling some pressure in your lower back on one side. This pain might come about as intermittent shooting sensations down through the leg past the knee joint nearly all day long – but especially when you lean forward or walk.
You might also notice that your legs feel different lengths, with one being shorter than the other; you may be standing up straight and see a difference in height from the left to the right side of your body. These are signs of sciatica – pressure on nerves at the lower back, causing pain anywhere along its path through the buttocks down to legs. Sometimes this condition will come out as numbness, weakness, tingling sensations, or even burning feelings in those areas too.
If these symptoms sound like something you’ve been experiencing for a while now (months), it’s time to find a chiropractor who specializes in treating patients with sciatica. And, you should also consider getting a referral from your family doctor to ensure that nothing serious is going on like an infection.
A qualified chiropractor will diagnose the issue and take care of it with treatments, exercises, or education. They’ll make recommendations based on what’s causing the lower back pains.
This includes herniated discs being pushed out too far against bone tissue if specific vertebrae are misaligned over one another due to natural wear and tear over time, or even just a result of sitting in the same position for too long.
How Many Visits Will It Take To Feel Better?
If you’re injured or recovering from surgery, the doctor will prescribe how many treatments it’ll take for you to feel better. The number of visits is based on a variety of factors. These could include your age, medical history, and what’s wrong with you. In some cases, recovery time can take months; in others, as little as two weeks.
For example, suppose someone has torn ligaments that need to heal before they can regain their range of motion back to normal after an accident. In that case, more visits may be necessary than if someone had just pulled a muscle that needs rest and ice therapy only over days or weeks until the pain subsides enough so they can walk without limping around too much. If there are scoliosis issues that need to be addressed, too, then even more visits may be necessary.
The number of treatments you’ll need will depend on what’s wrong with you and your situation – a doctor or chiropractor gives not just some guideline about how many sessions are “normal.” You can visit our Eden Prairie Chiropractor or this website: gotothewellchiro.com to provide you with a thorough overview of how chiropractic care can aid with your pain and discomfort due to sciatica.
