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Maybe you have been told by your family member, a friend, or your friendly neighborhood grocery clerk that you have sciatica.  You are now trying to figure out what exactly that is and what you can do about it.  Most likely you are experiencing low back pain with occasional shooting pain down your leg.  You might also be getting a burning sensation in your hip or buttock.  Some people even get numbness and weakness in their foot.  Sitting and driving are no longer your favorite things to do, because it hurts!  Ok, all or some of this is true, what do you do about it?  Well, part of your path to wellness should include checking in with your chiropractor.  Why a chiropractor?  Chiropractors are going to be able to find out if you really have sciatica or if it is something else (ebola?).  There are many sources of sciatic pain and it is your health care provider’s job to figure out the underlying cause.  Your chiropractor will use the history you provide, an exam, and maybe x-rays and MRI to discern the underlining origin for you.  At Structural Health we use this information to come up with a tailored treatment plan for you.

Treatment plan and expectations:

Depending on the underlying cause of your sciatic pain we will use chiropractic adjustments, massage, exercises, stretches, electronic muscle stimulation, and nerve flossing, to name a few.  Most people respond quickly to care (within one or two visits).  However, if you have had sciatica for a while it is going to take longer for you to heal.  The longer you wait the harder it is to fix.  That being said we have seen people that have suffered from this for years that respond well to chiropractic care.

You might ask yourself why me?

Many people ask why they ended up with sciatica.  Sciatica is the irritation of the nerves that form the sciatic nerve.  Sometimes this irritation is structural in nature, for example you have osteophytes, or bone spurs, taking up space that is meant for your nerves.  Other times the problem is postural, maybe you have been slouching too much while sitting.  Some people have muscle imbalances where they have some muscles that are too tight and others that are too weak and this agitates the nerve.

Whether you see your chiropractor, MD, or PT the best thing you can do is get it checked out as soon as possible.  We are here for you Monday through Friday from 8:30 AM – 6 PM and we have new patient appointments within a day of your call.