July 11th, 2022: Dr. Linh Phan
Sciatica is the condition where the sciatic nerve, a major nerve that runs from the spine down into the tips of your feet, becomes compressed. This is most often caused by an injury such as a herniated disc or degenerative bone spurs irritating that nerve and resulting in acute, sharp pain, pins and needles, numbness, tingling or even weakness in the lower back and legs.
Sciatic nerve irritation can happen to anyone, be it from sitting or driving for extended periods of time, lifting moderate to heavy loads, twisting or moving into awkward positions or as simple as aging.
When sciatica occurs, the pain can be instant and incredibly debilitating. Although tricky to handle, the good news is that the chiropractors are Spinal Health and Co. are experienced and appropriately trained into providing a multitude of non-surgical therapies to tackle and relieve your pain and discomfort.
What is SCIATICA?
Sciatica
COMMON CAUSES
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History of a currently or previously injured back; An injury to the spine or lower back can put you at greater risk of sciatica
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Herniated disc of the lumbar spine; research indicates that around 90% of sciatica cases originate from a disc injury involving the lumbar spine
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Spinal/Sacro-iliac joint dysfunction; This is where the sciatic nerve exits from the sacro-iliac joint becomes irritated and inflamed, causing similar pain patterns
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Pregnancy; With the additional load and weight onto the hips and lower back, some people can develop sciatica
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Degenerative joint disease; With age, the spinal joints (vertebrae) can become brittle or decay, making it more prone for injury
What are the associated risk factors with Sciatica ?
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Family genetics
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Sedentary lifestyle
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Excessive or prolonged sitting and driving
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Poor posture
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Obesity and increased weight gain
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Vitamin and nutritional deficiency
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Age (60+ years of age)
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Height (185cm+ / 6 ft 1 in)
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Physically demanding jobs or activities
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Smoking
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Depression
How can Chiropractic care help?
If you are currently or have previously suffered from sciatic-type pain, our friendly and experienced team can help to diagnose the cause of your pain and subsequently initiate a complete treatment plan to help relieve your symptoms.
Once the acute pain starts to recede and mobility and function return, our team will ensure the continuing care to prevent another such injury in the goal to improve your overall long term musculoskeletal health.
Your chiropractor will assist in:
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Carefully and accurately diagnose your condition
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Perform soft or deep tissue massage to alleviate muscular tension and pain
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Implement spinal manipulative techniques to enforce joint movement and ease disc-related symptoms
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Prescribe stretches and rehabilitative exercises
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Recommend advice and lifestyle changes
Sources
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Davis D, Maini K, Vasudevan A. Sciatica. [Updated 2022 May 6]. In: StatPearls [Internet]. Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing; 2022 Jan-. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK507908/
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Koes BW, van Tulder MW, Peul WC. Diagnosis and treatment of sciatica. BMJ. 2007 Jun 23;334(7607):1313-7. doi: 10.1136/bmj.39223.428495.BE. PMID: 17585160; PMCID: PMC1895638.
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Smolen JS, Landewé RBM, Bijlsma JWJ, et al. EULAR recommendations for the management of rheumatoid arthritis with synthetic and biological disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs: 2019 update. Ann Rheum Dis. 2020 Jan 22. 73(3):492-509.
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