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Your sciatic nerve is the longest and largest nerve in your body. When such a large nerve becomes inflamed the condition is called sciatica (pronounced si'ad-a'ka) and the pain can be intense! The pain may follow the path of your nerve – down the back of your legs and thighs, down to your ankle, foot and toes – but it can also radiate to your back with burning, pins and needles or tingling. Ugh!
Causes of sciatica can include an unhealthy spine with a protruded or ruptured disc which can irritate the sciatic nerve. Sciatica has been reported following accidents, injuries and childbirth. (1)
The medical approach to sciatica is usually to treat the symptoms with painkillers, muscle relaxers, traction and physical therapy. Relief may be obtained by injecting painkillers directly into the nerve roots! In extreme cases orthopedic surgery may be resorted to.
The chiropractic approach has been a blessing to sciatica and leg pain sufferers for over a hundred years (2-3) often saving them from surgery. (4-6)
All sciatica sufferers should see a doctor of chiropractic to ensure they have a body free from subluxations. A subluxation causes structural distortions, disc and nerve pressure and may stress the entire body and brain! Chiropractors correct or adjust subluxations to relieve stress on the structure, nerves, joints and discs.
If you do have sciatica, from whatever cause, a chiropractic adjustment is needed to remove pressure on your nerves, rebalance your spine and body structure, release stress from your discs and permit your body's muscles, glands and tissues to function in a more balanced manner.
Every sciatica sufferer should visit their neighborhood doctor of chiropractic for a checkup. It could save them from needless drugs, injections and surgery.
References:
1. Fonti S, Lynch M. Etiopathogenesis of lumbosciatalgia due to disc disease; chiropractic treatment. In J. Mazzarelli (Ed.), Chiropractic: Interprofessional Research. Torino, Italy: Edizioni Minerve Medica, 1983:59-68.
2. Johnson EW. Sciatic nerve palsy following delivery. Postgrad. Med. 1961;30(5):495-497.
3. Barge FH. The chiropractic vertebral subluxation and its relationship to vertebrogenic lumbar pain, cruralgia and sciatic syndromes. Chiropractic Research Journal. 1995;3(2):25-39.
4. Livingston M. Spinal manipulation: a one year follow-up study. The Canadian Family Physician. July 1969:35-39.
5. Mathews JA et al. Back pain and sciatica: controlled trials of manipulation, traction, sclerosant and epidural injections. British Journal of Rheumatology. 1987;26:416-423.
6. Osterbauer PJ, Fuhr AW. Treatment of chronic sciatica by mechanical force, manually assisted, short lever adjusting and a video assisted stretching program: a quantitative case report. Proceedings of the Consortium for Chiropractic Research Conference on Research and Education, 1992. Palm Springs, CA.
