The Facts About Sciatica

Sciatica is one of the most common problems we see here in our office.  But what is it?  First let’s talk about what it isn’t.  Sciatica isn’t just pain in the lower back.  It isn’t just pain in your butt, even though that can be part of the symptom picture.  And it certainly isn’t a diagnosis!  Sciatica is a symptom of some degree of irritation of your sciatic nerve.  The sciatic nerve runs from your lower back, through the buttock and down the back of your thigh.  It then branches into smaller nerves that supply muscles in the lower leg and foot.  Sciatica involves pain the low back and buttock, as well as pain, numbness and or weakness that extends below the knee.  But the key to treating sciatica isn’t just identifying the pain pattern.  It’s identifying where the nerve irritation is actually happening.  If the nerve is being irritated near the spine by a stiff joint or disc herniation, spinal adjustments or spinal decompression may be the conservative treatment of choice.  The nerve may also be irritated by tight or injured muscles deep in the buttock.  In this case, soft tissue stretching and laser therapy may be the best option.  While anti-inflammatory medication may help decrease pain, drugs alone will not address the underlying cause.  That’s why a chiropractic assessment is the best first step to take if you are experiencing back and leg pain.