Can Chiropractic Help With Sciatic Pain?

Sciatica, pain felt from the sciatic nerve, usually begins in the lower back, runs through the buttocks, and goes into the leg.  Sciatica and the lower back pain accompanying it are usually caused by problems with the spine.  Herniated discs or spinal subluxations can both cause the crippling pain of sciatica that is caused by the sciatic nerve running through the lower back into the legs.  Herniated discs can be caused by a number of things, such as repeated trauma from hours of sitting at a desk or any injury to the spine.  Symptoms of sciatica can be a dull or sharp pain, weakness in the lower extremities, or a tingling or burning sensation.  Because the sciatic nerve is the cause of the pain, chiropractic care is a great solution to bring about relief from sciatica.

How Does Chiropractic Manage Sciatica Pain?

Those who experience intense pain often look for relief from over-the-counter medications to alleviate pain.  Sciatica sufferers may try hot or cold compresses at the point of pain, or even steroid shots in an attempt to correct the problem.  While the pain may resolve itself for a while, it usually returns again with a vengeance.  A Lithia Springs chiropractor can offer relief from sciatica pain without painful shots or harmful medications for a more permanent solution to sciatica.  It is scientifically proven that sciatica pain stems from a spinal misalignment of the lower lumbar spine.  Because the spine is part of the central nervous system that controls the nerves and functions in our body, it is an obvious solution for relieving pain caused by the sciatic nerve. A Lithia Springs chiropractor can gently adjust the spine to correct spinal misalignments and alleviate pain along the sciatic nerve, all the while […]

Sciatica

Non-operative treatments for sciatica: a pilot study for a randomized clinical trial. Bronfort G, Evans RL, Anderson AV et al. Journal of Manipulative and Physiological Therapeutics October 2000, Vol. 23 No. 8.

This is a prospective, observer-blinded, pilot randomized clinical trial of 20 patients aged 20-65 with low back-related leg pain. Patients were divided into three groups. One group was given medical care, one group chiropractic care and one group steroid injections. All groups showed substantial improvement at the end of the 12 week study.

Lack of effectiveness of bed rest for sciatica. Patrick CAJ, Vroomen MD, Marc CTFM, et al. The New England Journal of Medicine. 1999;340:418-423.

Many medical doctors prescribe bed rest for sciatica, yet according to the authors: “For low back pain, bed rest has traditionally been considered effective, although there is little objective data to support this view. In recent years evidence of the ineffectiveness of bed rest for low back pain has accumulated, but bed rest continues to still be widely used for treatment of sciatica.”

From the conclusion: “Among patients with symptoms and signs of a lumbosacral radicular syndrome, bed rest is not a more effective therapy than watchful waiting.”

From Mobilization of the Spine (1984) by Grieve GP Churchill Livingston, London/New York, 4th edition, 22-23.

“All those experienced in manipulation can report numerous examples of migrainous headaches, disequilibrium (vertigo), subjective visual disturbances, feelings of retro-orbital pressure, dysphagia, dysphonia, heaviness of a limb, extra segmental paraesthesia, restriction of respiratory excursion, abdominal nausea and the cold sciatic leg being relieved by manual or mechanical treatment of the vertebral column.”

Low force chiropractic care of two patients with sciatic neuropathy and lumbar disc herniation. Richards GL et al. Am J Chiro Med Mar 1990;3(1):25-32.

From the abstract:

Two patients with sciatic neuropathy and confirmed disc herniation were treated with low force treatment regimen consisting of […]

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