Finding Relief From Sciatica Pain Through Chiropractic Care
Approximately 40% of adults in the United States experience sciatica pain at some point in their life. Sciatica is a collection of symptoms that occur when the sciatic nerve is injured, irritated, damaged, or diseased. At Midtown Back & Neck Center, Dr. Terence Crowley and his team believe that it’s very important to find the underlying cause of your sciatica in order to treat it properly. We run diagnostic testing and complete a thorough physical examination to design a personalized chiropractic plan for sciatica pain relief in St. Louis, MO.
Anatomy of the Sciatic Nerve
The sciatic nerves are two long, thick nerves that run down each side of your body, from your lower back through your hips, buttocks, legs, and down to your feet. An injury to your sciatic nerve causes the symptoms that are known as sciatica. These symptoms include a sharp, burning pain that radiates from your lower back down one leg, as well as numbness or tingling in your leg or foot, muscle fatigue, numbness or weakness, and a pins and needles feeling. Because the sciatic nerve is responsible for transmitting signals between the spine and the lower body, damage or injury to the nerve can interrupt these signals, causing significant and serious complications like urinary and fecal incontinence. Untreated sciatica can also cause permanent nerve damage, resulting in a loss of feeling in the leg and foot and difficulty walking or standing.
Common Causes of Sciatic Pain
Sciatica occurs when the sciatic nerve is compressed, under pressure, injured, damaged, or irritated. The most common causes of sciatica are:
- A herniated or bulging disc
- A slipped disc
- Degenerative disc disease
- Bone spurs, cysts, or tumors
- Osteoarthritis
- Spondylolisthesis
- Spinal or foraminal stenosis
- Traumatic injury
- Piriformis syndrome
Chiropractic Assessment for Sciatic Pain
Dr. Crowley will perform a thorough physical examination and run diagnostic imaging tests to determine the underlying cause of your sciatica. We will ask you to perform simple physical tasks in front of us so we can assess your strength, flexibility, dexterity, gait, posture, reflexes, and range of motion. We may recommend an x-ray, MRI, CT scan, or electromyography to rule out other injuries.
Chiropractic Treatments for Sciatica
Chiropractic treatment for sciatica is designed to relieve pressure on the sciatic nerve and reduce sciatica symptoms. We use safe, non-invasive, drug-free treatment methods that can help you find sciatic leg pain and sciatic nerve relief. We may recommend a combination of chiropractic therapies to address misalignments and other underlying causes of sciatic pain and sciatic nerve damage.
Lifestyle Factors and Sciatic Pain
In addition to the in-office treatment we provide, we will also offer professional recommendations for lifestyle changes to make at home and work to reduce your risk of recurring sciatic pain. We may suggest that you make your workstation more ergonomic or temporarily change your work duties as you recover. We may also suggest you change your sleep position, get more exercise, perform therapeutic exercises and stretches, change your diet, and take nutritional supplements to improve your health and find relief from sciatica pain.
Find Sciatica Pain Relief in St. Louis, MO
Sciatica can affect every aspect of your life, making it hard to work, exercise, sleep, and take part in hobbies you enjoy. At Midtown Back & Neck Center, Dr. Crowley and his team can help you take back your life and find sciatica pain relief in St. Louis, MO. We will run diagnostic testing to determine the underlying cause of your sciatica, and design a personalized sciatica treatment plan to help you get back to living a happy, healthy, pain-free life. Call us today to schedule an appointment, or request an appointment online.
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Sciatica
