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Sciatica Treatment

Overview

Sciatica is a painful condition that can alter your health and well-being. Its several effects on the body, it can limit your ability to do and enjoy the things you’re used to doing. This can take a toll on your mental health, as well, and affects your lower back and legs and can also reduce your productivity and efficiency in performing everyday tasks.

Chiropractic and physical therapists can help diagnose the pain caused by sciatica. A chiropractor or physical therapist can locate the different pain points in your body and recommend a treatment plan to address these.

LifeClinic aims to restore, maintain, and optimize human function through different chiropractic adjustments and special services. Individualized care plans designed for your specific needs, will help boost your body’s natural self-healing capabilities.

Our experts will not only address the root cause of your sciatica, but also uncover risk factors that could worsen your condition and provide recommendations to prevent it from developing again. Let’s work together to speed up your recovery and lead a healthier life.

Our dedicated team will guide you every step of the way. We’ll make sure that you receive and follow the best treatment plan for you. With advanced diagnostics, we can dive deep into your condition and achieve the best results for your health.

Recovery

Treat Sciatica with Chiropractic Care & Physical Therapy

Sciatica is a condition that can be treated with intensive and regular chiropractic care and physical therapy. Find out how to relieve sciatica pain and discomfort below:

The Chiropractic Approach to Sciatica

There are various ways a chiropractor may approach sciatica. Massage therapy is the most common procedure. This helps relieve sciatica pain, relaxes muscles, and releases endorphins that act as natural painkillers in the body. The difference between an ordinary spa massage from a massage done by a chiropractor is that the latter is more focused on soothing and healing a medical condition.

Chiropractors and physical therapists have undergone years of learning and training to know how much pressure to apply in which areas of the body. Having an unprofessional and inexperienced person massage you could do more harm than good.

Heat and Cold Therapeutic Approach to Sciatica

This technique has been used by chiropractors for several years. Applying cold and heat  alternatively can do wonders in the affected area. Heat tightens the muscles while the cold temperature slows down the blood flow. Whether you would need just one or both temperatures relies deeply on your chiropractor’s recommendation. They would also know how often to alternate this procedure to maximize results.

Ultrasound Therapy for Sciatica

Ultrasound therapy is an approach that uses sound waves that penetrate deep into the body’s tissue. These waves create a therapeutic vibration that lessens the pain and stiffness in your sore, injured, or overworked muscles, which, in turn, promotes your body’s natural healing abilities. This procedure makes use of ultrasound gel to optimize penetration and to ensure smoother movements while hovering over the affected areas.

Physical Therapy Exercises

Apart from physical therapy conducted in the clinic, our physical therapists or chiropractors would also recommend exercises to prevent and lessen sciatic nerve pain. These exercises include stretching that can be done in the comforts of your own home. You may want to consider doing yoga as your go-to exercise. The “reclining pigeon pose” is a great way to stretch your muscles, ease irritation, and release pressure on your nerves. This pose is typically positioned with you on your back, both legs in the air and one ankle on knee, and your hands hugging your thigh.

Frequently Asked Questions

There are various symptoms that can be associated with sciatica. These include pain, numbness, one-sided symptoms, or posture-related symptoms.

The pain felt is typically located in the lower back down to the front or back of the thighs, legs, or feet. Numbness, tingling, or weakness can also be felt in these areas of your body. Sciatica pain may also occur in just one leg, wherein one leg would feel heavy and uncomfortable. It is rare for both legs to feel this sensation.

Posture may also play a part with sciatica. Activities such as bending forward, lying down, twisting the spine, or even just sitting or standing up can worsen your condition. You can, however, feel relief by applying a heat pack over the affected area.

You may develop sciatica through different ways. When the spinal canal in the lower portion of your back narrows (also known as lumbar spinal stenosis), sciatica may develop. Other medical conditions such as spondylolisthesis, or when one vertebra slips forward over the other, and degenerative disk disease may also be possible causes of sciatica.

You are also at risk of developing the condition if you are overweight, a diabetic, or pregnant. Lack of exercise, regular, prolonged wearing of high heels, sleeping on hard or soft mattresses, and smoking also make you prone to sciatica.

Performing activities where there is repetitive motion in your joints such as shoveling or raking causes wear and tear and may result in sciatica. Moreover, muscle spasms in the back or buttocks are also a common cause.

The sciatic nerve is located in your lower back and branches through your hips, down to your buttocks and each leg. This is the nerve that is primarily affected by sciatica. When the sciatic nerve swells, inflames, or becomes numb in one or both legs, sciatica develops. If untreated, the sciatic nerve pain may become permanent.

Chiropractors and physical therapists know how to relieve sciatica pain. They use various methods to treat pain in your sciatic nerve. They use non-invasive, non-addictive, and drug-free methods to lessen the swelling and aching. Having a chiropractor or PT diagnose your condition is the first step in sciatica pain relief. Tests can detect any serious problems early on and can prevent permanent damage in the nerves.

There are several factors that influence sciatica, such as work, general health, and habits. These give various treatment plans for different people. Our experts will recommend steps and procedures that are best suited for you.

 

Our experts may conduct a physical examination to check your reflexes and the strength of your muscles. You may also be asked to walk on your heels or toes to identify the root of your pain. Severe pain, on the other hand, may require more in-depth tests to get a clearer picture of your condition. You may undergo a variety of tests such as an x-ray, CT scan, MRI, or an EMG.

Other services we offer

At LifeClinic, our approach to treatment is centered on helping you maintain, restore, and optimize your body’s overall function.

We address various pain symptoms including acute pain, chronic pain, and pain caused by an injury or underlying condition.

What Our Patients Say

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