Sciatica and Chiropractic Care

Sciatica refers to a condition in which the sciatic nerve is compressed and causes resultant pain in the leg, commonly deep in the buttock, down the back of the thigh and into the calf, sometimes referring as far as the foot.

Sciatica can be caused by compression at a number of areas but most commonly it is compressed at the spinal level where it is exiting the spine or in the buttock area where the sciatic nerve travels through the piriformis muscle in some circumstances. Common causes of the compression are a bulging, herniated, sequestered, extruded or slipped disc, inflammation of the facet joints of the spine, degenerative bony growth compressing the nerve or a very tight piriformis muscle through which the nerve tracks – in this situation referred to as piriformis syndrome.

Chiropractic care has been shown to be effective in the treatment of sciatica cases. The purpose of your initial consultation will be to ascertain where the nerve is compressed and to what extent. Following this, a course of conservative care will be prescribed. We always recommend conservative care first as we are addressing the cause of the issue as opposed to just relieving pain. Chronic use of pain killers and anti – inflammatory medications are not recommended for long term management due to the adverse effects of long term use. A corticosteroid injection is not recommended as a first treatment measure for this same reason. There are of course rare circumstances where surgery may be recommended but only when the disc is considered unstable and the patient is at risk of further injury.

Low back pain and sciatica account for approximately 60% of Chiropractic cases, for which we have found great results. If you would like to speak with a Chiropractor about whether chiropractic can help in the treatment of your sciatica call Avalon Beach Chiropractic & Wellness on 0299180070 today.

Yours in health,

Avalon Beach Chiropractic & Wellness

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