Sciatica Care

When one's sciatic nerve is damaged or compressed, it causes a severe or burning pain that radiates from your lower back or hips, all the way down to your feet. An effective way of treating sciatica is chiropractic care. Discover how chiropractic treatments can be used for sciatica care to relieve pain and discomfort.

Defining Sciatica

Sciatica is described as discomfort and/or pain caused by the sciatic nerve, which is as broad as one's thumb, beginning in the lumbar area and branching off from the spinal cord, passing between your vertebrae, and running through your pelvis to your feet. Sciatica often affects just a single side of your body.

According to the New England Journal of Medicine, sciatica strikes between 15 and 40 percent of individuals, often those aged 25 to 50 at some point in their lives. The yearly occurrence of sciatica ranges from 1 to 5 percent and this frequency is age-related, with cases occurring before the age of 20 being exceedingly rare. The largest incidence occurs at age 50 and subsequently declines with age.

Causes of Sciatica

Sciatica is caused by sciatic nerve compression, which can occur at the nerve's root level where it starts, or further down as the nerve passes down through the leg. Sciatic nerve compression can stem from:

  • Herniated or protruding discs in the lumbar spine

  • Narrowing of your spinal canal, or spinal stenosis

  • Vertebrae that slip atop other vertebrae, or spondylolisthesis

  • Muscle spasms or hypertonicity occurring in the gluteal or lower back muscles

  • Bone spurs and arthritis

  • Degenerative disc disorders 

  • Pregnancy

  • A sedentary lifestyle with too much sitting, too little physical activity, and excess body weight

  • Sleeping on beds with insufficient spinal support

  • Wearing high-heeled shoes too much

Treating Sciatica with Chiropractic Therapy

To properly treat sciatica, you will most likely need chiropractic adjustments to straighten your spine. Garden State Spinal Care's expert practitioners have distinctive skills that allow us to diagnose the source of your sciatic pains and treat sciatic nerve compression.

Our chiropractors might administer a variety of treatments. For example, soft tissue mobilization is one approach whereby our chiropractor employs specially developed techniques to treat muscle spasms and stress in the soft tissues of the afflicted area.

Alternatively, if your sciatica has been caused by a spinal disc condition, decompression can be beneficial. This is a non-surgical therapy in which you lay atop a treatment table, and this table gently stretches out your back to create space between your vertebrae. Stretching helps the protruding or herniated disc to return to its normal location.

Massage treatments may also be beneficial after the chiropractic adjustments to assist in relieving muscular tension and keeping your spine straight. Physical therapy is also helpful in boosting your flexibility and strength and reducing muscular tension.

Sciatica Treatment Specialists at Garden State Spinal Care

Garden State Spinal Care is a premier provider of chiropractic treatments for sciatica care, delivering specialized therapy for individuals grappling with sciatic and lower back pains in Montclair, NJ. Our emphasis is on tackling all your muscle tensions, disc complications, and sciatic discomforts, with our team deeply devoted to devising customized treatment plans suited to every patient's requirements. Allow our team to lead you toward a sciatica-free lifestyle today.