Struggling With Sciatica in Fountain Valley?

If you are experiencing pain that radiates from the back or buttocks all the way down the legs, you may have a common condition called sciatica. Many people look for a Fountain Valley chiropractor so they don't have to suffer with the pain of sciatica, and many never achieve a long term solution. An untreated sciatic condition can continue to worsen and make the daily tasks of living go from difficult to impossible. This article is aimed at helping you to understand sciatica and explains how chiropractic treatment can help you to overcome it.

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Sciatic Treatment in Fountain Valley

Sciatica, which is also known as sciatic neuralgia, is a condition that causes pain in the lower back, down the back of the leg, and into the foot. It can make sitting and standing for long periods of time difficult and can lead to weakness, tingling, and numbness in the leg and foot. It will often come and go throughout a person's lifetime, causing periods of varying degrees of pain and discomfort. If left unchecked, sciatic pain will generally grow worse and the nerve can become permanently injured.

The reason why the pain travels so far, seems to radiate up and down the legs and back, is because it is caused by the compression of the sciatic nerve, the longest nerve in the body. This nerve originates in the lumbar spine and extends into the buttocks before traveling down the leg to the ankle and foot. When the vertebrae in the low back are compressed, the roots of the sciatic nerve can become pinched and irritated which is what causes the pain and injury.

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How Do You Develop Sciatica?

There are a number of factors that can lead to sciatica. It is most commonly caused by disc injuries and bulges. In this occurrence, the disc presses against the nerve root causing the issue. Disc Injuries can occur because of poor posture, repetitive use injuries, and accidents. Sciatica is also common when there are subluxations (misalignments) in the spine due to postural issues, pregnancy, or trauma. Some patients say they simply bent over to pick up a piece of paper and they were hit with extreme pain. The reality is that the spinal condition was probably developing for quite some time before the triggering incident occurred.

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Chiropractic care for Sciatica

Chiropractors in Fountain Valley are highly trained to zero in on the source of the sciatica and to work with the patient in determining the most suitable approach to treatment. After a thorough assessment of the individual's unique issue, gentle adjustments are made that will allow the body to recover its natural alignment.

Some people respond very quickly while others take more time to recover. It really depends on the condition of the disc or the joints that the chiropractor has to correct. In most cases, the longer the issue persists, the longer it will take to achieve correction. The great news is that it typically takes less time to fix an issue like this than it took to create it. Once the position of the spine and discs are improved, patients often report improvements to their overall health. If you are experiencing symptoms of sciatica call our team at Stark Family Chiropractic today.

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Most patients that present to our Fountain Valley office complain of either neck or back pain. With lower back pain there is often pain down the leg often referred to as sciatica. The sciatic nerve is a large nerve made up of many smaller nerves that exit the spine and spinal cord and supply nerve energy from the brain and spinal cord down the leg to all the muscles and skin of the upper and lower leg. It courses down the back of the leg in the hamstring area. When pain is felt here or in the calf muscles, or if you have a tightness/cramp that will not go away, this is a case of sciatica.

If this is the symptom, there is likely pinching or interference to the nerves somewhere between the spine and where the pain is felt. When different aspects of the sciatic nerve are pinched, some patients report pain on the side or front of the leg. The pain, cramping, tingling or numbness can even be felt down to the foot or heel. If the nerve is pinched it is most commonly due to a vertebra that is out of alignment with either the vertebra above or below it. We refer to this as a “subluxated” vertebra.

For our patients with lower back pain and/or sciatica we do a thorough evaluation, usually including x-rays to be sure of where the spinal subluxation is, and to be certain it is a chiropractic problem. If it appears a chiropractic problem at that point we will review our findings with you and outline the most appropriate course of care.

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Our treatment includes one or more of the following: specific chiropractic adjustments, neuromuscular re-education, massage, ice, heat and instructions on home care.