Here’s How Chiropractic Care Can Help Treat Sciatica

Back pain is a common phenomena that everyone experiences in their lifetime. Back pains are of various types and Sciatica is one such form of lower back pain characterized by shooting pains that travel down to the legs. It is a fairly common condition and chiropractic doctors in Denver regularly with the treatment of this issue.
Sciatic pain is felt in the form of a continuous dull ache in the lower back that moves down to the spine, some individuals may also feel pins and needles. In extreme cases, people experience a sharp shooting pain from the back to the foot. Chiropractic care can effectively treat Sciatica. Read on to know how chiropractic care can be helpful for Sciatica.

How does Sciatica work?

Our vertebrae consist of several bones that are separated by soft and flexible disks of connective tissue. Sometimes one of these disks in the lower spine becomes worn down either due to an injury or due to regular heavy work. In such conditions, the soft center of the disc pushes out from the outer hard ring, causing the disc to herniate.
A herniated disc puts pressure on the nerves that surround it resulting in sharp pains through the sciatic nerve. This nerve extends from the lower back through the hips down to your leg and thus the sciatic pain is felt all the way from the back to the foot.
This condition generally affects one side of the body and for some people, it is a mild pain while for others the pain can be pretty severe.

Symptoms of Sciatica

Here are some common symptoms of Sciatica

• - Pain in the lower back.
• - Pain in the back, butt or leg that becomes worse when you sit down.
• - Burning or tingling sensation down the leg.
• - Pain in the hip region.
• - Weakness in the leg making it difficult to mover or leg or foot.
• - Shooting pain down the leg from the lower back that makes it hard to stand up.
• - Constant ache on one side of the buttock.

Causes of Sciatica

Sciatica can be triggered by the following

• - Irritation in the roots of the lumbar spine region.
• - Degenerative disc disease that affects the discs cushioning the vertebrae.
• - Spinal stenosis, a condition that narrows the spinal canal in the lower back region.
• - Pregnancy
• - Spondylolisthesis, a condition that causes a vertebra to slip over the other.
• - Excessive weight
• - Wearing high heels
• - Sleeping on a too-soft mattress

A proper diagnosis of Sciatica is required for treatment

To treat the condition of Sciatica, a chiropractor in Denver needs to get a proper diagnosis of the condition. The chiropractor will review the previous medical history of the patient and find out the cause of the Sciatic pain thereby offering treatments to cure the condition.

Chiropractic treatments for Sciatica

The following treatment methods are used by a chiropractor for the treatment of sciatica.

- Ice/cold therapy

This is one of the common treatment of Sciatica. This therapy helps reduce inflammation and helps control the Sciatic pain.

- TENS (Transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation)

This is a form of stimulating form of treatment. The TENS unit is a battery-powered, small box-like machine that allows various intensities of current, stimulating the muscles to reduce muscle spasms and to control acute pain. The TENS unit used by the chiropractors and physiotherapists is quite large in size.

- Ultrasound

This treatment method uses sound waves to heal the sciatic nerve in any individual. The sound waves generate heat and penetrate deep into the tissue. The circulation of these waves reduces sciatic pain, inflammation, muscle spasms, and stiffness.

- Spinal manipulation

Spinal adjustments are the core treatment used in chiropractic care and they are used to treat a number of musculoskeletal problems. These adjustments are used to improve mobility in the restricted joints or spine and also realign any misaligned vertebral section. Spinal manipulation also helps relieve sciatica pain and other chronic pains as well as inflammation, muscle spasms and stiffness in the muscles.