You’ve probably heard of sciatica, a word which has become common in our daily language for describing how we feel when experiencing low back pain and leg pain, but do you know what it is? Sciatica is a persistent pain caused by the sciatic nerve on either the right or left side being irritated and causes pain in the low back and into the back of the leg to the foot on the same side.
From an anatomical perspective, the sciatic nerve comprises several individual nerves from the low back. It runs through the buttock into the upper leg and then splits into individual nerves as it extends to the foot on the same side. Sciatica is the term used to describe when a nerve becomes compressed, possibly from a disc injury, such as a herniation or protrusion (partial disc change), and this causes nerve irritation. However, the symptoms most patients describe as sciatica in reality, not sciatica. Instead, they are experiencing similar symptoms but of a different source, such as lumbar facet irritation, muscle trigger points or dysfunction in the sacroiliac joint.
Sciatica can be very painful and debilitating in our daily lives affecting simple tasks such as getting dressed, walking, bending forward and sitting. Flare-ups usually last four to six weeks, though they can last longer in some patients. Unfortunately, sciatica is very common, and as many as 40% of individuals will experience it in their lifetime.
So how can you treat sciatica? And how will sciatica impact your body if it’s left untreated? Here’s everything you need to know:
What is Sciatica Treatment?
The most common treatment for sciatica is manual therapy, such as chiropractic or osteopathy. In more severe cases that do not respond to manual therapy, patients may be offered a corticosteroid injection, and rarely, severe sciatica can be treated with surgery. If you are experiencing a sciatica flare-up and wish to relieve the pain at home, some patients find applying ice or hot packs to their lower back region helpful. However, visiting a chiropractor or osteopath for a physical examination, understanding the exact source, and discussing how manual therapy, which may include spinal manipulation that, will best help your pain, should always be your first action plan.
Once you have suffered from sciatica, you may be more prone to experience sciatica flare-ups in your lifetime. A case study of one of our patients, a 47-year-old male, demonstrates that sciatica flares can return more than once and that, often, their severity increases. This patient presented with chronic lower back pain that radiates to the left leg. Although he had experienced sciatic pain before, this was the first time he sought professional advice. Regular, gentle spinal manipulation with our chiropractic team combined with a core exercise programme to follow at home meant the patient no longer needed to take pain medication, and after six weeks, his sciatica pain was completely relieved.
What Impact Does Untreated Sciatica Have?
While sciatic pain is common, it can still be severe and may have significant consequences if left untreated. The more prolonged sciatica pain is left untreated, the symptoms may become more severe and impact your activities of daily living and sleep.
If you are unsure if chiropractic or osteopathic care is the correct treatment for your sciatica pain, and you have any further questions that you would like to talk to us about face-to-face, then we offer a no-obligation free thirty-minute consultation (scroll down to a link) in which we can talk through your symptoms, conduct a short examination and address any questions you may have. If you are happy to book a new patient appointment, we can complete this booking and start your treatment within the next 2-3 days.
