Struggling With Sciatica in Center Point?

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 Center Point 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.

---

Sciatic Treatment in Center Point

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.

---

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.

---

Chiropractic care for Sciatica

Chiropractors in Center Point 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 Lofton Chiropractic Clinic today.

---

What is Sciatica?
Sciatica refers to a group of symptoms that includes weakness, tingling, pain or numbness traveling down the sciatic nerve from the lower back to the back of the thigh and sometimes into the foot. The sciatic nerve is the longest nerve in the body and like all nerves, if it is pinched or compressed it can send out irregular impulses. Most sciatica sufferers experience discomfort on only one side of the body, but in rare cases the sciatic nerves on both sides of the spine can be symptomatic.

---

Symptoms of Sciatica
The discomfort of sciatica can vary greatly from one patient to another. Some people report a severe, even debilitating pain while others may feel only mild or occasional discomfort. Sciatica may be described as a dull ache, a burning sensation, a feeling like an electrical shock going down the leg, unexplained weakness on the affected side, tingling or numbness. The pain of sciatica may begin suddenly as the result of an accident or slowly increase over time.

The diagnosis of sciatica can be somewhat confusing because sciatica itself is technically a symptom of another problem. The most common reason for sciatica is compression of the sciatic nerve caused by a herniated or slipped disk. Other causes include a pelvic injury, spinal stenosis, piriformis syndrome or tumors.

---

Sciatica and Chiropractic Care
Surgery is frequently suggested when a herniated disc causes sciatica or other types of pain. Chiropractic care offers a non-invasive, drug-free alternative to back surgery. Most patients respond to conservative care such as rest, exercise, ice packs, over-the-counter anti-inflammatory medication, lifestyle changes and the non-invasive treatments available through chiropractic care. At Lofton Chiropractic Clinic, Inc., our doctors have helped many people avoid surgery through a customized plan of non-invasive treatments. Your specialized plan may include:

• Spinal adjustments
• Spinal decompression
• Massage therapy
• Exercise and Self-care

Chiropractic spinal adjustments are recommended to return a slipped disk back into correct position and improve over-all spinal health. Spinal decompression therapy utilizes traction to increase space between the spinal vertebrae. Restoring the proper space between vertebrae allows the spine to naturally and gently move into the correct position. Massage therapy can relax the tight muscles that pull and push around a herniated disk and cause even more pressure on the sciatic nerve.

An important part of sciatica recovery is self-care. Overworking, over-exercising or doing the wrong types of exercise or using poor posture can re-injure the area and cause a return of sciatica pain. Our doctor will suggest a variety of self-care tactics and exercises that improve posture, relieve pain and prevent injury from reoccurring.

---

Lofton Chiropractic Clinic is proud to offer our community a non-surgical alternative to sciatica pain for Center Point and Jefferson County residents.