How Chiropractic Care Works to Treat Your Sciatica
Aug 07, 2024
What happens when a nagging pain in your lower back sparks a cascade of discomfort that shoots down one or both of your legs? It’s probably sciatica, a painful roadblock to living life on your own terms.
At Repair Recover Restore in White Plains and Port Chester, New York, our team specializes in helping people improve sciatica symptoms with chiropractic care. Here’s how it works to ease pain, restore functionality, and get you back on your feet.
Sciatica is characterized by pain that radiates along the sciatic nerve, which runs from the lower back, through the hips, and down each leg. This common condition is often the result of a herniated disc, spinal stenosis, or a bone spur compressing one of the nerve’s 10 spinal roots.
When you visit us with sciatica, the first step is a comprehensive assessment and diagnosis. Before diving into treatment, we take a closer look at your medical history and conduct a thorough physical exam. If needed, we order imaging tests like X-rays or MRI scans to isolate the precise cause of your sciatica pain.
We don’t believe in one-size-fits-all solutions, so we conduct a thorough analysis to develop a plan that matches your individual needs.
One of the primary techniques chiropractors use to treat sciatica is spinal adjustments, also known as spinal manipulations. With strategic manual pressure, we can rebalance the spine, calm frazzled nerves, and essentially reboot your entire spinal system to restore normal function.
Spinal realignment is a chiropractor’s secret weapon against sciatica. By restoring balance to the spine, we can literally take the pressure off the irritated nerve, providing relief from painful inflammation.
In addition to spinal adjustments, we typically incorporate therapeutic exercises into your treatment plan. Building a strong foundation for your spine requires flexing some serious muscle — literally. These exercises aim to strengthen your core muscles (which wrap around your back and abdomen), so you can move with confidence and agility.
By fortifying these essential muscles, you’ll be strengthening your spine’s support system and steering clear of future episodes. Spinal health depends on flexibility, and that's where regular exercises come in — they boost range of motion and help you move with greater ease.
Sciatica pain can often be exacerbated by tight, tense muscles. We may use soft tissue therapy techniques, such as massage or myofascial release, to relax these muscles and improve blood flow.
Think of soft tissue therapy as the warm-up act, setting the stage for optimal spinal adjustments by releasing pent-up muscle tension and kickstarting your body’s repair process. Sciatica has two main contributors: spinal and muscular issues. This approach tackles both, providing a more complete solution.
Chiropractic care for sciatica extends beyond in-office treatments. You can take control of sciatica with simple, practical changes to make in your daily life and work environment. Our team suggests simple tweaks to your daily routine, like adjusting your sleeping position or posture, to take pressure off your lumbar spine and sciatic nerve.
Effective chiropractic care involves ongoing monitoring and adjustment of your treatment plan. Every few visits, we pause to assess the bigger picture, measuring your growing strength and diminishing discomfort against the roadmap of your original treatment plan.
Based on how your body responds to treatment, the healthcare team may make adjustments to continue working toward the best possible outcome. Sciatica treatment is as unique as you are — our approach combines expertise with a deep understanding of your individual needs, so you can say good-bye to pain long-term.
Chiropractic care takes a holistic approach to wellness, focusing on the interconnectedness of your body’s systems. As your spine heals, you’ll start to feel the pain melt away, replaced by a renewed sense of vitality and a body that’s capable of so much more.
Sciatica pain doesn’t have to hold you back — our Repair Recover Restore team can help. For a personalized plan to get you standing tall once more, call your nearest office in White Plains or Port Chester, New York, today, or click online to schedule an appointment at your convenience.