Category: Sciatica

Bottom Line:

It’s easy to understand how lifting a heavy object at work could injure your back, pinch a nerve and cause sciatica. But, surprisingly, research has shown that too much sitting may be the number one reason for sciatica, not to mention the worst thing for your back. When you spend hours per day sitting down, the muscles in your buttocks and legs become tight and the muscles that support your low back start to deteriorate or atrophy. Without strong stabilizing muscles to support your discs and nerves, it’s no surprise that you are more likely to injure your back if you spend a lot of time sitting.

Why it Matters:

Fortunately, preventing sciatica may be easier than you think. New research indicates that consistent exercise can stop, or even reverse, the effects of too much sitting. Just thirty minutes of exercise each day can help strengthen the supporting muscles around your spinal column and help prevent future episodes of sciatica. What about chiropractic care? The top research journal SPINE found that maintained chiropractic care can actually prevent future episodes of low back pain. Getting well and staying well with chiropractic sounds like a smart decision. Here are some take away points:

– Chiropractors can help evaluate, detect, treat, and prevent future episodes of low back pain

– Exercise daily to help strengthen the core muscles that support your spinal column

– Stretch before and after activity to improve your flexibility and reduce your chances of injury

Next Steps:

Take action by setting a daily schedule of exercise. If time is tight, take a few minutes every hour at work to walk around the office. Remember, starting small is better than not starting at all. And, as days become weeks, months, and years; the exercise that you do now will pay huge dividends down the road to keep you happy, healthy, and pain-free.

Science Source:

Does Maintained Spinal Manipulation Therapy for Chronic Nonspecific Low Back Pain Result in Better Long-Term Outcome? SPINE. 2011

Bottom Line:

Sciatica is pain caused by the irritation or compression of nerves in your low back. This can occur due to age, the stress of gravity on your spine, or injuries to your back. When a nerve is compressed or irritated by a spinal disc, bone spur, or ligament, it can become inflamed and painful. Spinal stenosis (narrowing of the spinal column), disc herniations, or degenerative disk disease are other common causes of sciatica.

Why it Matters:

So here is the easiest way to understand sciatica. Think of your nerves like power lines. They carry signals from the power station, your central nervous system, out to every muscle, organ, and cell in your body. The power lines, or nerves, in your low back travel down your hips, buttocks, and legs to your feet. If the nerve gets irritated at the power station, then it will affect everything along the path of the power line. That is why a spinal disc irritating a nerve in your low back can result in pain down into your leg!

– Burning, numbness, or tingling in your leg could be caused by a pinched nerve in your low back

– Staying active with daily exercise, stretching, and periodic chiropractic care can help prevent issues in your low back

– Over 90% of patients with sciatica reported being “much better” or “better” after receiving chiropractic care

Next Steps:

Just like your local power company needs to perform maintenance on their equipment, you should also perform maintenance on your body. Getting adjusted has been shown to increase your flexibility and range of motion, help keep your spinal discs healthy, and could even prevent future episodes of back pain! Maintenance care today can go a long way towards a more youthful and happier tomorrow.

Science Source:

Outcomes of Acute and Chronic Patients with Magnetic Resonance Imaging-Confirmed Symptomatic Lumbar Disc Herniations Receiving High-Velocity, Low-Amplitude, Spinal Manipulative Therapy: A Prospective Observational Cohort Study with One Year Follow-Up Journal of Manipulative and Physiological Therapeutics. 2014

Does Maintained Spinal Manipulation Therapy for Chronic Nonspecific Low Back Pain Result in Better Long-Term Outcome? SPINE. 2011

Bottom Line:

Few injuries can slow you down faster than a bad back. Irritated or compressed nerves in your low back can cause severe pain into your buttocks and legs. This type of pain results in tens of millions of people searching Dr. Google to find relief. And with television commercials promoting all sorts of ab rollers, electrical stimulators, and other magic gizmos it can be challenging to sort the fact from fiction. So here is a look at the latest research to help you find the most proven, evidence-based, smart healthcare solutions for sciatica.

Why it Matters:

Top research publications such as SPINE and the European Spine Journal have examined all types of care to find the most safe and effective options for people suffering from sciatica. What they have found may surprise you.

– Patients considered surgical candidates improved with chiropractic care to the same degree as if they had surgery!

– Many people receive medications and injections for back pain with little to no evidence to support their use!

– More patients improved with chiropractic adjustments than those who received spinal injections according to a recent paper from JMPT !

Next Steps:

As you can see, many of the most respected research journals in the world support chiropractic as a safe and effective way to find relief. Years ago, many people suffered through unnecessary and dangerous surgeries trying to fix their back problem. Now we know that medications, injections, and surgery should only be offered as a last resort. The research continues to support chiropractic care as your best option for pain relief and getting your life back

Science Source:

Manipulation or Microdiskectomy for Sciatica? A Prospective Randomized Clinical Study. Journal of Manipulative and Physiological Therapeutics. 2010

Symptomatic MRI-Confirmed Lumbar Disk Herniation Patients: A Comparative Effectiveness Prospective Observational Study of 2 Age- and Sex-Matched Cohorts Treated with Either High-Velocity, Low Amplitude Spinal Manipulative Therapy or Imaging-Guided Lumbar Nerve Root Injections. Journal of Manipulative and Physiological Therapeutics, 2013

Spinal Manipulation and Home Exercise with Advice for Subacute and Chronic Back-Related Leg Pain. Annals of Internal Medicine. Volume 161, Number 6

Bottom Line:

Sciatica is leg pain, numbness, or tingling, that originates in your low back. And wow can it hurt! The sciatic nerve is the largest nerve in your body. It is made up of individual branches (or nerve roots) in your lower back that combine to form the sciatic nerve which then travels down into your leg.

Sharp pain which can increase when sitting, and weakness in your leg/foot making it difficult to walk are a few common symptoms that pop up when the sciatic nerve is pinched or irritated.

Why it Matters:

Did you know that sciatica often resolves without having to resort to risky medications or dangerous surgery? Research has shown that 89% of patients who were suffering from sciatica responded very well to chiropractic adjustments. Also, if you’ve thought about therapy, here is something to consider: a recent research paper found 20% more patients experienced relief with chiropractic adjustments and exercise than exercise alone.

Here are some take away points:

– Nerve roots in your low back combine to form the sciatic nerve

– The sciatic nerve travels from your lower back down into your buttocks, legs, and feet

– Research shows over 89% of patients with sciatica find relief with chiropractic care

 

Next Steps:

Sciatica can severely impact your quality of life. But rest assured that you don’t need to immediately resort to medications, injections, or surgery to correct the problem. Top research publications have shown that risky drugs are rarely more effective than a chiropractic adjustment.

Starting with chiropractic care is both a safe and smart decision!

Science Source:

Outcomes of Acute and Chronic Patients with Magnetic Resonance Imaging-Confirmed Symptomatic Lumbar Disc Herniations Receiving High-Velocity, Low-Amplitude, Spinal Manipulative Therapy: A Prospective Observational Cohort Study with One Year Follow-Up Journal of Manipulative and Physiological Therapeutics. March/April 2014