How Chiropractic Adjustments Help Relieve Sciatic Nerve Pain

Sciatic nerve pain occurs from inflammation, pinching, compression, or irritation of the nerve in the lower back. This is the thickest and longest nerve in the body. Two nerve roots from the lumbar spine and three from the sacrum make up the sciatic nerve. These nerve roots combine to make up the left and right sciatic nerve. 

One sciatic nerve runs through the hips, the buttocks, and down to the leg, slightly past the knee joint. Then, it branches into nerves and runs down the leg through to the toes. 

What Does Sciatic Nerve Pain Feel Like? 

Descriptions vary depending on the cause of the pain. Some individuals describe it as jolts, shooting, or sharp pain. Other people describe it as stabbing, electric, or burning pain.

Sciatic nerve pain can vary or can be constant. People experience more pain in the legs than in the lower back. They add that they feel more pain when standing or sitting for a long time. A sudden or forced movement such as a sneeze or cough can worsen the pain.

Causes and Risk Factors of Sciatic Nerve Pain

Most of the causes of sciatic nerve pain are due to herniated or slipped disks. But in most cases, sciatica does not have a single apparent source. Other causes include:
 

• Spondylolisthesis – Disk slipping above the vertebra.
   

• Lumbar spinal stenosis – Contraction of the spinal cord in the lower back.
   

• Tumors inside the spine – Can compress the root of the sciatic nerve.
   

• Infection – This can alter the spine.
   

• Cauda equina syndrome – A rare condition that attacks nerves found in the lower part of the spinal cord. 
   

• Injury within the spine.

Common risk factors of sciatica are age, occupation, and an inactive lifestyle. People between the ages of 30 and 40 are at high risk of developing the condition. Sciatic nerve pain is bound to affect individuals who are in professions that entail lifting heavy loads. People who sit for long hours and are generally physically inactive also stand a high chance of developing sciatic nerve pain.

Symptoms of Sciatic Nerve Pain

The following are some of the symptoms of sciatic nerve pain:
 

• Weakness or numbness in the lower back, buttock, leg, or foot.
   

• Pain that worsens during movement.
   

• A feeling of pins or needles in the feet, legs, or toes.
   

• Loss of bladder and bowel control.
   

• Pain in the lower back, buttock, running down the leg to the feet.

What Is Chiropractic Adjustment?

Chiropractic adjustment is a medical procedure where a licensed chiropractor uses their hands or an instrument to manipulate the spine by applying a sudden controlled force to the spinal joint. Spinal manipulation through this procedure helps improve the physical function of the body and its spinal motion.

How Chiropractic Adjustment Can Relieve Sciatic Nerve Pain 

A chiropractor can relieve sciatic nerve pain by applying spinal manipulations. Manipulating the spine allows the herniated discs to rest back into their positions and offer relief to the sciatic nerve. Chiropractic adjustment frees the limited movement of the spine and restores the misaligned vertebral discs.

For more on how chiropractic adjustments can relieve sciatic nerve pain, visit Dr. Dan Kirschner Chiropractic at our office in Arcadia, Florida. You can call (941) 330-8553 today to schedule an appointment.