Sciatica

Understanding Sciatica and How Chiropractic Care Can Help

 Chiropractors can help alleviate a variety of ailments. A certain type of leg pain where it feels like your entire leg is tingling or numb is known as sciatica and Dr. Scott Duca at Back on Track Chiropractic & Wellness Center serving the Birmingham AL area can help you understand it and treat it.

Sciatica

What is Sciatica

 Sciatica is not an actual condition itself, but a symptom of another condition usually involving bulging, degenerating, inflamed or misaligned spinal discs.  Those spinal issues push on the sciatic nerve, causing the sciatic nerve pain. The term “sciatica” is used as an umbrella term that encompasses the symptoms and sciatic nerve pain caused by whatever the underlying spinal condition is.

What Are the Symptoms of Sciatica?

Sciatica is typically thought of like a leg condition because that is the main part of the body effected by the sciatic nerve pain.  Symptoms can include weakness, tingling or numbness down the entire leg.  For many, these symptoms and sciatic nerve pain rarely happens to occasionally and is irritating but does go away.  For many, though, sciatica can get far worse.  Other patients experience what they describe as “electrical shocks” running down their leg, or burning pain, says Spine-health. Usually, symptoms of sciatic nerve pain are down one leg but not both. The pain typically starts in the buttocks or low back, heads down the back of the thigh and into the foot.  Sometimes the pins and needles or shooting pain are so severe that it makes it difficult to stand, walk or balance. These symptoms can be constant, and even intensify from a sudden movement like sneezing, or when changing positions, like standing up, Spine-health says.

What Causes Sciatica

There is a nerve that is attached to the spine beginning in the lower back, called the sciatic nerve. The sciatic nerve branches out to the rest of the spinal column run through the buttock and down the back of each leg. Once it gets into the leg, the sciatic nerve splits again and reaches into the thigh, calf, foot, and even the toes.  The sciatic nerve is the longest nerve in the body, which makes sciatica very troublesome to deal with.  Because the sciatic nerve begins in the back, conditions like herniated discs in the lower back, degenerative disc disease, stress fractures in the vertebrae, spinal stenosis (the narrowing of the spinal canal) in the lower back and even issues like scar tissue, muscle strain, infections and pregnancy can cause sciatica, according to Spine-health.

Contact Back On Track Chiropractic in Birmingham, AL!

Because this issue originates from an issue in the back, chiropractors like Dr. Duca can help by first assessing the pain and where it is originating. Then he uses manual spinal manipulation, spinal decompression, and retraining of your posture to help release the pinching of that sciatic nerve. He also teaches patients exercises and different ways to avoid re-aggravating sciatica again, but of course, is always there for you when you need him.  If you are suffering from any of these symptoms or spinal conditions and are in or visiting the Birmingham AL area, call us at Back on Track Chiropractic & Wellness Center treating at (205) 942-4243 today!

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7:30 am - 12:00 pm

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Tuesday

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Wednesday

7:30 am - 12:00 pm

3:00 pm - 6:00 pm

Thursday

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Friday

7:30 am - 12:00 pm

3:00 pm - 6:00 pm

Saturday

Closed

Sunday

Closed

Monday
7:30 am - 12:00 pm 3:00 pm - 6:00 pm
Tuesday
10:00 am - 2:00 pm
Wednesday
7:30 am - 12:00 pm 3:00 pm - 6:00 pm
Thursday
Closed
Friday
7:30 am - 12:00 pm 3:00 pm - 6:00 pm
Saturday
Closed
Sunday
Closed