You’ve probably heard that name before, even if you’ve never had lower back PAIN. Well let me just shed some light on that term and what it means to you.
Several pairs (thousands and thousands) of nerves exit your spine to form the large sciatic nerves.
How do you know if you have sciatica?
- You’ll have pain in the buttocks or leg that worsens when sitting
- You can have burning or tingling down one or both legs
- Weakness, numbness or difficulty using your leg or foot
- A shooting pain that makes standing or getting up from the sitting position difficult
If these symptoms sound familiar, you’re likely in your 40’s or 50’s and have pain when coughing, sneezing or any kind of movement. You most likely have sciatica.
Like a large river created by lots and lots of smaller streams, four or five pairs of nerves exit the spine in the lower back to form the two large sciatic nerves.
The ‘soft pulpy’ disc between ‘each’ spinal bone is often involved. Not let me just clarify something. A disc in your back can’t “slip.” Imagine a water balloon. It can bulge, herniate or even rupture. That’s what happens to your disc. This bulging can put direct pressure on your super sensitive nerves that are nearby.
The RESULT? You’ll have some painful swelling. You’ll get some inflammation which is very painful. You’ll be very uncomfortable. Depending on where the sciatic nerve is affected, the pain may also radiate down to your foot or toes.
“While sciatica can be distracting, if corrected promptly it rarely produces permanent nerve damage.”
The only challenge seems to an impatient patient who expects instant, overnight results. Unlike artificial solutions such as drugs or the more drastic surgery, the intent of chiropractic care is to help restore the proper relationships between bones, discs and nerves. In other words, correct the problem and not COVER it up. This natural approach, relying on the healing ability of your own body, moves at its own pace. Do you know someone who could be helped? If you do, give them this flyer. You can help.