Your Guide to Sciatica (Nerve Pain) - Causes, Symptoms, Treatment

Do you have a pain in your back and leg?

It might be Sciatica. Sciatica is a common condition affecting millions of people around the world. Symptoms of sciatica can include pain, numbness, and tingling in the affected area. Treatment for Sciatica usually includes stretching exercises, physical therapy, medications, and even surgery in some cases.

Ok let’s explore this condition in more detail in the following article. 

If you have been diagnosed as having Sciatica, or think that you may have this condition, read on.

What is the Sciatic nerve?

The sciatic nerve is actually not one nerve.

It is a combination of nerves from the lower back and pelvis that join together in the lower pelvic area and then travel down the leg. 

As it travels down the leg it again splits off into smaller nerves to different parts of your leg, all the way to your foot. 

These nerves control muscles, blood flow, and sensations like touch, hot and cold awareness.

How amazing is that!

What is Sciatica?

Simply put, Sciatica is an irritation of the sciatic nerve. 

Moreover, Sciatica is a condition that affects the sciatic nerve, which runs from the lower back down through the buttocks and into each leg. It is caused by irritation or compression of the nerve, resulting in pain, tingling, numbness or weakness in one or both legs. 

What causes sciatic nerve irritation?

The sciatica nerve can be irritated anywhere along its path.

Sciatica can be caused by a variety of conditions ranging from:

The most common causes are:

Spinal disc bulgingSpinal disc degenerationSpinal bone spurringSpinal facet inflammation Pelvic joint inflammation = the sacro-Iliac jointsTail bone, coccyx, inflammationLower rib joint inflammation Hip joint inflammation Psoas muscle spasm Quadratus muscle spasmPiriformis muscle spasmPoor posturePregnancy (and biomechanical changes)Muscle imbalancesHerniated discs.

In my experience, the most common of these causes is Spinal Disc Pressure on the sciatic nerve.

Symptoms of Sciatica

Irritation of the sciatic nerve can produce symptoms such as:

Pain in your legPins and needles, tingling, numbness in your legWeakness in your leg musclesMuscle wasting and shrinking in your legCramping in your legSwelling in your legRestless legs, especially at night.

Sciatica mostly occurs in one leg

If it is occurring in both legs then it’s probably not Sciatica, but another condition called Spinal Stenosis. 

Sciatica Diagnosis and Treatment

Given there are so many possible causes of Sciatica, assessing and diagnosing the cause of Sciatica is complex, but essential for successful treatment. 

Treatment for sciatica depends on the underlying cause and severity of symptoms. Common treatment options include physical therapy, medications, injections, surgery and lifestyle changes such as exercise and posture correction. 

Additionally, alternative therapies such as acupuncture and massage may also be beneficial in relieving sciatica related pain.

What About Chiropractic Care for Sciatica Treatment?

Chiropractic care can be used to treat some cases of Sciatica. Treatment for sciatica pain focuses on determining the root cause of the problem (which from my experience is commonly spinal disc pressure on the nerve). 

Assessing the cause is important, after which we can perform adjustments or other targeted treatment options.

Chiropractors offer a hands-on and natural approach that often addresses sciatica with spinal adjustments, massage and stretches..

If you found this article interesting or have a comment or question please contact me. You can find out more about chiropractic care here. 

Author: Dr. Wayne Gard (Chiropractor). Dr. Wayne Gard (Chiropractor) is a qualified Chiropractor, Naturopath, and Acupuncturist in Sydney, Australia. Dr. Wayne has been practising for 30+ years and brings a wealth of experience to the TherapyWorks team.