Sciatica

Do you know what sciatica is? It basically means leg pain, but there can be many reasons for leg pain. Some causes come from the spine and others are more serious in nature and may require a medical doctor or other testing. If you have sciatica and came to my office for care, the first thing I would do is a complete consultation to find out what could possibly caused the problem. Sometimes you only have leg pain without back pain and other times there is also back pain. Next, I would perform a spinal examination to determine if the cause is from the lumbar or sacral spine. The sciatic nerve is composed of 5 nerves exiting the lumbar and sacral spine. These nerves combine into a bundle called the sciatic nerve. They then branch out into the leg. So, depending on which nerves are impinged would determine where the leg pain is located (ie: front of leg, side of leg, back of leg, from the lower back to the knee or below the knee.) All of these scenarios will have a different cause. Most of the time I would do x-rays to rule out organic causes and can see if the spine is healthy or if there is any disc problems or degeneration present. After these tests I would know whether it is a chiropractic case or a medical case. If it is a chiropractic case I would explain the treatment to you and then start care. All x-rays and exam findings will be discussed with you prior to treatment. If you have any sciatica, please call my office for an evaluation and an adjustment.