Chiropractic Treatment of Sciatica
Chiropractic treatment can take care of many common issues, capitalizing on the body’s potential to heal itself. Sciatica, a common traveling pain that begins in the lower back and moves to the legs, can be treated with chiropractic care.
Sciatica pain often presents itself as achy or sometimes sharp pain, a pins and needles feeling or numbness. Sciatica is a symptom of disorders, rather than a disorder itself. Sciatica is caused by nerve compression from things like slipped discs, pregnancy and childbirth, straining while using the bathroom, among other things. Chiropractic treatment, which is rooted in the idea that limited spine movement can cause pain, is non-invasive and drug free. Often, this is a better and safer choice for treatment.
There are multiple ways to treat Sciatica using chiropractic care. A chiropractor can use ice or cold therapy to reduce inflammation caused by sciatica. The cold treatment provides pain relief and helps alleviate the intense pain, making it more bearable day to day.
Nault Chiropractic in Worcester, offers chiropractic care for the treatment of Sciatica symptoms. Dr. Stephen Nault can help restore you to a pain free life through holistic chiropractic care. If you suffer from sciatica, contact Nault Chiropractic today.
Chiropractors can also use ultrasound technology to heat the area. The heat from the ultrasound will send sound waves deeply into the tissue, which can increase circulation and relax the muscles. Ultrasound treatment is gentle and can reduce muscle spasms, stiffness, numbness and cramping caused by sciatica. When treating with ultrasound, patients will generally receive multiple sessions of ultrasound therapy in an effort to reduce or alleviate pain.
A chiropractor can also use transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation, or TENS, to reduce acute pain or muscle spasms. TENS are small battery powered muscle stimulating machines. When the muscles are stimulated, the chiropractor is able to restore mobility into the spine, possibly freeing a pinched nerve that may be causing the pain or numbness.
Spinal adjustments are another way chiropractors can treat sciatica. This treatment is the most common way of alleviating sciatica pain. Spinal adjustment, or spinal manipulation, can help align the spine and loosen any limitations the spine may have. The goal is to restore full range of motion of the spine, thus improving function of the spine. Spinal manipulation can reduce inflammation and pain, though the adjustment itself should not be painful. Techniques include high power thrusts to gentle pressure.
Chiropractors can also assign rehabilitative exercises to the patient to help with sciatica pain. These exercises can help with range of motion and strengthening the spine. The exercises are generally given to the patient to complete over a period of time. At the end of that period of time, the chiropractor will evaluate the success of the exercise’s effect on the pain.
Often times, chiropractors will treat the sciatica in combination with the underlying cause of the sciatica pain. Adjustments during pregnancy are safe and possible. Through chiropractic care, the pain and numbness of sciatica can be reduced or completely eliminated.
