At The Back Doctor, a chiropractor in West Sussex, we will work with you and listen to your body’s needs to help relieve pain and treat your sciatica. Our chiropractic treatments will only go at the speed of your body’s healing process.
Visiting a chiropractor may seem scary at first, but we guarantee you a calm and reassuring place to visit. Read our other blog on ‘Does it hurt when you go to a chiropractor’.
With something as painful and debilitating as sciatica, we highly recommend calling us on 01444 453888 to see how we can help you live your life to the fullest, without sciatica holding you back!
What is sciatica?
Interwoven within the spine is the nervous system. This consists of the brain, spinal cord, and bodily nerves.
The nervous system is known as the master system. This system is sending and receiving messages back and forth to the back at approximately 300kph.
Unlike muscle, the nerves stretch only a small amount in comparison. If they are stretched or pressure is placed on them, this will trigger protective muscle spasms to minimize the effect or damage to the master system.
The sciatic nerve is the most common nerve to suffer nerve impingement called sciatica.
At The Back Doctor, we realise sciatica is a symptom and not the cause. In a detailed examination, we will find where and why the sciatic nerve is being impinged and work towards resolving this cause.
Classic presentation
The likely cause of sciatica is in the lower back and could be a postural cause or a more serious reason.
Such as structural damage to the spinal joint or the cushion-like disc between the bones.
A patient with sciatica will lose their flexibility in the leg and will feel stiff when bending, twisting, and lifting.
The muscles will lose their strength and putting weight onto your foot may be difficult. Classic sciatic pain starts in the buttock, travelling into the leg and foot.
If the nerve is stretched or pressure placed suddenly, sharp pain will be felt.
What we will do
Nerve impingement of the sciatic nerve will cause inflammation around the nerve root of the spine. This is there for your benefit, to heal you and protect the nerve from further damage.
Nerve impingement is not a quick fix, especially if accompanied by structural damage.
Treatment is primarily to aid your body to heal a serious injury.
If we do too much in treatment, the muscle spasms will turn off which are there to protect the nerve impingement.
When they are turned off, the pressure returns to the nerve, causing the muscle spasm to return. All we are doing then is disrupting and slowing the healing process.
Instead, the focus of The Back Doctor technique is only to go at the speed the body is ready to recover.
In our experience, we realise there is no guarantee rushing ahead will benefit you. And in many cases, it can increase the chances of a relapse or worsening the injury.
The goal of the initial period of treatment with a sciatica diagnosis is to improve the injury with healing aids only.
The Back Doctor
Can a Chiropractor Help With Sciatica?
Please feel free to call The Back Doctor, your chiropractor in Sussex, for a free phone consultation to see if we can help you.
01444 453888 | theteam@the-back-doctor.co.uk