If you are looking for sciatica pain relief you are not alone. According to the Mayo Clinic there are more than 3 million cases a year in the US. They also describe it as resolving within months.

Months! Who has months to suffer from sciatica pain? 

Before we get deeper let’s talk a bit about what sciatica is and what it is not. I see a lot of people who come in and tell me they have sciatica. From the history alone I can often tell it is not sciatica, and that’s a good thing. 

What is Sciatica?

You know about the pain of sciatica but what is happening? Something has caused an inflammation of the sciatic nerve and that affects how the nerve works. Like any inflammation, sciatica causes pain. Since it also controls some muscles in the leg and foot, sciatica can also cause weakness of the leg. 

The most common symptoms of sciatica are:

• Lower back pain
• Pain radiating into typically one buttock
• Pain into the back of the leg
• Burning, tingling, or numbness in the leg

What causes sciatica? 

The most worrisome cause is a herniated, “bulged”, or “slipped” disc in the low back that puts pressure on the sciatic nerve. Sometimes disc herniations require surgery and even when they don’t the healing is a slow process. 

Bone spurs can also put pressure on the sciatic nerve and arthritis can narrow the space where the nerve leaves the spine. 

Quite often someone thinks they have sciatica pain but the pain they are experiencing is down the side of their leg. This might be very uncomfortable but the good news is that it is not sciatica. 

The sciatic nerve runs down the entire leg and controls the muscles of the leg and gives sensation to the back of the thigh, calf, and bottom of the foot. 

What Kind of Tests Should be Done?

If you have sciatica it’s important to find out what’s causing it so that the best treatment can be done. 

• X-Rays will tell if there are any bone spurs, disc narrowing, or arthritis. This can help give an idea of how well you might respond to conservative care. 
• MRI is the best test to evaluate the discs between L4 and L5 and between L5 and the Sacrum. This can tell if you have a herniation or protrusion that might require surgery. 
• EMG/NCV are tests to measure the function of the nerves in the leg and can tell if the nerve has been damaged. This would be appropriate if the exam showed a weakness of any muscles in the affected leg. 

The Key to Sciatica Pain Relief

Pain in general is a sign of imbalance in the body. The imbalance could be biochemical or physiological or structural. In the case of sciatica pain the imbalance is almost always structural. We’ve already discussed what are called “space occupying lesions” like bone spurs and disc herniations. Now let’s move on to imbalance. 

The sciatic nerve originates in the lower back from the last 2 vertebrae and the sacrum or tailbone. Balance in this area is essential for the sciatic nerves to move freely as they exit the spine and pelvis and travel down the legs.

The primary key to sciatica pain relief is to restore balance to this area. Let’s look at some areas that typically require attention:

• Pelvis: the pelvis must be level or with every step there is increased stress, force, and torque to the lower lumbar spine. This is one huge contributor to lumbar disc issues. The pelvis is the foundation for the entire upper body and absorbs shock from the legs.

The Sacroiliac joints of the pelvis must both have normal motion. They should move with every step you take and a loss of motion puts added stress onto the other SI joint as well as the lumbar discs.

• Lumbar Spine: the lumbar vertebrae must have normal motion. Otherwise as you move, walk, bend the sciatic nerves will experience increased tension and the result can be inflammation causing sciatica. 
• Hip Joints: the hips, where your legs join the pelvis must be able to move normally in order for you to walk, climb stairs, bend, etc freely. As the hips get restricted or experience arthritis added stress is passed to the SI joints and lumbar spine. 

In the absence of trauma sciatica pain is a sure sign of imbalance that your body is no longer able to compensate for. Restoring mobility and balance is key to eliminating the source of the irritation. 

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