Not all pain down the leg is created equal! Much of the leg pain that people show up with in my office isn’t actually sciatica. And, that’s a good thing. It ends up being much easier to correct.
Whether your leg pain is truly sciatica or not the 3 keys we will discuss still hold true.
I think this quote from University of Penn Medicine says it best about sciatica: “Sciatica is a symptom of a medical problem. It is not a medical condition by itself”.
Here’s a post to stimulate your thinking: Chiropractic Restores Balance to the Nervous System
What is Sciatica and How Do You Know You Have it?
Sciatica is pain, numbness, tingling down the leg caused by pressure and irritation of the Sciatic Nerve. The sciatic nerve comes from your lower back and pelvis and travels down the back of your leg.
True sciatica is experienced as pain down the back of the leg. It can travel into the buttocks, the thigh, the calf, or all the way to the foot. If the pain is experienced more on the side of the thigh it is likely not sciatica.
The only real way of knowing if it is sciatica is to do neurological testing like EMG and Nerve Conduction Velocity (NCV) tests. They are often not necessary.
It is important to distinguish between a functional imbalance causing the irritation and inflammation, and something putting direct pressure on the Sciatic Nerve. What could put this pressure on the sciatic nerve?
- Lumbar Disc bulge or herniation can put direct pressure on the nerve
- Bone Spur from degenerative arthritis can put pressure on the nerve
- Some other growth that occupies space can put pressure on the nerve
- Piriformis Muscle can put pressure on the nerve but this is relatively rare
Sciatica is a Sign of Imbalance
The sciatic nerve like all nerves exiting the spine is well protected. The purpose of the spine beyond support is to protect the delicate spinal cord and nervous system. There are openings between each two vertebrae that offer plenty of space for the nerve to exit the spine and start its journey down the leg.
Sciatica, or irritation to the sciatic nerve is a sure sign of imbalance causing the spine and soft tissues to not work properly. Structural imbalance causes functional imbalance and for each imbalance the body attempts to compensate, all in an effort to maintain as much balance as possible.
Over time each compensation creates additional compensation resulting progressive dysfunction, tension, pressure and inflammation over time.
Your body is continually working to restore and maintain balance. When that balance is biochemical or physiological we call it homeostasis. The same holds true for the structure of the body and its relationship with the nervous system. The body works best and is able to maintain health when in balance.
Sometimes the stresses we encounter – physical, emotional, chemical – exceed our body’s ability to return to balance. At these times the body doesn’t need help so much in correcting the problem as it does in returning to balance.
Sciatica and other causes of leg pain are a great example of an imbalance that has become severe enough that it is causing leg pain.
3 Essential Keys to Solving Sciatica
We’ve already established that Sciatica is proof positive that the body is out of balance and unable to return to balance on its own. Let’s look at how chiropractic treatment for sciatica can help correct this.
Essential Key #1: Return to Structural Balance – since the sciatic nerve originates in the lower lumbar spine and sacrum (tailbone) any imbalance in the foundation creates tremendous stress and muscle spasm in an attempt to restore balance. Over time as the body continues to compensate to adjust to the imbalance the sciatic nerve becomes irritated and inflamed.
To solve this you want a chiropractor who has an approach and technique that is corrective and balancing to bring that area back into balance.
Essential Key #2: Mobility – the joints of the entire spine but especially in the case of sciatica, those of the lower back and pelvis have a primary purpose. They are there to provide motion. When a joint or joint loses its proper motion it causes a couple of compensations and reactions. Other joints start to move more in an attempt to compensate for the loss of motion. Over time these joints become inflamed from carrying the excess load. The joints that have lost their motion start to break down, eventually causing arthritis and muscle spasm.
This lack of motion puts added tension on the sciatic nerve causing inflammation and pain.
Essential Key #3: Muscle Balance and Posture – Our lifestyle involves significant sitting and over time sitting causes a loss of strength of the postural muscles called the posterior chain muscles. To fully restore balance and function these muscles need to be activated so that you can effectively counter the force of gravity.
From a postural standpoint the goal is to avoid positions that add stress to the spine and perpetuate a condition like sciatica. The two most obvious examples are how we sit and stand. You should strive to sit on both “sit bones” equally without leaning to one side or the other. Crossing your legs shifts your weight to one side and puts a twist in your spine.
When you stand, do your best to stand equally on both feet without shifting your weight to one foot or the other.
Like almost every other health challenge, sciatica is the result of the body being out of balance and unable to return to balance on its own. Outside of powerful pain medication or surgery the only workable solution is to identify the imbalance and help correct it.
When the imbalance is corrected the cause of the inflammation is removed and the sciatica starts to resolve. It typically improves by moving up the leg toward the lower back. In the absence of trauma or a more serious underlying health condition sciatica is most often an indication of a longstanding spinal and pelvic imbalance.
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