Sciatica Treatment in Jacksonville, FL
Sciatica can be an extremely painful and disruptive experience. It can be confused with other symptoms and conditions that affect the low back, hips, and legs. The sciatic nerve is the largest in the human body, running all the way from the hips, through the buttocks, and down each leg, stopping below both knees. Sciatica is a very specific condition describing the compression of the sciatic nerve and the symptoms that come from it.
The pain from sciatica can occur at almost any point along the sciatic nerve's pathway. The most common presentation pattern of sciatica pain traces a path from the low back to the buttock, then down the back of the thigh to the top of the calf. The pain can be anything from a mild or dull ache to a burning, sharp pain. In some cases, it may feel like an electric shock or jolt. There may also be tingling, weakness, or numbness in the leg or foot. Interestingly, one part of the personโs leg could feel pain while another feels numb. Sciatica symptoms are almost always experienced only on one side of the body. They can be made worse by sitting for long hours, sneezing, or coughing.
Acute sciatica lasts only a couple of days or weeks. Sciatica may become chronic if it remains for more than three months or if it goes away and comes back again. As it becomes chronic, sciatica can become harder to bring under control. Thatโs one of the reasons itโs crucial to seek help early!
There are a few known risk factors for sciatica, and the good news is that some are controllable! Age, occupation, prolonged sitting, obesity, and diabetes are some of the main ones. Taking action to minimize the effects of some of those risk factors can significantly improve your sciatica pain.
Come see how chiropractic can help get rid of sciatica and keep it gone!
How We Treat Sciatica in Jacksonville, Florida
Comprehensive Consultation and Exam for Sciatica
Sciatica can be an extremely disruptive and painful problem. Fortunately, chiropractic is often able to get excellent results with sciatica. The first step in determining whether or not we can help is to understand exactly whatโs causing your sciatica. Weโll need to understand how your unique history, habits, and traumas may have led to your pain. Getting to the root cause of your sciatica and correcting that is the priority.
If we donโt remove the source of the problem, your sciatica will return again and again. That can be very frustrating, and breaking the cycle can take some work. At your evaluation, weโll go through some important tests to uncover problems in your spine, including determining where and how itโs not moving well.
With X-rays, we can more closely examine your spine to learn more about your sciatica, whatโs causing it, and how to provide long-term sciatica relief.
Chiropractic Care in Jacksonville, FL
Chiropractic is so helpful for so many people because it improves how your body functions at the deepest level, removing the root cause of problems like sciatica. Subluxation is a state where your body has more stress than it can handle. This excess of stress puts pressure on your nervous system, and that stress results in a variety of health problems, including sciatica. Sciatica can be one of the most painful and distressing signs of subluxation.
Chiropractic removes that nerve pressure and helps reset how you operate because each chiropractic adjustment decreases the amount of stress in your body. Receiving regular chiropractic adjustments moves you into a state of ease and balance, keeping your body relaxed and pain-free for the long term. Eliminating your sciatica is only the tip of the iceberg; with less stress on your nervous system, your overall quality of life will increase dramatically.
And remember: these improvements donโt need to be only for the short term. With time and consistency, the healing benefits will compound. That means a state of ease and relaxation will gradually become your bodyโs new normal state. A relaxed nervous system gives your body the highest chance of getting rid of your sciatica and having it not return.
Common Causes of Sciatica
Herniated Discs
Your spine comprises twenty-four moveable bones (called vertebrae) and the discs between them. The discs are softer than bone, and one purpose is to cushion your spine. Another is to maintain healthy spacing for your spinal nerves. However, in some cases, such as disc herniations, the discs themselves become a problem. Usually, due to unbalanced pressure caused by (preventable) misalignments in your spine, the disc can start to bulge out of its normal position. That can start to put pressure on the nerves in that area.
If the bulge is left as it is, the fibers making up the outer covering of the disc may dehydrate and wear away. Eventually, those fibers may tear, and the softer inner part of the disc may start to leak out. This is called a herniated disc, and it can cause even more intense pain. This can become very serious very quickly. Taking care of problems like this fast is critical to avoid surgery or more invasive treatment. Chiropractic care can realign your spine, taking pressure off your discs so things donโt progress too far.
Degenerative Disc Disease
With Degenerative Disc Disease (DDD), an age-related condition, the discs between your spinal bones break down. One of the jobs of your discs is to provide spacing for your spinal nerves. When the discs break down, those spaces narrow, putting pressure on the nerves. In some cases, the sciatic nerve can be affected, leading to the painful experience of sciatica.
We can slow the progression of DDD, but we canโt reverse it. Thereโs good news and bad news there: we may not be able to get rid of the degeneration, but thereโs plenty of hope for improvements in the symptoms of DDD, including sciatica. Chiropractic adjustments are the best way to keep your spine moving in a healthy way, to stop the progression of Degenerative Disc Disease. And hereโs more good news: some factors contributing to DDD include work thatโs rough on the spine, smoking, and obesity. All of those factors are under your control! If you want to improve the health of your spine and feel better, you can do that!
Spinal Stenosis
Your spine is brilliantly designed! There are holes in your vertebrae that your nerves exit through to service your body. Spinal stenosis is when those spaces narrow, and thereโs less space for your nerves. This leads to pressure on the spinal cord itself or some of the roots of the spinal nerves.
In the beginning, spinal stenosis may cause no symptoms at all. However, as it gradually progresses and those spaces get narrower and narrower, symptoms will develop and worsen over time. We commonly find spinal stenosis in the low back, and symptoms most often include severe pain, numbness, and weakness. In addition to the sciatica-type symptoms, organs such as the bowel and bladder may also be affected.
Subluxation
If your spine is out of alignment, it may be putting pressure on some of your nerves. That nerve pressure can lead to pain or other symptoms in other parts of the body. When the sciatic nerve feels pressure, the result can be excruciating.
Fortunately, chiropractic has long produced excellent results with sciatica. By correcting the misaligned parts of your spine, we can often bring your spine and body back into greater balance. Taking pressure off the nerve allows your body to work better and heal itself. That often results in the sciatica pain going away, more energy, more vitality, and more health.
Frequently Asked Questions
Because many different things can cause sciatica pain, it can be helpful to try a variety of approaches to get some relief. Heat, ice, and stretching the low back can provide respite, and chiropractic adjustments are also often beneficial.
There is no clear answer to this question besides experimenting until you find something that works for you. In some instances, itโs best to lie on your back with a cushion under your knees for support. In others, lying on one side or the other might bring some relief. Generally, lying face-down on your belly is the worst position for sciatica, as it can worsen things. Experiment with different positions, and youโll find something that works for you. You may need to change sleeping positions over time, too!
Stretching and sciatica have a complicated relationship. Depending on whatโs causing the sciatica, stretching can range from tremendously helpful to making things worse. Because of that, stretching can help relieve pain in some cases, but consult with us first.
A few exercises have been shown to help in many cases of sciatica and can be used without much concern for making things worse - lower trunk rotations, pelvic tilt, knee to chest, and all fours opposite arm and leg extensions. In addition to those basic exercises, simply taking regular walks may help bring some relief.
What We Help With
Check Out Our Location Near You
3645 Park St, Jacksonville, FL 32205
Member ofย Florida Chiropractic Society
Former professional athlete (baseball)
Certified in the Syntropy Chiropractic Training methodology.
Former UNF alumni and student-athlete
Carbon Neutral Business
Founder of โRaiz da Curaโ a non-profit organization in Brasil developed to deliver free chiropractic care to the underserved population