Can Chiropractors Help with Sciatica?

Dealing with sciatica can impact everything you do during your daily life. This condition refers to the

pain that radiates down your sciatic nerve, but there are other issues that can go along with it, as well.

It’s often caused by the compression or irritation of the sciatic nerve, and correcting those issues can

provide a lot of relief, but it’s important to identify the underlying causes.

The sciatic nerve starts in your lower back and extends downward through the buttocks and each leg.

This is the longest nerve in the human body, so when there’s any pain associated with it, you’re going to

feel discomfort or pain. Chiropractic adjustments can keep your spine aligned, allowing the proper

communication from the sciatic nerve and preventing it from being compressed.

What Do Spinal Adjustments Do?

At their core, spinal adjustments realign the spine to allow your nervous system to communicate

properly throughout your body. By correcting misalignments, it can improve the overall spinal function

to reduce nerve irritation. Chiropractors can use techniques to mobilize the spine and surrounding

tissues. This can help reduce muscle tension while improving flexibility. This can potentially alleviate

sciatic pain through the enhancement of overall spinal health.

When dealing with sciatica, it’s generally dealing with a compressed nerve. However, that compression

could come through a herniated disk or the development of bone spurs on the spine. A spinal

adjustment can help identify some of these issues, leading to the proper form of treatment. Chiropractic

adjustments can deliver relief for sciatic pain, but each individual may respond differently depending on

the source of the pain. After aligning the spine, it will become easier to identify the cause of the pain

and give insight on potentially preventing it from recurring in the future.

How Else Can Chiropractors Help?

Spinal adjustments are just one of the techniques chiropractors use to help alleviate sciatica. Soft tissue

therapy like massage or trigger point therapy can address muscle tightness, scar tissue, or other soft

tissue abnormalities that could be compressing the nerve. Chiropractors can also collaborate with other

healthcare providers – like physical therapists and other pain specialists – to address numerous aspects

of the condition to optimize treatment.

Your chiropractor should also be able to offer some preventative advice in the form of lifestyle

modifications or other corrections. Things like ergonomics at work, implementing proper lifting

techniques and maintaining a healthy weight will support spinal health and reduce the risk of sciatica

recurring. Poor posture can also make sciatic nerve compression worse, and getting guidance on proper

posture can also reduce the strain on the nerve.

There are a number of ways that chiropractors can help with sciatic nerve pain, and having a properly

aligned spine is just one of them. Sciatic pain is something that can impact everything from focus at

work to interfering with comfortably enjoying everyday life. For more information on how chiropractic

care can help with sciatica, reach out to Dr. Morgan Sheridan at Foundation Chiropractic today.