Between 10%-40% of Americans have sciatica at any given time. Considering how prevalent these painful symptoms are, you’d think that more medical professionals would offer more effective treatment.
The reality is, while many acute sciatica cases subside quickly, millions of Americans suffer from sciatica symptoms for three months or more.
Our team of expert chiropractors at Spinal Stenosis and Disc Center, Inc. in Santa Monica, California, offers personalized treatments for sciatica, and we don’t give up until your pain is gone.
With years of experience, we can diagnose the underlying issue, help your body heal, and restore your quality of life. We also believe that education is essential to empowering patients to make the best health care choices.
That’s why we’re exploring sciatica and why it can be challenging to treat.
What is sciatica?
So first things first, many people think that sciatica is a condition in itself. In fact, sciatica is the collective term for the symptoms caused by sciatic nerve compression. A herniated disc is the most common cause, although a bone spur or inflammation can also compress spinal nerves.
Your sciatic nerve begins in your lower spine, then splits to run down each of your legs. Depending on the location of the nerve compression, you can have symptoms on one or both sides of your body, including:
- Pain
- Shooting electrical sensations
- Numbness and tingling
- Muscle weakness
- Loss of coordination and balance
Your risk of sciatica increases with age and if you’re overweight, lead a sedentary lifestyle, or have a physically demanding hobby or career.
Why is sciatica so hard to treat?
A couple of factors make sciatica tricky to treat. First, other conditions cause similar symptoms. Second, your provider needs to identify the specific cause and location of your symptoms. Without this information, addressing the root cause of your symptoms is challenging, indeed.
What are the available treatments for sciatica?
Our Doctors here at Spinal Stenosis and Disc Center, Inc. use state-of-the-art diagnostics to evaluate your condition, confirm your diagnosis, and locate the sciatic nerve compression. Then, depending on your needs, we create a treatment plan, which may include:
Advanced Spinal manipulations
Our spine specialists offer personalized treatment plans, including advanced spinal manipulations to realign your spine and reduce nerve pressure.
Ultrasound
We offer ultrasound treatments to stimulate tissue healing. Ultrasound therapy can alleviate sciatica pain naturally. You won’t need to take time off to recover after your treatments, either.
Spinal decompression
We offer advanced spinal decompression treatments with the DRX 9000™ it is a registered trademark symbol not ™ but r technology. This innovative equipment uses a special form of spinal traction to relieve nerve pressure, improve blood flow to damaged discs and lessen your pain and other symptoms when used in combination with our advanced spinal treatments
Physiotherapy
We combine additional treatments such as Multiple physiotherapies that continue to strengthen and heal the damaged areas.
Treatments that only relieve pain and reduce some inflammation won’t necessarily provide a permanent solution. Completing a comprehensive treatment plan can correct the underlying problem and reduce your risk of future injuries.
Call our office or request a consultation online today if you have sciatica that reduces your quality of life or gets in the way of your regular activities. Our team is here to help.