SCIATICA Treatment in Portland
Compression or pinching of the sciatic nerve triggers pain in the lower back, pelvis, and leg, commonly known as sciatica. If you develop these symptoms, visit Premier Care Chiropractic in Portland, Oregon. Their expertise in chiropractic adjustments can quickly address the cause of your sciatica, relieving pain and improving mobility.
Schedule an appointment today to start the healing process.
Sciatica Frequently Asked Questions
What is sciatica?
Sciatica is a lower back condition where pain travels from your low back through your hip and buttocks and part or all the way down your leg. Usually, sciatica only affects one leg, but it is possible to experience pain on both sides. The reason you feel sciatica pain down your leg is because the pain follows the path of the sciatic nerve. The sciatic nerve originates from lower back (lumbar) nerve roots and travels down the leg to the foot.
Sciatica is caused by compression of the sciatic nerve at some point along the nerve’s path. The most common sites of compression are at one or multiple nerve roots due to disc herniation or at the piriformis muscle due to increased tension in one of the muscles in the gluteal region.
What causes sciatica?
Sciatica results from sciatic nerve compression either at the nerve root level (L4-S3) where it originates or farther down the nerve as it travels down the leg.
This nerve compression could result from:
- Muscle spasm or hypertonicity in the low back or gluteal muscles
- Herniated or bulging discs in your lumbar spine
- Spinal stenosis (narrowing of the spinal canal)
- Arthritis and bone spurs
- Spondylolisthesis (vertebrae slipping over other vertebrae)
- Degenerative disc disease
- Pregnancy
You’re more likely to suffer from sciatica if you sit too much, don’t exercise enough, or have excess body weight. Wearing high heels and sleeping on an unsupportive mattress also increase your risk of sciatica.
What are other symptoms of sciatica?
In addition to the typical lower back and leg pain sciatica causes, you might experience:
- Tingling or prickling sensation
- Pins-and-needles sensation
- Muscle weakness
- Numbness
- Difficulty controlling leg movements
These symptoms might be present some of the time or they may be constant. Sciatica pain severity varies between mild and agonizing, and typically worsens when you sit down.
How is sciatica treated?
Treating sciatica successfully is likely to require chiropractic adjustments to realign your spine. Premier Care Chiropractic’s experienced practitioners have specialized skills that enable them to identify the cause of your sciatica and relieve sciatic nerve compression.
Your chiropractor can use various techniques. One of the primary ones is high-velocity low-amplitude (HVLA) thrusts, where they use their hands to make fast, precise spinal adjustments. Another technique is instrument-assisted soft tissue mobilization, where your chiropractor uses specially designed instruments to address muscle spasm and tension in the soft tissues in the affected area.
If your sciatica is due to a spinal disc problem, decompression can help. This is a noninvasive therapy where you lie on a treatment table that gently stretches your back and creates separation between your vertebrae. The stretching allows any bulging or herniated disc material to move back to its proper position. Premier Care offers two decompression options which allows the practitioners at premier care to accommodate different patient needs.
You might benefit from massage therapy following chiropractic adjustments to ease the muscle tension and help your spine stay aligned. Physical therapy can also help by increasing your strength and flexibility and by decreasing muscle tension.
