Santa Barbara chiropractic knows that sciatica is an extraordinarily painful affliction. If you suffer from sciatic pain, you are, sadly, all too familiar with the deep pain that is constant during your waking hours and interferes with your daily activities.
The path of sciatic pain is usually from your low back, through the buttock(s), and down the large sciatic nerve in the back of your leg(s). Many times, the pain may even travel into your knee. Sitting, as well as motion, can be painful. Occasionally lying down will reduce, or perhaps temporarily get rid of the pain. Nonetheless, sciatica cannot be corrected without appropriate care.
“Radiculopathy,” the medical term for the clinical diagnosis of sciatica, means simply that a disc has bulged from its original position in the vertebral column and is placing pressure on the radicular nerve (nerve root) in the lower back, which forms part of the sciatic nerve. This type of pressure is extraordinarily painful.
Added pressure on the intervertebral discs, as well as imbalances in the muscles encircling the spine, can occur as the result of extended sitting, particularly in a poor position. For the most part, a precise event or exact injury doesn’t create sciatica, instead it tends to come about over time as a result of average wear and tear on the structures of the lower spine. Eventually the lower spine loses its ability to function in a healthy way during everyday requirements.
Finally, the intervertebral disc develops small fissures, or cracks, which then lets the soft nucleus protrude the disc outward. If the disc presses on sensitive tissues, it generates the pain that is often called a slipped disc. If the disc puts pressure on the spinal nerve, an individual can develop sciatica.
Most disc challenges, including sciatica, can be corrected with chiropractic adjustments and care that usually includes postural exercises. If you are experiencing sciatic pain, it is essential for you to seek help from your chiropractor.