I often have people come to my office with lower back pain and say "I have Sciatica". It is true that Sciatica can cause lower back pain, but that is not the only symptom and Sciatica is not the only thing that can cause lower back pain.
So what is Sciatica exactly? Sciatica is an irritation of the Sciatic nerve. The Sciatic nerve is comprised of the lower three nerve roots that come out of your lumbar spine L4, L5 and S1 as well as two sacral nerve roots S2 and S3. Irritation can happen as a spinal nerve exits the spinal canal, on the sciatic nerve itself or further down the line as the nerve splits and innervates muscles and skin. The Sciatic nerve sends signals to contract muscles and receives signals from nerves about touch, temperature and pain. The symptoms of Sciatica include: Lower back and/or leg pain, burning and/or electric like pain, weakness in muscles of the lower leg, loss of reflexes and numbness, tingling or pins and needles. The pain and numbness often happen in specific patterns associated with the nerve root that is involved, sometimes there are more than one levels effected. It can be subtle or completely disabling.
There are actually several different causes of the irritation of the nerve giving different symptoms and prognosis. Herniated discs cause Sciatica when the disc puts pressure a nerve root. Facet syndrome is an irritation of the facet joints that can also affect the a nerve root and cause the symptoms of Sciatica. Piriformis syndrome is an entrapment of the Sciatic nerve from the piriformis muscle. Each of these causes are treated differently.
The most important step is proper diagnosis, finding which area is irritating the nerve. Chiropractic care can help with Sciatic pain by reducing pressure on the nerve at any of these sites. If you suspect that you have Sciatica call your chiropractor today for a proper assessment.
Dr. Nelson
So what is Sciatica exactly? Sciatica is an irritation of the Sciatic nerve. The Sciatic nerve is comprised of the lower three nerve roots that come out of your lumbar spine L4, L5 and S1 as well as two sacral nerve roots S2 and S3. Irritation can happen as a spinal nerve exits the spinal canal, on the sciatic nerve itself or further down the line as the nerve splits and innervates muscles and skin. The Sciatic nerve sends signals to contract muscles and receives signals from nerves about touch, temperature and pain. The symptoms of Sciatica include: Lower back and/or leg pain, burning and/or electric like pain, weakness in muscles of the lower leg, loss of reflexes and numbness, tingling or pins and needles. The pain and numbness often happen in specific patterns associated with the nerve root that is involved, sometimes there are more than one levels effected. It can be subtle or completely disabling.
There are actually several different causes of the irritation of the nerve giving different symptoms and prognosis. Herniated discs cause Sciatica when the disc puts pressure a nerve root. Facet syndrome is an irritation of the facet joints that can also affect the a nerve root and cause the symptoms of Sciatica. Piriformis syndrome is an entrapment of the Sciatic nerve from the piriformis muscle. Each of these causes are treated differently.
The most important step is proper diagnosis, finding which area is irritating the nerve. Chiropractic care can help with Sciatic pain by reducing pressure on the nerve at any of these sites. If you suspect that you have Sciatica call your chiropractor today for a proper assessment.
Dr. Nelson
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