If you are looking for a true and practical answer to the query – can a chiropractor help you with sciatica, you are at the right place. The human body is full of nerves and veins that are protected by muscles and bones. The way you look after your automobiles, your body also requires intensive care. The body works on a certain mechanism which indeed needs to be followed to keep your body in a proper working condition. Several physical issues can occur in the human body, and Sciatica is one of them.
Are you feeling sudden numbness, weakness, inflammation, pain, or stiffness in your leg? Are you not able to walk and work properly because of this twinge? Or does the pain not let you sleep comfortably? Are you tired of taking pain relief medicines? Well, if these questions are bothering you, then Chiropractic care might be your best answer.
Now the question that arises is: Can a Chiropractor help you with sciatica? All your questions about chiropractic and sciatica have been answered in this article. Go through the article thoroughly and learn about the chiro treatment for sciatica.
What is Sciatica?
There is a sciatic nerve that is present in both legs. Thus, Sciatica is the condition where a person feels pain that radiates along the sciatic nerve that runs down one or both legs from the lower back. In most cases, just one side of your body is affected. Sometimes the pain is so severe that the doctors advise surgery. But do you know the reason behind the pain? It is important for us to understand the cause of sciatica. Let’s dig into it deeper.
What Causes Sciatica?
Before we jump into answering the question Can a Chiropractor help you with sciatica, it is important to understand what causes sciatica. It will be helpful for you to understand the treatment process.
Sciatica is all about the compression of the sciatic nerve. When this nerve gets highly compressed with the disc bone, then the nerve is not able to transmit the neurons in a regular flow. Now, how does this compression of the sciatic nerve occur? The herniated disk or a bone spur is the cause of Sciatica in most patients. But there are some other reasons that can lead to this severe problem.
1. Increased body weight
Obesity is listed as the number one cause of various health-related problems. And Sciatica is one of them. The increased body weight contributes to several spine changes that further lead to Sciatica.
2. Way of living and working
The people who carry heavy loads, drive for long hours, sit for prolonged periods in a bad posture, and wear high heels often are likely to suffer from Sciatica.
3. Diabetes
When you have disturbed sugar levels, your risk of having nerve damage is increased.
4. Pregnancy
During pregnancy, females tend to gain weight, and also, there is severe pressure on the spine that further increases strain on the nerves.
It might also interest you to know about the best chiropractors in Johannesburg.
How Can a Chiropractor Help You With Sciatica
Chiropractors may be the last option but surely not the least one. You must visit a chiropractor to decrease your reliance on painkillers. So what do these chiropractors do to treat you and help you get rid of the Sciatic pain? Well, chiropractors are those health professionals who are trained to work on your spine and nervous system in a way that improves the functioning of your spine and nerves. On average, a Sciatica patient requires three to four follow-ups to lead a naturally happier life free of all the pains and dis-ease. So, basically, if you still ask – can a chiropractor help you with sciatica, the answer is yes!
The chiropractors first diagnose the level of your problem and then accordingly offer you the treatment. There are different procedures that chiropractors follow, considering the patients’ body needs. A few of them are briefly discussed below.
1. Alignment of the Spine
The proper alignment of your spine is essential for the normal functioning of your entire body. If there happens any dis-alignment due to any accidental injury or any other cause, your body starts giving you signals that there is something wrong. In the case of Sciatica, the chiropractors put gentle pressure and make some adjustments in your spine, to realign your discs and decrease the pressure on the sciatic nerve.
This manipulation of the spine helps in freeing restricted movements and restoring misaligned vertebral discs. Thus, it helps the herniated disc to get back into the correct position and further corrects your body posture.
2. TENS
TENS stands for Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation which Chiropractors use to treat patients suffering from Sciatica. There is a small battery-powered box that uses electric current at variable intensities to stimulate the muscles. This stimulation further leads to the relaxation of muscle spasms, a reduction in pain, and an increase in endorphins.
This is one of the techniques that most therapists and chiropractors use for treating their patients.
3. Ice Therapy
Many Sciatica patients report that they experience inflammation along with pain in their legs. In the case of treating this type of patient, the chiropractors use ice or cold therapy to ease the discomfort of the people.
The cold therapies gradually slow down the flow of blood in the legs, which results in reducing the inflammation level.
4. Massage
Massage therapies are always the easiest and the most effective thing one can go for. If a person feels a strain in the shoulders or tingling in the shoulder blade or has a headache, he always looks forward to a massage therapist.
In the same way, chiropractors also offer you massage therapy to treat your Sciatica pain. These health professionals have complete knowledge of your body and the mechanism on which the body works. Thus, they apply the required amount of pressure on your body to release the tension in your muscles and push the healing process. A chiropractor can help you treat sciatica with the help of massage therapy and spinal adjustments.
5. Gentle Heat Therapy
Sciatica has different symptoms in different patients depending upon their bodies. Thus, the treatment also varies from patient to patient. Some patients are offered ice therapy to reduce the inflammation in their legs, some are offered heat therapies, whereas some are given both therapies in an alternative order by a chiropractor.
Patients who complain about having pain, swelling, cramping, and stiffness, along with muscle spasms, are often treated with heat therapies. Very mild and tolerable heat is created with the help of sound waves that provide deep tissue penetration. This heat helps in releasing the tightness in the muscles providing immense relaxation to the patient.
You might also like to know about the top chiropractors in Sydney and Perth; and chiropractic care for babies.
6. Lifestyle Modifications
Most physical and psychological problems are associated with the way we lead our life. There always exists some Dos and Don’ts in everything you opt for, whether it’s your car, a gadget, or your body. And in this world of technology and luxuries, we often forget to eat, work, and sleep well. If you are still asking if – a chiropractor can help you with sciatica, the answer is yes. They suggest certain lifestyle changes make you live better.
The chiropractors work on all aspects of your life. They might also advise their patients to make slight modifications in their lifestyle that include their sleeping schedules, postures, and conditions, avoid lifting heavy objects, and work on their sitting and standing postures so that their spine stays in the correct position and thus support normal functioning.
Also, read about the best chiropractors in Melbourne.
7. Nutrition and Exercise
The two core treatments for any health-related issues are keeping a check on your nutrition and including regular exercise in your regime. Most of patients might say they don’t get enough time for exercise in their busy schedules, but chiropractors believe that ‘Motion is Lotion”. Our body is a machine that needs to stay in working condition for the required amount of time so that the muscles don’t stay unused for long. The muscles start feeling weak once there is no physical activity involved, which increases the pressure on the nerves. So, to reduce the stiffness in the muscles, a chiropractor might ask you to exercise on a regular basis.
Nutrition is also to be kept in consideration. Our eating habits have bartered with the passage of time which is leading to the loss of essential nutrients and vitamins in our body. Thus, a chiropractor at times might suggest you a diet plan to be followed strictly to kick off the healing process and give you long-term results.
Interesting Read: Can chiropractors write prescriptions?
Myths that you should know
When it comes to searching for solutions to your problems, you get several opinions from people around you, and you get confused about what to choose and what to let go of. In the same way, if you ask people can a chiropractor help them with sciatica or not, you will be left pondering over the varied answers. But we will assure you about chiropractic care by discussing the myths that you might have in your mind.
1. Myth:- Chiropractors won’t be of any help.
Chiropractors might be the last door you knock on. But they are the ones you can keep your faith intact upon. As chiropractors work on the root cause of your problem, they tend to vanish the problems completely, giving you long-lasting results.
In case the patient is diagnosed with a tumor being the reason for Sciatica, only then will they refer you to a healthcare professional. Otherwise, Chiropractors will be the best problem-solvers for you. Moreover, you don’t have to spend a lot on the treatment. It is quite affordable as compared to surgeries and other treatment options.
2. Myth:- Only a Physical Therapist can help you with Sciatica
Physical Therapists just help you by stretching and strengthening exercises. Besides this, Sciatica can not be diagnosed by a physiotherapist. Therefore it is not possible for the therapist to work effectively on your body. The therapies won’t either help you to recover from this issue for a longer duration.
Sciatica needs to be treated at the root. And to keep you away from this dis-ease for the rest of your life, you need to visit and consult a Chiropractor.
Conclusion
Sciatica pain is common, affecting one out of every ten people, and is intolerable at the same time. Relying on pain relief medicines is not justified for long-term relief. The chiropractors are ready to take good care of you and help you in the best possible way with their knowledge, skills, and experience.
And we are here to assist you in overcoming this problem and enjoy every moment of your life by clearing your doubts and answering several questions related to sciatica treatments by a chiropractor. Do not bother yourself further with the pain and discomfort, and get in touch with a chiropractor without any fear.
Interesting Reads: A Guide to Spinal Decompression Therapy; Spinal Infections (Causes, Symptoms and Recovery)
