Sitting for long hours at a computer desk has become the norm in many places around the USA. Sadly, this has become a complete nightmare for many people as they started experiencing searing or burning pain in their lower back, buttocks, and legs. If this sounds familiar, you might also have sciatica, a neurological disorder that causes debilitating symptoms to millions of Americans.
If you suspect having sciatica or already have an official diagnosis from your physician, our list of sciatica FAQs below might help you manage your symptoms more effectively. We have included questions like, “does sciatica go away on its own?” and “can remedy like medications or upper cervical chiropractic care ease your discomfort?
#1: Does sciatica go away on its own?
Every upper cervical chiropractic doctor and neurologist is no stranger to patients asking if they can survive sciatica pain without medical intervention. Is it possible to heal just by resting and never feel discomfort again?
The answer lies in the severity of the pinched nerve. The duration of the pinching or irritation of your sciatic nerve also contributes to the prognosis. The longer your nerve stays pinched or compressed, the higher its risk of getting damaged permanently. If this happens, you would need medication or other options for sciatica relief.
#2: Why is sciatica painful?
Harvard Health shares that around 40 percent of adults in the US have sciatica, a painful neurological problem resulting from the sciatic nerve’s compression or irritation. Essentially, this nerve bundle runs from your lower back to the toes, so you experience radiating pain whenever sciatica flares up.
#3: Is sciatica similar to every other kind of back pain?
The short answer is NO. While it does cause lower back pain that can send you wincing for hours, many sciatica patients note other equally frustrating symptoms like muscle tingling or numbing and urinary problems.
Most of the time, only one side of the body suffers from the impact of an irritated sciatic nerve. However, studies note that bilateral sciatica can happen, especially if a patient has cauda equina syndrome.
#4: Is sciatica the same as SI joint pain?
Notably, sciatica and sacroiliac joint pain share similar symptoms. However, that doesn’t mean that they are the same conditions. Sacroiliac joint pain or sacroiliitis stems from traumatic injuries like falling off a motorcycle, osteoarthritis, infection, body inflammation, and pregnancy.
On the one hand, sciatica results from the pinching of your sciatic nerve bundle. It can follow an injury, cervical subluxation (a problem that can be corrected with upper cervical chiropractic care) or bone overgrowth.
#5: Does sciatica affect patients the same way?
Many of the patients looking for answers to queries like “does sciatica go away on its own?” have varying symptoms. That’s because the degree of nerve irritation varies per person. Some might not be as affected as the others, while some people experience worse effects. The pain tends to get way worse when you expose yourself to sciatic pain triggers such as sitting for long hours without breaks.
#6: Can surgery alleviate sciatica pain?
Some cases of sciatica may call for surgical interventions. An example of this would be patients who have nerve pinching because of bone overgrowth, a side effect of osteoarthritis.
The outlook of surgery for sciatica varies from one patient to another, so we strongly recommend consulting with your doctor whether it’s a practical choice for your condition. You can also look for non-invasive techniques that can provide long-term resolution of your main sciatica symptoms.
#7: Would drinking pain medication help?
Pain medications are a game-changer for many people, especially those who need instant relief. It’s also a popular remedy for sciatica because pain relievers are widely available in drugstores.
However, it’s no secret that you may go back to feeling horrible and in severe pain once their effects wear out. It also doesn’t address the possible root cause of your suffering, which is the nerve irritation along the lumbar region of your spine.
#8: Does it have any connection to the spine alignment?
Upper cervical chiropractic care works for sciatica for a reason – the pinching problem has a strong link with your spinal alignment. Studies reveal that slight changes in your cervical spine alignment can alter the normal curvature of your spine, affecting the rest of your body, such as the hips and legs
Sadly, cervical subluxation is a widespread problem among people who previously had neck injuries, poor sitting or standing posture, and has degenerative disc diseases.
Often, cervical subluxation causes or contributes to sciatic nerve compression, triggering burning pain that spreads from your hips to the tips of your toes. The pain will likely stay and affect you for weeks or months until you get your cervical bones adjusted with the help of a neck chiropractor.
Relieving your Sciatica with Upper Cervical Chiropractic Adjustments
Indeed, it’s hard to live with sciatica, especially during a pandemic when we spend long hours sitting and attending to work tasks. We hope our list of 8 FAQs on sciatica has shed light on the condition and your options for managing your pain and other symptoms.
If you have trouble coping with sciatica, you can check out upper cervical chiropractic care. As mentioned above, the procedure aims to correct neck alignment, which can ultimately release pressure on your compressed sciatic nerve.
Neck chiropractic adjustments are gentle and precise, helping you experience gradual resolution of your symptoms. In this way, you can go back to your usual routine without worrying about lower back pain and muscle tingling.
Get in touch with the nearest upper cervical care practitioner in your city today and schedule an appointment to start your healing journey.
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