Sciatica describes a specific type of pain that happens when the sciatic nerve becomes irritated or inflamed. The sciatic nerve is the single largest nerve in your body. It forms from nerve roots that branch off of the spinal cord in the lower back. Then, it travels through the buttock into the back of the thigh and down leg into the foot. Generally speaking, the nerves in your body constantly send and receive signals that control feeling (sensation) and function (movement). The sciatic nerve supplies both sensation and strength to the leg and foot.
Any type of problem in the lower part of your spine can have a negative impact on the sciatic nerve. The symptoms of sciatica will differ depending on the afflicted spinal nerve and how badly the irritation or compression is. Even if episodes subside, the pain of sciatica will persist until you address the underlying cause of the problem.
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In the majority of cases, sciatica will affect only one side of the lower body. The pain can start as a twinge in the lower back and extend all the way down through the back of the thigh into the foot and toes. It is depending on the location of the problem along the pathway of the nerve. For some people, sciatica symptoms can be sporadic, infrequent, and mildly irritating. For others, sciatica can be debilitating and severe, causing pain, weakness, and numbness. The pain is usually sharp, burning, or searing rather than a dull ache or throbbing pain. The most common sciatica symptoms include:
When the pain of sciatica strikes, it can have its roots in several places:
Between each vertebra in the lower back is a disc that helps to cushion our spine as it moves. The disc is consists of a gel-like center that is within rings of tougher, more fibrous tissue. When the discs start to degenerate, the inner nucleus material can start to push through the outer layers and cause a bulging or herniated disc. The bulging or herniated disc material can push on nearby nerve roots, causing sciatic nerve irritation, pain, inflammation, numbness, and weakness.
Spondylolisthesis occurs when one vertebra, commonly in the lower back, slips forward over the vertebra below it. There are many reasons why spondylolisthesis might occur – some are born with this anomaly and it can also result from spinal degeneration, trauma, or injury. This displacement can irritate spinal nerve roots and cause pain that radiates along the course of the sciatic nerve.
Spinal stenosis causes a narrowing of the central canal that the spinal cord itself passes through. This condition is more common in older adults and is a result of degeneration that occurs over time when the spine is not functioning properly due to injury or misalignment.
The piriformis muscle connects the sacrum (the triangular bone at the base of your spine) to the femur (thigh bone) and controls hip movement and rotation. The pathway of the sciatic nerve brings it beneath this muscle. If the piriformis experiences muscle spasm or injury, it has the potential to compress the nearby sciatic nerve causing the classic symptoms of sciatica.
Osteophytes, which most people know as bone spurs, occur as part of the degenerative process. Depending on the location of the osteophyte, it can place pressure or irritation on any of the nerves that combine to form the sciatic nerve.
Sciatica is a common complaint during pregnancy, particularly in the later months as the fetus grows and puts more weight and pressure on the lumbar spine. Pregnancy-related sciatica is often relieved once the baby is born as long as the lower back and pelvis follow a normal course of recovery.
While there may be a variety of ways to deal with these causes including sciatica exercises, getting to the underlying cause is even more important.
For most people, having your neck checked to address sciatica isn’t the first thing you think of. However, upper cervical chiropractic care has helped many sciatica sufferers to identify and correct a frequently overlooked cause of the condition. Upper cervical chiropractors focus on precisely correcting the atlas, the uppermost vertebra in the spinal column. The atlas is distinct for several reasons, particularly because it is responsible for bearing the weight of the head and accounting for the majority of its movement.
It’s easy to see, then, how an atlas misalignment can cause the trickle-down effect that will, over time, lead to sciatica. Upper cervical care is always geared towards addressing the root cause of a person’s symptoms and not merely providing a solution for temporary relief. Once normal atlas alignment is restored through gentle, specific upper cervical adjustments, the body can naturally heal and come back into balance, giving low back pain and sciatica sufferers the lasting relief they’ve been looking for. To learn more about the upper cervical chiropractic care solution, use the search feature to locate a practitioner in your area. Many offer a complimentary and obligation-free consultation to get you started down the road to feeling better.
References:
https://www.webmd.com/back-pain/guide/sciatica-symptoms
https://www.spineuniverse.com/conditions/sciatica/6-leading-causes-sciatica
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TV show host Montel Williams describes how specific chiropractic care has helped his body.
The content and materials provided in this web site are for informational and educational purposes only and are not intended to supplement or comprise a medical diagnosis or other professional opinion, or to be used in lieu of a consultation with a physician or competent health care professional for medical diagnosis and/or treatment. All content and materials including research papers, case studies and testimonials summarizing patients' responses to care are intended for educational purposes only and do not imply a guarantee of benefit. Individual results may vary, depending upon several factors including age of the patient, severity of the condition, severity of the spinal injury, and duration of time the condition has been present.
