What is sciatica?
Sciatica refers to the radiating pain that travels from your lower back along your legs and down to your feet. It occurs when something causes pressure on the sciatic nerve in your back, such as a herniated disc or inflammation.
What are the symptoms of sciatica?
There’s no mistaking the telltale pain associated with sciatica. It’s a distinct pain, ranging from aching and dull to sharp or burning, that radiates down your back along the length of your leg. You might also experience numbness or weakness in the leg sciatica affects.
Who gets sciatica?
Anyone with back problems that put pressure on the sciatic nerve runs the risk of developing sciatica. Risk factors that increase your chance of damaging the nerve include:
Age
Herniated discs and other spinal issues are more common as you grow older.
Obesity
Excess weight can increase pressure on your spine and put you at greater risk for damage that leads to sciatica.
Certain Occupations
Jobs that either requires a lot of lifting, moving and twisting your back, sitting for prolonged periods, or high impact, increase your risk of damaging the discs in your spine or otherwise pinching the sciatic nerve.
Diabetes
Nerve damage associated with advanced diabetes puts you at greater risk for damage to the sciatic nerve.
How is sciatica treated?
Dr. Hindocha provides a few different treatment options for your sciatica depending on the severity of your symptoms:
Spinal Decompression
Using the VAX-D spinal decompression system, a non-invasive, non-surgical treatment that stretches your spine to help remove pressure from herniated discs or other spinal issues that might be causing your sciatica. Regular treatments of spinal decompression are necessary for best results.
Rest and Lifestyle Changes
Stretching, changes to your physical activities, and general rest can lessen the pressure placed on the sciatic nerve, reducing sciatic pain.
Therapeutic / Rehabilitative Exercises
In addition to Spinal Decompression Therapy, some patients are also treated with Chiropractic Adjustments, core / lumbar stabilization exercises, neck stabilization exercises and physiotherapy modalities and procedures such as ultrasound and electrical stimulation.
Conditions that Spinal Decompression treats:
- Chronic neck and lower back pain
- Sciatica
- Bulging discs
- Herniated discs
- Degenerative disc disease
- Arthritis
If your sciatica pain is getting in the way of your day-to-day life, let Dr. Hindocha offer his spine and physical therapy expertise. Call Peninsula Spine and Sports Rehabilitation to schedule your consultation or book online.
