Nerve pain is regarded as one of the worst types of chronic pain. Sciatic nerve pain sucks out life from your body and renders you useless, moaning in gnawing pain.
According to reports, sciatica has an annual incidence of 1 to 5%. Low back pain and sciatica are major contributors to leaves from work. Therefore, the debilitating disease not only harms your health but also negatively impacts your work productivity.
What Causes Sciatica?
Sciatica arises due to the inflammation of the sciatic nerve. Causes include:
Disc Herniation
Protrusion of intervertebral discs leads to nerve impingement. When a disc bulging or herniation occurs in the lumbar spine, the sciatic nerve is likely to get impinged. A herniated disc is the most common cause of sciatica in adults.
Spinal Stenosis
Spinal stenosis is a condition characterized by narrowing of the spinal vertebrae. Lumbar spinal stenosis forces the sciatic nerve to pass through the confined canal leading to pressure on the nerve. This ultimately leads to sciatic nerve pain.
Piriformis Syndrome
The sciatic nerve lies just beneath the piriformis muscle, which gets swollen in piriformis syndrome leading to pressure on the nerve.
According to studies, piriformis syndrome is a common diagnosis of non-discogenic (without disc herniation) sciatica pain.
Injury/Trauma
Direct trauma or injury to the lumbar spine can also trigger sciatica. In such cases, nerve pain is acute and can be attributed to inflammation and swelling of the vertebral structures.
How Can Chiropractic Care Help In Treating Sciatica?
There are multiple ways in which a chiropractor can ameliorate sciatica pain:
Realigns Spine
Chiropractic spinal manipulation is an effective way of realigning the spine and alleviating sciatica. According to a study, a 38-year-old male suffering from disc herniation (and sciatica) reached functional stability within 15 weeks, thanks to effective chiropractic adjustments and rehabilitation.
In a study, 102 disc protrusion and sciatica patients reported significant improvements in pain intensity with spinal manipulations.
The touch of a chiropractor allows the spine to physically return to its normal position, thereby, curing the condition without the need for medicines and surgery.
Improves Mobility And Range Of Motion
Reduced mobility of the joint (out of fear of pain) further deteriorates the condition. Chronic loss of mobility is evidently improved with chiropractic management.
It was revealed in a study that acute chiropractic adjustment leads to appreciable reductions in pain and improvement in range of motion. Chiropractic adjustments also improve your quality of life
Promotes Natural Healing
Persistent pain takes a toll on the mental health of the patients too. Many clinicians believe that the “healing touch” of a chiropractor/physical therapist can promote internal healing and enhance well-being.
Thus, it can safely be concluded that a chiropractor can reposition your spine, reduce sciatica pain, and improve your physical and mental health.
Get Sciatica Help from Chiropractor in The Villages
If your sciatica is keeping you up all night and interfering with your daily activities visit the Legacy Clinic of Chiropractic for quick and complete relief. Don’t delay, book your chiropractic appointment today!