When people have illnesses or medical conditions, they tend to concern themselves with whether or not there is a cure for what ails them. By cure, we are referring to the concept of the illness or medical condition going away to never reappear again. The problem with cures is they are seldom permanent without some kind of invasive treatment like surgery. That would certainly be the case for someone with a condition like sciatica.
Inside the spinal column, there is a very specific nerve (sciatic nerve) that travels through the spinal cord and splits at the buttocks to travel down both legs into the feet. If this nerve gets pinched anywhere along the way, the pain can be excruciating. Sometimes, a bone spur or herniated disk will create a situation where the sciatic nerve is pinched on a regular basis. This is a condition the medical community calls sciatica.
For some people, sciatica will produce chronic pain that only lasts a few weeks. For other unfortunate souls, the pain can become chronic, lasting into perpetuity. That is until something drastic is done to eliminate the problem.
To be very clear, there is no cure for sciatica, a cure being medication. It is possible to eliminate sciatica through back surgery, but that should only be something people do as a last resort. Why is that? Back surgery is a very delicate process. Even when the immediate medical condition is seemingly corrected, back issues have a tendency to continually reappearing over the years. You might call it a structural problem with the way the human body heals.
So, you know you can cure your sciatica with back surgery. However, you also know that could lead to other medical issues. By the way, other back issues could lead you right back to sciatica. Since the cure is not all that appealing, you might be more interested in ways you can treat sciatica and get the pain relief you ultimately desire.
Ways to Treat Sciatica
You will be glad to learn there are lots of ways you can attempt to treat sciatica before you have to make a decision about surgery. In fact, there is a very natural progression of ways you can treat sciatica with a visit to a chiropractic clinic like ours fitting somewhere within the progression.
If you are not opposed to over-the-counter medications, you could always dry simple medications like aspirin. A solution like this might be enough if you have a mild case of sciatica.
If your condition is somewhat significant, you might want to try physical therapy or some form of holistic treatment. If you choose to enlist the services of a physical therapist, they would likely want to focus on the following types of exercises:
- Isolation exercises that would help strengthen your central core
- Stretching exercises for your neck, back, and legs
- Exercises that would target back and hip muscles to sturdy up your body frame
- Intro of aerobic type exercises like swimming or walking to promote muscle strength and relaxation
If you would prefer a holistic approach to physical therapy, some people have had great success with eliminating sciatica through holistic treatments like massage therapy, yoga, and massage therapy.
At any point during the process and certainly, before you decide to have back surgery, you would want to visit a chiropractor. We specialize in understanding how the body structure works. When issues like sciatica appear, we know how to manually manipulate the body to correct the kinds of medical conditions that cause sciatica.
The process would start with us securing images of your neck and spine. From these images, we should be able to identify the source of the pinched nerve. With that as our target, we can start back and neck adjustments that should give you relief. In most cases, we can achieve a certain level of success within a few sessions. If it works, your sciatica should subside, though an occasional adjustment in the future is quite commons.
Since there is no cure for sciatica, you need to make some decisions. Leaving surgery off the table, you could save yourself some time and effort if you visit a chiropractor early in the treatment process. We would like to invite you into our clinic for an assessment and treatment. If you would like to call ahead for an appointment, you can pick up the phone and call one of our representatives at 205-637-1363.
