Sciatica refers to the radiating pain and or numbness and tingling (paresthesia) into the thigh, leg and or foot/toes. It can be one sided (unilateral) or down both legs (bilateral) and the root cause can vary. The sciatic nerve is the largest nerve in the body and splits (bifurcates) into two main nerves that distribute motor and sensory information to the lower extremities.
Sciatic symptoms can be felt over different area of the legs depending on where the impingement of the nerve is.
Impingement near the spinal cord by disc displacement and or swelling can cause sciatica. Tight muscles or muscle spasms can push on the sciatic nerve at various points after it’s formed coming out of the spinal cord.
Finding the source of the impingement is crucial when treating sciatica.
Pressure from discs causing sciatica (determined by an MRI study) can be alleviated with manual traction and spinal adjustments. Whereas tight muscles in the buttocks (particularly the piriformis muscle) which cause sciatica can be loosened up through stretching, deep tissue massage, chiropractic adjustments and strengthening exercises.
At Oak Park Health Clinic we’ve successfully treated hundreds of cases of sciatic over the past 25+ years. So, if you’ve been suffering from local lower back pain and some pain, numbness and/or tingling in your leg(s) don’t delay, contact our office immediately for a consultation appointment.