Can A Chiropractor Help Treat Sciatica?

Are you feeling a pain that extends along the sciatic nerve? If you don’t know what the sciatic nerve is, it’s a nerve which extends from your lower back to your hips and buttocks and down both legs. If you are feeling pain that extends along the sciatic nerve, then you will have a better understanding of how to treat it by the end of this article. Before answering the actual question, that is, “Can a chiropractor help treat sciatica?”. I would like to answer some basic related questions that can help you better understand sciatica and how chiropractic can help treat it.

What is Sciatica?

Sciatica is a condition in which a person feels pain that extends along the sciatic nerve that generally affects only one side of the body.

Research shows, the most common reason for sciatica is compression of the nerve. Compressing the nerve causes inflammation, pain and some numbness in the affected body part (leg). The most common reason behind compression is due to worn out connective tissues. Although we humans are much more advanced than machines, our parts, and machinery parts are pretty similar. The more we use them, the more they wear out.

While some people can feel extreme pain and need surgery for treatment, most people get their condition resolved with OTC medicines. OTC medicines mean the medicines that can be taken without a doctor’s prescription.

If you have extreme pain, you should consult a doctor. But since you are looking for ways to remove pain on the internet, I think you have moderate pain which can be easily treated with chiropractic treatment.

What actually is chiropractic treatment?

It is a treatment method that gets chosen by the majority of people with back pain. In America alone, almost 22 million people like you visit chiropractors in a year. The number of people who visit chiropractor can tell you how much people trust chiropractic treatment.

Chiropractors use hands-on spinal administration and other alternative treatments. This is based on a theory that proper alignment of body structure will heal the body without surgery or medication. Chiropractic is generally used as a pain relief alternative and sometimes done together with medications.

Can a chiropractor help treat sciatica?

A common question we get is “can a chiropractor help treat sciatica?”. Most people who visit a chiropractor get their pain relieved within a few weeks. This simply means Doctors of Chiropractic (DC) can help treat Sciatica.

Chiropractic Treatment is a method of treatment where the body’s potential to heal itself is increased. This method is completely non-surgical and drug-free. Dr. Ronald Glick, assistant professor of psychiatry, physical medicine and rehabilitation says “The benefits of chiropractic for acute low back pain have been pretty widely accepted for years now within the medical community.” Even professional medical personnel agree that chiropractic treatment works to a certain extent.

A chiropractor when well informed about past medical condition can help you a lot. You should inform your chiropractor about your past medical condition with a present medical condition and also information of any medication you are taking. If you are very skeptical, you might want to visit a medical doctor along with a chiropractor.

Since no patients are same, chiropractic treatment depends on the patient and isn’t the same for everyone. The most famous method include ice therapy or cold therapy, ultrasound, TENS and spinal adjustment. This is based on the principle that no-movement or unusual movements of the spine can lead to pain and reduced capability of the spine.

More details about the above methods are given below:-

• Ice/Cold therapy:-

Used to reduce inflammation by cooling. Ice therapy or cold therapy can help control sciatic pain.

• Ultrasound:-

This method helps to increase circulation and helps to reduce muscle spasms and other conditions. Ultrasonic sound waves are used to create gentle heat in this method. The ultrasonic sound penetrates deep into tissues.

• TENS unit:-

TENS is an acronym for Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation. The pieces of equipment are attached to a small box called unit. In this method, muscle spasms are reduced. The small portable box generally gets powered by a battery. This box creates variable intensities of electric current that has been found to be effective in controlling acute pain.

• Spinal Adjustments:-

Spinal Adjustments help to reduce inflammation, muscle spasms, pain and other problems related to Sciatica. Spinal Adjustment means adjusting or freeing misaligned bones to their general position. Spinal Adjustment has been proven to be safe and effective. In 2010, a study was done to examine the effect of Spinal Adjustment. The study showed more than 60% of