subject: Chiropractor Littleton Co | Sciatica Is Only A Symptom [print this page] Sciatica is unpleasant, aggravating, and above all, painful. However, it is not, in and of itself, the problem. It is merely a symptom of what is going on. While this is annoying, the good news is that once the actual problem is determined and fixed, the sciatica will go away. Even better, there are exercises and other treatments that can be done in the meantime to mitigate the problem.
Defining the Pain -
Imagine the point where your pelvis joins your vertebrae. Extending out from this is the sciatic nerve, which is the main nerve that travels all the way down the leg to the foot. Because of its size, there are many places where it can manifest pain. However, it is a little tricky as the majority of the time, pain is a result of something higher up in or near the spine where the nerve is being compressed or damaged. Just because your leg hurts, that doesn't mean that's precisely where the problem is.
Nor is pain the only, or even the primary symptom of sciatica. It can present itself as mild tingling, numbness, weakness, or even a burning sensation. It also varies in intensity from fairly mild to severe enough to interfere with movement. It also may change over time, particularly if the underlying cause is not treated.
As a rule it only manifests on one side. It can cause pain while walking or force the sufferer to only sleep on one side or in a certain position, as others increase pressure on the nerve. Pain messages can also be sent as far as the calf or the sole of the foot. Weakness in the affected leg is also often noted.
Treating the Problem -
This displacement of pain is one of many reasons why it is important to treat the body as a system, looking at it holistically, rather than a collection of separate parts that have little or no impact on each other. If an injury to nerves near the spine can lead to weakness in the leg or pain in the foot, it doesn't matter how many ways you look at just the foot; you will never find out the answer.
The treatment of sciatica varies, depending on the actual cause. Fortunately, many cases clear up on their own. If not, anti-inflammatories can be of some use, but loading up on analgesics to simply mask the pain is far likelier to lead to permanent injury than to help things.
There are a number of therapeutic exercises that can be performed to alleviate the symptoms and these are often sufficient to eliminate the cause. A chiropractor and/or physical therapist is an excellent source of advice and treatment. For example, one of the causes of sciatica is a so-called "slipped disc," which is really the bugling out of the internal material of the spinal discs, leading to pressure on the nerve.
Most slipped discs will either heal on their own or through a process of non-surgical spinal decompression. Once that is done, the sciatica will go away. At this point, getting advice and instruction from your chiropractor on how not to repeat the injury is an excellent step.
