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Sciatica Treatment In Bellevue, WA
Your sciatic nerves (one on each side of your body) are not only the biggest nerves in your body, they're also the longest. So there's plenty of areas where it can become pinched or irritated. And when that happens you're likely to feel pain in your back and leg. Sciatica can occur in one leg or the other, and sometimes both. The pain can range from mild to severe, and can make simple things like sleeping, working, or getting in and out of your car really difficult.
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Your sciatica may have started from physical activity, like playing sports, exercising, or physical labor. Maybe you have sciatica from the wear and tear of living life, or from sitting or standing all day from work. Or from trauma like suffering a fall or being involved in a car crash. Regardless of the cause, if you're hear because you're suffering from sciatica, chances are Dr. McGahey can help! Read on to learn more about sciatica, and when you're ready, schedule an appointment with Dr. McGahey and find out how chiropractic can help you.
What's Causing My Sciatica?
Your sciatic nerves originate in your lower back and tailbone, and run through your buttocks and down the backs of your legs. Sciatica occurs when the sciatic nerve becomes pinched at some point along its length. It can be caused by a bulging disc in your lower back. In this case, the disc pinches the nerve where it exits the spine in your lower back, resulting in sciatica. Arthritis is another cause, but in this case the pinched nerve occurs between the bones in your lower back.
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But the most common cause of sciatica just might be the wear and tear of daily life. We demand a lot of our bodies. Our days are filled with things to do - work, exercise, playing sports, sitting, standing, and trying to stay active. Just living life can put a lot of strain on your lower back. Day after day that strain can add up. It can eventually lead to stiff joints and muscles, inflammation, and irritation of the sciatic nerve, causing sciatica. Your symptoms may be mild at first, but can become much worse without treatment. Especially if you continue with the activity that caused your sciatica in the first place.
Symptoms Of Sciatica
Not surprisingly, the most common symptom associated with sciatica is pain. And it may be more severe in your legs than your lower back. In fact, sometimes there’s no lower back pain at all. Symptoms can range from mild and occasional, to constant and severe. Sciatica can occur in both legs, but usually only affects one. For some, the pain of sciatica can feel sharp, pulling, burning, stabbing or electric. Others experience shooting pain in the legs if they move the wrong way. Numbness or tingling may be present with sciatica.
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For some people, sciatica can come on suddenly. Lifting something that's too heavy, a disc herniation, a fall, or physical activity are just a few of the things that can cause sciatica. For other people sciatica can come on over time. Wear and tear on the spine from working, sitting, standing, exercising, and living life can all result in sciatica. Most of us do those things on a daily basis, so it's important to address sciatica early so it doesn't become a bigger problem.
Sciatica Treatment That Works
In rare cases, an individual may require surgery for sciatica, particularly if it's caused by a badly herniated disc in the low back. For most people though, sciatica responds particularly well to a combination of chiropractic and soft tissue therapies. Even if your sciatica is caused by arthritis. Chiropractic can help return normal function to the joints of the spine. While therapies like Active Release, and Graston therapy can help break up scar tissue and loosen muscles that may be irritating your sciatic nerve. McKenzie therapy can help heal a bulging disc, and the pain that goes along with it.
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Regardless of the cause, sciatica is not a life sentence. In fact, most people start to feel relief with treatment in just a few visits. Once you're feeling better, Dr. McGahey can help you with specific stretches and exercises to improve posture and reduce the chances your sciatica comes back. Schedule an appointment today and start the healing process.