Back pain is incredibly common among adults. If you have lower back pain, you may struggle with sciatic pain, which can make it hard to enjoy your life. If you have lower back pain and want to know more about sciatic pain to determine if you should seek treatment, keep reading.
What Is Sciatic Pain?
Your body has lots of small and large nerves that help control the body. The sciatic nerve is the thickest in the body, and you have a sciatic nerve for each leg. The nerves stem from each side of the base of the spine and down both legs. As a result, it is largely responsible for the back of the leg.
The nerve passes through a lot of tissues and structures, including deep under the gluteus maximus. For this reason, irritation, damage, and wear and tear can put pressure on the nerve. This pressure impacts its ability to work properly, which can lead to a wide array of complications, particularly pain and discomfort.
What Are the Symptoms of Sciatic Pain?
Sciatica or sciatic nerve pain may develop in both legs,
but patients usually only develop it in one leg. Depending on the severity,
your pain may feel sharp, and it may worsen right after you sit or stand.
Certain movements like bending backwards or coughing may also trigger nerve
pain. Some patients also have weakness or numbness from the pinched nerve.
Unlike other types of lower back pain, sciatic pain quickly
radiates down the legs because the nerve is so large and runs the entire length
of the leg. It may even reach the bottom of your foot, making it difficult to
walk properly, which can further exacerbate pain and complications.
What Causes Sciatic Pain?
Any condition that puts pressure on the sciatic nerve can
cause sciatic pain. This may include:
- Slipped disk
- Herniated disk
- Spinal stenosis
- Pelvic injury
In addition, there are some risk factors, such as age.
Older patients tend to have more wear and tear or age-related changes, which
can impact the nerve. Many risk factors, however, are lifestyle choices, such
as being obese or sitting for prolonged periods of time. Other risk factors may
include:
- Having a previous injury
that weakens the back
- Having a weak core
- Having a job that
requires a lot of bending and twisting
- Lifting with your back
instead of your legs
How Can You Prevent Sciatic Pain?
There are a few steps you can take to reduce your sciatic
pain. First, avoid hurting yourself by learning to lift properly and increasing
your core strength with exercise. In fact, exercise is also a great way to help
fight obesity. With a healthy diet and good exercise, you can lose weight and
take excess stress and weight off the body.
You can also prevent sciatic pain by stretching to keep the
muscles limber. Other ways to prevent sciatic pain include the following:
- Use good posture
- Stop smoking
- Rest when needed
- Take breaks from sitting
to stand and move
How Can a Chiropractor Treat Sciatic Pain?
If you already have sciatic pain, a chiropractor can help.
First, they offer modalities like heat, massage, TENS (transcutaneous
electrical nerves stimulation), and ultrasounds, which can help fight some
inflammation and irritation by helping the muscles relax. This alone may take
off some of the pressure on the nerves.
The chiropractor can also provide various type of
manipulation to help open the spine and hips. They may also use special
techniques like traction to better stretch between the vertebrae. Your
chiropractor may also offer exercises and stretches that can help strengthen
your back and hips to reduce the risk of future complications.
If it seems like your lower back pain spreads down your
legs, you may have sciatica. Luckily, sciatica is common and can be helped with
chiropractic care and lifestyle changes. If you would like to know more,
contact us
at Corner
Chiropractic Center today.
