The sciatic nerve is the longest nerve in your body. It runs from your spinal cord to your buttock and hip area and down each leg to your foot. The sciatic nerve controls many of the muscles in your lower legs. The term sciatica refers to pain that radiates along the path of this nerve. But Sciatica isn't a condition in and of itself, but rather a symptom of another problem involving the nerve.

What causes Sciatica?

Sciatica is a sign that you have an underlying problem putting pressure on a nerve in your lower back. A common cause of this nerve compression is a bulging or herniated lumbar disc. Piriformis syndrome is another common cause of sciatica. The piriformis is a muscle that lies directly over the sciatic nerve. If this muscle becomes tight or if you have a spasm in this muscle, it puts pressure directly on the sciatic nerve.

Symptoms

Pain that radiates from your lower (lumbar) spine to your buttock and down the back of your leg is the hallmark of sciatica. Sciatica may be accompanied by numbness, tingling, and muscle weakness in the affected leg. Sometimes it may feel like a jolt or electric shock or a dull constant ache. Sciatic pain often starts gradually and intensifies over time.

Treatment

The vast majority of the time, sciatic pain can be relieved through chiropractic adjustments, stretches, and deep tissue massage of the piriformis muscle

 

In between each spinal bone there are soft disks filled with a jelly-like substance. These disks cushion the vertebrae and keep them in place. If it presses on a nerve, it can cause back pain or sciatica. This spinal disc becomes more rigid with age. In a young individual, the disc is soft and elastic, but like so many other structures in the body, the disc gradually looses its elasticity and is more vulnerable to injury. In fact, even in individuals as young as 30, MRIs show evidence of disc deterioration in about 30% of people.

When the disc ruptures, a portion of the spinal disc pushes outside its normal boundary--this is called a herniated disc. When a herniated disc bulges out from between the vertebrae, the spinal nerves and spinal cord can become irritated, imflammed or pinched.

What causes discs to herniate?

Most of the time it is long term wear and tear coupled with the aging process making the disc less elastic. Lifestyle choices such as smoking, lack of regular exercise, and inadequate nutrition contribute to poor disc health. If the disc is already weakened, it may herniate with a single movement or strain such as coughing or bending to pick up a pencil.

How do I know if I have a disc herniation?

A herniated disc can occur without pain!!!

In fact, often adults will have at least one bulging or herniated disc, even though they do not suffer from any back pain, but left unnoticed, herniated discs can be a source of intense and debilitating pain that frequently radiates into the buttock and legs. Detection of possible disc issues can be found through a chiropractic examination and progression can often be avoided through regular chiropractic care.

Herniated discs are most likely to affect people between the ages of 30 and 40. Disc herniations may be present without causing pain. The most common symptom will be pain in the area of the herniation that may radiate across the hips or into the buttocks. You may also experience numbness or pain radiating down your leg to the ankle or foot. If the herniation is large enough, you may notice weakness with extension of your big toe and you may be unable to walk on your toes or heels. In severe cases of lumbar disc herniation, you may experience changes in your bowel or bladder function and may have difficulty with sexual function.

How is a disc herniation treated?

Mild to moderate disc herniations can usually be treated conservatively with stretching, exercise therapy and chiropractic care. More advanced cases will often require some form of spinal decompression, such as traction or mechanical decompression, in conjuction with chiropractic care.

Occasionally, a herniation may be severe enough to warrant surgical intervention. These cases are usually reserved as a last resort when other forms of therapy have failed to relieve pain, or if there is significant compression of the spinal cord or nerves.