What is Sciatica and How Does Chiropractic Help?

Have you been diagnosed with sciatica and don’t quite know what it is? More importantly, are you looking for treatment options and want to know how a visit to our Lancaster chiropractic office can help?

What Sciatica Is

Sciatica means that you are having pain in your lower back and/or hip area that travels all the way down the back of one or both of your legs. Essentially, it is a symptom more than a condition and it can be caused by any number of things, ranging from a disc that is herniated to spinal stenosis (which is when your spinal column narrows, creating problems for the nerves it houses).

The pain that you feel with sciatica can range from minor to excruciating and is sometimes accompanied by a numbness or tingling sensation that can extend the entire length of your leg. In extreme cases, you may even have difficulty moving your knees or toes.

How Chiropractic Helps

Because sciatica involves some sort of spinal issue, chiropractic care is perhaps the best treatment. After all, the goal is to resolve whatever is causing the pain and a visit to your Lancaster chiropractor allows you to do this without the use of behavior-modifying drugs or costly and time intensive surgery.

In addition, your chiropractor can teach you what you can do on your own to relieve sciatica-related pain. For instance, you may be advised to quit smoking as that increases the effects of disc degeneration and you should also avoid sitting for long periods of time which creates more compression and, therefore, more pain.

Chiropractic care is essential to sciatica treatment. So, make an appointment with our Lancaster chiropractic office today so you can start to feel better tomorrow.