Any condition that may structurally impact or compress the sciatic nerve may cause sciatica symptoms. The causes of sciatica can be divided into spinal or non-spinal categories.
Spinal:
Non-spinal:
Sciatica is more likely to occur in individuals who work in certain occupations, such as those that include heavy and repetitive manual labour, working in awkward positions (plumbing, building), operating machinery/truck driving and exposure to vibration. It is also more likely to occur in those that have generally poor lifestyle habits such as sedentary lifestyle, smoking, overweight etc.
The pain from sciatica can be anything from infrequent and irritating to severe and debilitating.
Usually, it affects only one side, the pain radiating through the buttock and down the leg and is often associated with a constant pain on one side of the buttocks, pain in the leg and/or buttock that may be worse when sitting, burning, or tingling down the leg, weakness, numbness or difficulty moving the leg or foot or a shooting pain that makes it difficult to stand up. Typically, sciatica is made worse by bending, lifting, sneezing, and coughing.
A common misconception that we see in practice is that people often think that any leg pain is “sciatica”.
Not all referred leg pain or symptoms are caused by compression to the sciatic nerve. There are a number of other musculoskeletal conditions that can present similar to sciatica, which makes the diagnosis of this condition important to receiving the right treatment.
Pain may also be referred to different areas of the leg from muscles in the hip and pelvis, as well as joints in the low back, pelvis, and hip.
A precise diagnosis of the cause of sciatica is essential in finding an effective treatment for sciatica. Some causes of sciatica will require other medical attention.
Chiropractic treatment may help sciatica that is caused by disc herniations/bulges, stenosis, spondylolisthesis or piriformis syndrome. Often, we will refer patients for imaging such as MRI and x-ray before beginning a treatment plan.
Treatment will vary depending on each individual and the specific cause of sciatica. At Impulse Chiropractic, we ensure that each treatment is tailored to every patient’s needs. Treatment usually focuses on pain relief and management, decompressing affected joints, reducing muscle tension, increasing joint stability and mobility.
We use a combination of methods to help in the treatment of sciatica. These methods include:
Low back pain is our most common complaint presenting to Impulse Chiropractic. Low back pain affects approximately 60-80% of people throughout their lifetime.
Increased usage of technology, increased sedentary lifestyles, working from home and adoption of poor postures has contributed to more people suffering from thoracic and rib pain.
Coccyx/tailbone pain can be an extremely painful and debilitating condition. Females are 5 times more likely to experience this pain than males.
The shoulder is a complex, mobile and dynamic joint! Most shoulder conditions involve the muscles, tendons, ligaments, and bursa.
The temporomandibular joint (jaw joint) or TMJ is one of the most heavily used joints in the body. It therefore can be a common source of pain and dysfunction.
Plantar fasciitis is a common, painful foot condition that can affect people of all ages and activity levels.
Our chiropractors are well trained in the specific mechanisms involved in sports injuries as well as having backgrounds participating in high level sports themselves.
Osteoarthritis can affect any joint in the body, but it most commonly affects the knees, hips, low back, neck, and fingers/hands.
15/64 Pitt Rd, North Curl Curl
NSW 2099
(02) 9939 8817
admin@impulsechiropractic.com.au
Monday to Friday
8am–6:30pm
Saturday
8am–12pm
Please don’t hesitate to contact us or call if you have any questions that need answering.