Sciatica is an affliction characterized by pain that extends along the path of the sciatic nerve, which is the largest and longest nerve
in the body. The sciatic nerve travels from the lower back, through the hip and buttock and down the leg where it separates into two branches at the knee.
Sciatica pain is felt along the sciatic nerve's path, deep in the buttock and traveling down the back of usually just one leg and sometimes to the foot. Sciatic pain can also be accompanied by a "pins and needles" feeling, numbness, as well as muscular weakness in the affected leg. In addition, at times the pain feels like an electric shock along the nerve. The pain can vary from a moderate ache to severe pain and is commonly felt when you're sitting, cough or sneeze and is often accompanied by lower back pain.
If your symptoms include severe pain and/or you lose bladder or bowel control, a numb feeling or weakened muscles, seek medical attention immediately.
Causes of sciatica include herniated disc, bone spurs, piriformis syndrome, lumbar spinal canal stenosis and spondylolisthesis. Sciatica can also be caused by tumors on the nerve roots or the spinal cord. Severe back pain that extends to the hips and feet, and causes muscle weakness or lack of bladder or bowel control can be the result of spinal tumors.
Injury to the spine and/or neck can also lead to sciatica. In addition, the stress and increased pressure from poor posture drastically increases the pressure on the neck and the discs of the lower back area, leading to neck injuries, herniations and bulges, basically affecting you head to tow because uneven posture can be specifically tied back to upper neck misalignments.
Upper cervical chiropractic care, can help the body recover from back and neck injuries, restoring spinal health and thereby addressing the underlying cause of the sciatica without the need of surgical intervention. The key to improving your chances of successful rehabilitation is seeking the help of an experienced chiropractor as soon as possible. Putting off treatment will make the recovery process take much longer, and may even cause the build up of scar tissue surrounding the injury. When your head is tilted off kilter and not appropriately balanced over your neck, the rest of the body ends up having to adapt to the position it's in, which can leads to out of balance posture, neck, back pain and even sciatica. A gentle and exact correction of the upper cervical area, putting it back in alignment is frequently all it takes to eliminate the added stress from the lower back and in many cases will help the body relieve the pressure it has been placing on the sciatic nerve, allowing the injured area to recover.
To learn more about this gentle and precise approach to spinal injuries and to find a doctor in your area go to www.upcspine.com or if you are in the Redwood City California area to schedule your NUCCA evaluation, click the button below:
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Dr. Pete Tsiglieris of Advanced Spinal Care in Redwood City, California is an Upper Cervical Specialist trained by the National Upper Cervical Chiropractic Association (NUCCA). His upper cervical clinic also serves San Mateo, Palo Alto, Menlo Park, San Carlos, and Sunnyvale. They are uniquely trained to correct problems in the upper cervical spine (upper neck). This vital area is intimately connected to the central nervous system and problems in this area have been shown to be an underlying cause of a variety of different health problems, including migraines and other headaches, carpal tunnel syndrome, neck pain, back pain and shoulder pain and weakness. More information can be found on our website at https://bayareanuccacare.com/
To schedule a complimentary consultation call our Redwood City office at 650-595-0500 or you can also click the button below.
If you are outside of the local area, you can find an Upper Cervical Doctor near you at www.uppercervicalawareness.com
