Struggling With Sciatica in Broomfield?

If you are experiencing pain that radiates from the back or buttocks all the way down the legs, you may have a common condition called sciatica. Many people look for a Broomfield chiropractor so they don't have to suffer with the pain of sciatica, and many never achieve a long-term solution. An untreated sciatic condition can continue to worsen and make the daily tasks of living go from difficult to impossible. This article is aimed at helping you to understand sciatica and explains how chiropractic treatment can help you to overcome it.

About Sciatica in Broomfield

Sciatica doesn't classify as a condition. Instead, it's a collection of nerve-related symptoms that occur due to an injury, disease, or degeneration of the sciatic nerve. This nerve is the largest in your body. It begins in your lower back. Then, it travels through your hips and buttocks and extends down each one of your legs. Most patients who have sciatica experience it on one side of their body only.

If you have sciatica, you may experience burning or tingling in your back that extends down a leg. Some people have inflammation, numbness, or a burning sensation as well. While some individuals suffer from a mild ache from sciatica, it's possible to have sharp, excruciating pain. You may notice the pain worsens when you sneeze or cough. Even sitting for long periods of time may cause your sciatica to flare up.

Sciatic Treatment

Sciatica, which is also known as sciatic neuralgia, is a condition that causes pain in the lower back, down the back of the leg, and into the foot. It can make sitting and standing for long periods of time difficult and can lead to weakness, tingling, and numbness in the leg and foot. It will often come and go throughout a person's lifetime, causing periods of varying degrees of pain and discomfort. If left unchecked, sciatic pain will generally grow worse and the nerve can become permanently injured.

The reason why the pain travels so far, seems to radiate up and down the legs and back, is because it is caused by the compression of the sciatic nerve, the longest nerve in the body. This nerve originates in the lumbar spine and extends into the buttocks before traveling down the leg to the ankle and foot. When the vertebrae in the low back are compressed, the roots of the sciatic nerve can become pinched and irritated which is what causes the pain and injury.

How Do You Develop Sciatica?

There are a number of factors that can lead to sciatica. It is most commonly caused by disc injuries and bulges. In this occurrence, the disc presses against the nerve root causing the issue. Disc Injuries can occur because of poor posture, repetitive use injuries, and accidents. Sciatica is also common when there are subluxations (misalignments) in the spine due to postural issues, pregnancy, or trauma. People who are overweight are more susceptible to sciatica. Even living a sedentary lifestyle puts you more at risk. Some patients say they simply bent over to pick up a piece of paper and they were hit with extreme pain. The reality is that the spinal condition was probably developing for quite some time before the triggering incident occurred.

Chiropractic care for Sciatica

First, our chiropractor diagnoses your condition by asking you questions about your symptoms. Then, you may need further testing to determine the cause. Finally, our chiropractor establishes a treatment regimen to help manage your pain and possibly correct the underlying problem. For instance, our chiropractor may perform routine spinal alignments. These holistic treatments realign your back manually. The alignment relieves pressure on the surrounding nerves and tissue in your back.

Spinal decompression is another treatment we offer. It consists of a device that stretches your spine, which relieves pressure on the nerves. Part of integrated medicine also consists of making lifestyle changes like incorporating exercises that help increase mobility and reduce pain. Our practitioner educates you on exercises that are more beneficial to your condition, which are mainly stretches.