Sciatica, or pain along the course of the sciatic nerve, can take many forms. Anything that puts pressure on or irritates this nerve can cause shooting pain that travels from the low back down the buttocks, back of the thigh, and calf. As many as 4 out of 10 people may experience this sort of problem in their lifetime, making sciatica a very commonly dealt with condition.
Common treatment approaches for sciatica include recommendations for any of the following:
- Stretching
- Exercises
- Ice or heat
- Pain relievers
- Anti-inflammatories
These options are often the go-to choices for temporary relief. Unfortunately, medications will wear off over the course of hours or days, and ice or heat only mask the problem for a while. There are many people looking for natural approaches for sciatica relief, not just because of concerns of long-term medication use, but because they are ready to get to the underlying cause of the problem.
To learn more about the connection between head and neck injuries and lower back pain and sciatica download our complimentary e-book by clicking the image below.
Correcting the Neck for Low Back Pain Problems
Sciatica is a problem with the nerves in the low back. The sciatic nerve is a big nerve made up of smaller ones that branch off of the spinal cord in the lower back. In order to find relief, we must identify what is causing the problem in the first place. In many cases, the primary problem is not actually in the low back. Since the spine in the low back bears a lot of our weight, it is also an area that can compensate quite a bit for issues elsewhere in the spine.
The most freely movable vertebra in the spine is the atlas, which sits at the very top of the neck just beneath the skull. It is responsible for the majority of the movement of the head. Because it moves so much, it is more subject to subtle misalignments over time, whether from an injury or just wear and tear. When this happens, it affects the alignment of everything beneath it and eventually will cause compensations in the low back, putting pressure on the sciatic nerve.
At Providence Chiropractic, our priority is on identifying the cause of your condition, not merely chasing around symptoms. If your atlas is misaligned, then getting it corrected will allow the rest of the spine to follow suit. This can be the missing piece of the puzzle needed to solve sciatic nerve pain naturally.
