Sciatica

Sciatica is characterized by pain in the lower back that radiates down one or both legs.

The pain is described as dull, achy, sharp, like “pins and needles” or similar to electric shocks. Other symptoms associated with sciatica include burning, numbness, and tingling sensations.

Sciatic nerve pain varies in intensity from mild to severe, and frequency may range from occasional to constant.

The onset is generally gradual and not necessarily associated with a previous event.

Sciatica is also known as radiating or referred pain, neuropathy, or neuralgia.

Here at WellSpine KC, we regularly treat patients with sciatica.

Drs. Andrew and Liisa Hall explain the importance of getting a spinal check-up, especially if you are experiencing back or sciatic pain.

 

By assessing your case individually, the doctors at WellSpine KC are able to determine the amount of stress on the spine and thus our master system, the nervous system!

The sciatic nerve is the largest nerve in the human body and is formed by the union of 5 nerve roots from the lower spine. It passes deep in the buttock and down the back of the thigh all the way to the heel and sole of the foot.

Since there are many disorders that cause sciatica, we will determine what is the root cause of your sciatica by taking a thorough patient history during your physical and neurological exam.

Chiropractic treatment for a sciatica may involve spinal adjustments, stretches, and exercises to relieve pressure on the affected nerves and restore function to the affected area.

The best care for sciatic pain is to schedule regular chiropractic appointments. This allows us to better detect and correct any spinal dysfunction that may be a source of sciatic pain.

In some instances, diagnostic testing such as an x-ray, MRI, CT scan and/or electrodiagnostic test (electromyography) might be necessary. These examinations and tests help to detect possible contraindications to spinal adjustments and other chiropractic therapies.

Call our office today to start living a pain-free life.

Joe was unable to enjoy his life and career due to the pain he was constantly feeling. His pain was so unbearable he was unable to leave his room for days on end. Since he has begun care at WellSpine KC, he has experienced a complete 180 in his quality of life.

How we treat Sciatica:

Comprehensive Consultation and Exam

Treating low back pain starts with a comprehensive history and consultation with a doctor who’s really going to listen to what’s been going on. One of the common issues we hear from patients who come into our office is that they feel like they haven’t been heard when they’ve spoken to other doctors. So we’re going to make sure that we get a full history of what’s been happening.

The next step is going to be a thorough, comprehensive exam where we administer chiropractic, functional orthopedic, and neurological exams. Our goal with these exams is to find the root cause of the problem. Sometimes pain is more a symptom than the actual root cause. Finding the root cause allows us to permanently fix the situation.

A lot of our newer patients have NEVER had a low back analysis.  Here is what that looks like:

For more information or to request an appointment, call us today at (913) 624-3888

 

For more information or to request an appointment, call us today at (913) 624-3888

Specific Chiropractic Care

In our office, specific chiropractic care is the most important thing that we do for patients suffering from low back pain. Most spinal dysfunction is created by something called subluxation – where a single vertebra in the spine has either become misaligned or is not moving properly with the vertebra above and below.

When that happens, it irritates the nerves that come out in between the vertebrae and that leads to symptoms like pain down an arm or a leg, tight muscles, even disc issues.

Our goal with specific chiropractic care is to take pressure off the nerves and restore proper function to your spine. Once that is done, a lot of the symptoms that you may be suffering from will start to go away.

Specific chiropractic adjustments are the only solution to a subluxation. You can do all of the stretches and exercises that you want, but if a vertebra is stuck out of alignment or is not moving properly, until you get that motion back or correct the alignment, you’ll continue to have issues

Because of our combined 36 years of Clinical Experience, thorough New Patient Discovery Process, state-of-the-art testing and our personalized care, designed for each patient specifically.

But don’t take just take our word for it!

Here is another testimonial from a patient who has received fantastic results when they came in dealing with sciatica issues.

 

With her spine out of alignment, things as simple as breathing and walking were causing Jillian pain. Looking for a solution, she turned to WellSpine KC. With regular adjustments, Jillian can now walk, breathe, and laugh pain-free.

Frequently Asked Questions:

When should I be worried about low back pain?

You should be worried about low back pain as soon as you start to feel pain in your low back. Low back pain is your body’s alarm system telling you that something is wrong. Usually pain is the last thing to show up and the first thing to leave, so we want to address it as soon as it starts so it doesn’t turn into more of a chronic issue.

What can I do to relieve my lower back pain?

We talked a lot about ways to relieve your low back pain in the sections above, but the BEST THING that you can do is to reach out to our office or another professional to get an exam and find out what exactly is causing the lower back pain. The cause of the low back pain will determine what’s going to help relieve it.

How do I know if my back pain is serious?

All back pain is serious. We don’t want any dysfunction happening in your spine or really in your body overall. If by ‘serious’ you mean a medical emergency, if you’re noticing any type of nerve issues – which can be tingling, numbness, weakness, inability to control your bladder or your bowels – those are a step above just general low back pain. That would be something where you need to consult with a professional.

What causes low back pain?

There are many causes of low back pain. It could be acute, like an injury or an accident. It could be something chronic or long term, like improper body mechanics, poor posture, or weak core muscles. t’s important to address not just what’s been going on in the last couple of days, but also what’s been going on over the last few weeks, months, or years.

How should I sleep with lower back pain?

The best way to sleep is on your back with your spine in a neutral position, meaning that it’s not too arched and it’s not pushed forward more than it should be. Having a pillow that allows you to keep your neck in a neutral position, as well as using a pillow underneath your knees to take any pressure off of your low back, even a small pillow in the small of your low back for support.

Sleeping on your side is next best, you just want to make sure that your pillows aren’t pushing your head to one side more than the other. So it’s in a neutral position, as well as having a pillow in between your knees to keep your hips from getting out of alignment.

Sleeping on your stomach is the least ideal situation when it comes to sleeping.

How do I tell if lower back pain is muscle or disc?

Normally with a muscle strain, the low back pain will be dull and achy. It may diffuse over both sides of the low back but it mainly stays within the lumbar region.

With a disc issue, you not only have low back pain, but you also can have radiation into the buttocks, the hip, or even into the leg or the foot. Discs tend to have more nerve involvement than a pulled muscle or muscle strain. The best thing to do would be to get it examined by a doctor that specializes in determining what the problem is.

How does a slipped disc feel?

A slipped disc is another way of saying a disc bulge. Normally you get low back pain as well as radiating pain wherever the nerve that’s being pressed is traveling. Depending on how badly the nerve is being pressed, the pain can run all the way down into the foot or the toes. Usually you can tell if a disc is pushing really hard against a nerve based on how far down the leg the pain travels. You also may feel more pain when you increase the pressure inside your body. So if you hold your breath or you sneeze, that can create more pressure inside of your body that can create more intense pain.

Why won’t my lower back pain go away?

The body is capable of self healing in a lot of situations. If you have chronic low back pain, however, it can point to a bigger problem. It could be something that’s been there for years and has just never met the threshold of creating pain. It could be a new injury or it could be something more serious. The only way to really know what’s going on is to seek out professional care.

Can a chiropractor at WellSpine KC help with lower back pain?

ABSOLUTELY. Low back lower back pain is the number one musculoskeletal condition that we treat at WellSpine KC, and I would imagine most chiropractors in the Kansas City area, also treat low back pain. A Chiropractor should be the first person you go to because this is the thing that we specialize in and it’s always best to try a natural approach before you go the medical route.

What is better for lower back pain, chiropractor or massage?

It really depends on what is causing the lower back pain, but I always recommend going to a chiropractor first. They will be able to address or assess whether the problem is coming from the spine – the misalignment or dysfunction of the vertebrae putting pressure on nerves which is creating the muscle problems or if it’s just a muscle issue. If it’s just a muscle issue, then soft tissue and massage work will help quite a bit. If the tight muscle or the muscle spasm is being created as a symptom of pressure being put on the nerve at the spinal level, then until you take the pressure off the nerve at the spinal level the muscle will continue to be a problem. You may be able to get the muscle to relax or feel better in the short term, but if you don’t address the root cause it will continue to come back.

How can you tell if your spine is out of alignment?

The best way to determine if your spine is out of alignment is to seek help from a chiropractor because that’s what they are trained to address. If you are having some type of spinal issue, muscle tightness, spasms, or nerve pain, there usually will be a subluxation or a spinal misalignment. But, like I said, the best thing to do would be to visit a chiropractor and have them do a comprehensive exam.