Sciatica and Low Back Pain? - Bozeman Chiropractic Questions, Answered!

Pain down the leg? Learn about some common causes!

The sciatic nerve, is made up of 5 smaller nerves that exit your low back and is the longest nerve in the body. It begins at your pelvis, and passes through your hip region and buttocks, before continuing down both legs. As it moves down each leg, the sciatic nerve branches out into smaller nerves. In addition to providing feeling to both your thighs, legs, ankles and feet, the smaller branches of the sciatic nerve control many of the muscles that make up the lower legs. Sciatica, is a term that describes pain that radiates along the course of this nerve.

What causes Sciatica?

When you have sciatica, or pain down your leg, it may be a sign that you have another problem in your body caused by pressure on a nerve in your low back. 

Causes may include:

- Spinal misalignment (Subluxation)

- Disc Herniation or Bulging disc

- Bone Spurs

- Narrowing of spinal canal

- Nerve root compression

- Pregnancy

- Tumors

- Piriformis syndrome

    Often times in men, pain down the leg is due to the fact that men carry their wallets in their back pocket and often sit on them.

How do I know if I have sciatica?

In the majority of cases, pain that begins in your lower back and travels to your buttock and down through the back of your leg, is most characteristic of sciatica. Other symptoms that you may notice in addition to your sciatic pain are tingling, numbness and muscle weakness in the leg that is affected. The severity of the pain can vary from a mild ache to a burning,sharp sensation or even severe debilitating discomfort. At times, the discomfort may be described as an electric shock or sudden jolt of pain. Over time, sciatic pain usually intensifies and becomes more intense when you increase pressure in your body, as in coughing, sitting or sneezing.

How is Sciatica Treated?

People suffering from sciatic pain are often given a combination of stretches, receive deep tissue massages of the piriformis muscle and get adjusted by a Chiropractor. 
Great results are achieved through more conservative and natural methods.

Don't let your low back pain go untreated! Call our office today and let our Bozeman Chiropractic Physicians treat the CAUSE of your pain!