Sciatica Treatment Brisbane

What is Sciatica?

Sciatica is the umbrella term for pain that travels down into the hips, buttocks and back of the leg. It can sometimes reach down as far as the foot. 

The sciatic nerve is a long nerve that arises from your lower back - when your leg falls asleep after sitting for a long time, you’re actually compressing a part of your sciatic nerve - the pins and needles felt can be considered as a very mild form of sciatica. 

Sciatica itself isn’t a diagnosis and there are many different causes. 

True sciatica is caused by inflammation or compression of the sciatic nerve roots. 

The sciatic nerve is the longest and largest nerve in the body.

It starts in the lower part of the lumbar region and exits the sacrum through the sacral foramen. It has smaller branches that stem off the main part - the branches goes on to supply the hip joints, muscles of the leg and sensation in the lower limb. 

This compression originates in the lower back caused by disc bulges/herniations or narrowing of the spinal canal, normally due to wear and tear in the spine. 

Sciatica symptoms, treatment and prevention Brisbane

Common symptoms of sciatica

• Pain 

• Burning sensation

• Pins and needles

• Deep ache in the glutes, hamstring or calf muscles

• Weakness in legs

• Foot drop or dragging when walking

• Sharp pain in the lower back when coughing or sneezing

Sciatic-like symptoms on the other hand is pain that mimics sciatica but instead of the nerve, it comes from muscles or joints.
Sciatic-like pain can be caused by: 

• Piriformis syndrome

• Sacroiliac joint dysfunction

• Trigger point referral from muscles

• Spinal stress from pregnancy weight

Who is at risk of developing sciatica? 

1. Age

Age! It’s no secret that as we get on with life, our body develops more wear and tear. This increases the chances of bone spurs developing, narrowing the canal the sciatic nerve comes out of.

2. Extra Weight
Carrying an unhealthy amount of excess weight puts extra pressure onto your discs, putting them at risk of developing a risk of a disc bulge which can compress the sciatic nerves

3. Work
Manual labour can involve a lot of bending and twisting - increasing wear and tear in the spine.

On the other hand, sitting too much can tighten your hip flexors and weaken your core muscles. A lack in core strength puts more strain on your discs, potentially leading to disc bulges

Sciatica treatment Brisbane: how Tan Chiro can help

Whether it’s a true sciatica or sciatic-like symptoms - it’s annoying you and it’s probably painful enough to lead you to research it (and reading this). 

Conservative methods of treatment are often the preferred method of care for sciatica.

This is where your favourite North Brisbane chiropractors come in!

Back pain with or without sciatica is the most commonly treated condition by chiropractors in Australia.

A 2015 systematic review provided evidence that chiropractic treatment for back pain including sciatica was more effective than no treatment as well as physical therapy. 

Chiro training includes being able to determine whether the source of the pain in your butt is coming from a nerve, muscle or joint.

At Tan Chiro our approach is a holistic one - meaning we will look at your body as a whole and figure out what is the root cause of your problem and not just focus on the current pain you currently have. 

X-rays or other additional imaging may sometimes be needed to further understand what is causing your pain.

The main method of treatment used is spinal manipulative therapy. 

This is done by using hands or a small instrument to apply a sudden but controlled stretch to a tight joint to restore movement. This may sometimes result in an audible ‘pop’ or ‘click’. 

At Tan Chiro, we also use a variety of other methods to complement spinal manipulative therapy. This includes:

• Tailoring an exercise plan that suits your level

• Nutritional support for reducing inflammation and encouraging joint healing

• Dry needling 

• Trigger point therapy 

• Postural taping to support muscles

Certain cases may be managed and sorted out in a short amount of time whilst others may require more time. It’s all dependent on an individual’s baseline health status, previous history of injuries and how long the problem has been around for. 

Surgical treatment however, may be needed for more severe sciatica cases where the pain is unbearable and nerve damage gets progressively worse.