Diagnosis and Treatment of Sciatica By Your Dallas Chiropractor

Sciatica is pain caused by compression of nerve roots leading to the sciatic nerve, the widest and longest nerve in your body. People suffering sciatica have pain and discomfort on one side of their body rather than both legs. The severity of sciatica varies, with some individuals experiencing mild to moderate pain while others are debilitated by excruciating, shooting pains that make it nearly impossible to sit, stand or engage in any kind of physical activity for even a short time.

While pain medication may provide temporary pain relief, pills do not address the underlying cause of sciatica--irritation of nerve roots. Your chiropractor in Dallas offers holistic, drug-free treatment for sciatica pain with chiropractic techniques involving removal of pressure off nerve roots for long-term pain relief.

Diagnosing Sciatica

Your Dallas chiropractor will perform a complete physical examination and ask questions about when sciatica pain started, where exactly you feel pain and if the pain worsens during specific activities. Magnetic resonance imaging and computerized tomography imaging tests can also help your chiropractor accurately diagnose sciatica. Evaluating transmission of electrical impulses through sciatica and spinal nerves using evoked potential testing is an additional method used to diagnose sciatica.

Causes of Sciatica

Common reasons for the development of sciatica include:

Spinal disc herniation

Compression of nerve roots by bulging or herniated vertebrae discs

Lumbar spinal stenosis

If the spinal canal narrows due to disease, bone spurs, herniated discs or aging, pressure on sciatic nerve roots will cause the pain, numbness, and tingling of sciatica

Spondylolisthesis

When one or more vertebrae slips forward too far, this can compress nerve roots and produce sciatica pain. The severity of spondylolisthesis is diagnosed by your chiropractor in Dallas in "grades", with grade 1 being the least severe and grade 5 being the worst.

Chiropractic Treatment for Sciatica

Adjustments to the spine are extremely effective for realigning the spine so that vertebrae are moved back into their proper positions. Hot/cold therapy is another pain relief treatment recommended by your chiropractor in Dallas that is often used in conjunction with spinal adjustments.

Schedule an appointment today at Apex Wellness Center to enjoy a drug-free and surgery-free chiropractic care for sciatica pain: 972-392-9402.