Sciatica Specialist

What is sciatica?

Your sciatic nerve runs from your lower back through your hips and down each of your legs. When this nerve is pinched or irritated, you develop sciatica. In most cases, sciatica affects only one side of the body at a time.

When you have sciatica, you may feel pain that radiates from your lower back into your buttock and down the back of one leg. Some people describe this pain as a burning sensation or a mild ache. Others say that the pain feels like an electric shock. These symptoms may get worse if you sit for a long time, sneeze, or cough.

In addition to pain, you also may experience muscle weakness, numbness, and/or tingling in the affected leg.

What causes sciatica?

The most common cause of sciatica is a herniated disc, which occurs when the soft center of one of the intervertebral discs in your back protrudes outward. This puts pressure on the sciatic nerve, producing the symptoms of sciatica.

Other conditions that may cause sciatica include tumors in the spine, bone spurs, narrowing of the spine, and nerve damage from diabetes. These causes are more serious and may require more intensive treatment than sciatica caused by a herniated disc.

How does South Shore Chiropractic diagnose sciatica?

The doctors at South Shore Chiropractic usually can diagnose sciatica based on your symptoms. However, to determine the cause of sciatica, further testing usually is necessary. Depending on the situation, Dr. Campo or one of the other doctors at South Shore Chiropractic may order imaging scans to look for herniated discs, bone spurs, or other problems in the spine.

What treatments are available?

South Shore Chiropractic offers several non-invasive treatments that may benefit patients with sciatica. If you have sciatica, you may need:

• Chiropractic adjustments - Chiropractic adjustments remove irritation from your nerves and provide relief from muscle spasms that may complicate sciatica.
• Traction - Traction relieves pressure on the spine, which may improve sciatica and other symptoms related to herniated discs.
• Massage - Massage therapy loosens stiff muscles and relieves pain in the lower back.
• Flexion-distraction - Flexion-distraction reduces pressure in the spine, improves spinal motion, and alleviates sciatica pain safely.