Can chiropractic help sciatic pain (sciatica)?

Jonathan Cromwell-2 • January 17, 2025

Unlock the secret to relieving your sciatic pain—find out how chiropractic care could be the solution you've been searching for!

The simple answer is “yes”, chiropractors have a 100+ year history of relieving sciatic pain and symptoms but… There is much misunderstanding about chiropractic care and healing so a better question to ask is “how does chiropractic care help so many people with sciatica?”


First, we should define sciatica. Sciatica refers to pain, weakness, numbness, or tingling in the leg. It is caused by injury to, or pressure on, the sciatic nerve.


The sciatic nerve travels from the lower back through the buttocks and down each leg.


Sciatica most often happens when a herniated disk or swelling from irritated structures in the lower back and pelvis put pressure on the lumbar (low back) spine nerve roots.


Citation: https://www.hss.edu/condition-list_sciatica.asp


Next let’s list the typical causes of sciatic pain and symptoms…


  • lifting or bending wrong                         
  • twisting and lifting at the same time
  • repetitive twisting                               
  • accidents that wrench the low back or pelvis
  • lifting for many years of physical work         
  • inflammation in the low back/pelvis             
  • a tumor or other space occupying lesion                                         
  • a fracture                                       
  • stenosis of the spinal canal
  • overuse of low back through long-term sitting, standing, car travel, plane travel, slips/falls, auto accidents, etc.


All of the above causes will twist, unlevel, strain, and irritate the vertebrae(bones) of the spine. This, in turn, irritates the nerves around the joints (especially the sciatic nerve) which tighten other muscles and restrict blood flow and damages discs and ligaments. The fix is to untwist the strained vertebrae and allow that process to reverse. 


How chiropractic care works on sciatica…


All of the nerves of your low back can handle a temporary or acute pressure without giving you a pain sensation…that is how we can walk, run, sit, dance, play football etc. without immediate pain. 


What the nerves of your low back cannot handle is constant or chronic pressure. So when damage occurs from a lower back/pelvic strain, sprain, football hit, repetitive stress, etc. the result is inflammation, tight musculature, fascial stress, decreased blood blow, and/or bone displacement which all put abnormal pressure on those nerves.


When there is abnormal pressure constantly on nerves, the pressure can be felt as pain or tingling or numbness or burning or weakness. Sometimes the nerve pressure can be felt as a combination of any/all of these symptoms. 


All of the previously listed symptoms are there to tell you to do something about the cause of the symptom. If you get rid of the cause, the symptom will go away and the body will be able to repair the involved joint(s) and support structures as it was designed to do.


There is a way to get rid of the cause (nerve pressure brought on by joint damage from sprains, strains, and injuries). It is to gently “nudge” the bony structures affecting the nerves so they stay off the nerves. This will allow the nerves to heal and allow them to guide the healing of the structures around the damaged joint(s).


The “nudge” is called a spinal adjustment and it is what chiropractors specialize in.


The spinal adjustment is the means by which I have been able to help many thousands of patients in southeast Michigan during my 30+ years as a practicing chiropractor. Most of the patients have been relieved of low back pain and/or sciatica.  Almost all of them have been helped without the need for drugs or surgery.


You are invited to call or email me if you have questions or wish to have a no-charge evaluation/consultation with me or one of my associate doctors. We would love to show you how chiropractic can help you.


Jonathan D. Cromwell, D.C., P.C.

(248) 477-1492

www.NerveDr.com


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