Sciatica Treatment in Alexandria VA
A commonly used term for pain going down the back of the leg, sciatica can manifest as numbness, tingling, or sharp, shooting, shock-like pain. There are many reasons why a person experiences sciatic discomfort.
Identifying the Cause
The chiropractors at Back to Health Center are equipped to identify where the source of the pain is coming from and treat that source. Here are some potential causes of sciatica:
- A tight muscle that the sciatic nerve travels through
- Piriformis syndrome (occurs when the muscle can pinch or irritate the sciatic nerve, causing pain)
- A disc that’s herniating, bulging or is surrounded by inflammation
Dr. Shara and Dr. Katie can diagnose exactly the inception, as well as where the problem truly lies.
Our Approach to Addressing Sciatica
Dr. Shara and Dr. Katie use various chiropractic techniques and also flexion distraction to address sciatica. Often a sick disc or a disc that doesn’t have adequate hydration is more likely to herniate, bulge or get irritated.
The way the disc gets sick or dehydrated is by not having an opening or closing of the joint. The flexion distraction technique that we use opens and closes the joint, allowing fluid back into the disc, and creating a pressure system inside the disc that sucks the disc back into position.
You will be greeted and given a few forms to complete if you haven’t yet filled them out through our online portal. As a courtesy to you, we will do an insurance verification to let you know what your insurance benefits are before your evaluation.
Once that has been processed at the front desk, Dr. Shara or Dr. Katie will bring you back into the exam room. Your chiropractor will perform an extensive evaluation that will help her make a diagnosis.
Based on your diagnosis, we may or may not do a treatment at that time. The only time we don’t treat someone on that first visit or do an adjustment on that initial visit is if there’s some sort of red flag indicating more testing (e.g. an X-ray or MRI) or a referral is needed.
If you are experiencing excruciating pain (e.g. your disc is so bad that you’ve come in and are bent over in pain), we won’t adjust on the first visit. We may use some electric stim instead to help give you some relief.
Based on a detailed history that we take, we’d put together the puzzle. For example, let’s say you’ve been doing a lot of sitting and you happened to sit on top of a wallet. We can determine that’s what’s pressing in on your muscle, resulting in sciatic pain.
Will you give me things I can do at home to help?
Yes, we will teach you exercises on how to work on your sciatic nerve and get it to stop being compressed or irritated.
Should I get an MRI or X-ray?
If your pain persists past visit 5, for example, and we’re still inconsistently not getting any improvements at that point, your chiropractor would refer you for X-rays or an MRI. You might be experiencing something more aggressive that may warrant a referral out of the office for pain management.
Book an Appointment
You don’t have to suffer from sciatica. Contact us today to schedule an appointment.
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