Sciatica
Sciatica Pain Treatment in Murray
Sciatica refers to irritation of the sciatic nerve which starts in your low back and runs to your legs.
Patients suffer from some, if not all of the following:
- Low back pain that radiates into the buttock
- Sharp thigh and leg pain-from the buttock down to the calf and possibly into the foot.
- May or may not involve the back of the thigh.
- Leg/foot numbness
- Leg/foot pins and needles
- Burning pain and hyper sensitivity on the skin
- Cramping in the thigh, leg or foot
- Weakness of muscles in the thigh, leg or foot
- Foot drop- causes unusual tripping
- Decreased hamstring flexibility
The sciatic nerve is composed of 5 different nerves that all run together into the leg. These nerves all originate from the spinal cord and exit out of the low back in different spots. The nerves after exiting come together again and form the sciatic nerve. I like to imagine like a woman who had braided her hair. Multiple hairs that are part of one braid. Irritation of anyone of those nerves can give pain or other symptoms as described above.
WHAT REALLY CAUSES SCIATICA?
The most common cause of sciatica is compression of any of the 5 nerves just before they exit the spine as a result of disc bulge or herniation!
- There are discs between all of the vertebrae in your low back. These discs help protect and make up a large portion of the openings that your nerves travel through. Unfortunately they can also be injured. The outer rings of tissues that help contain the inner portion which is made up of fluid. The outer rings can tear leading allowing the inner fluid to leak out, much like the jelly of a donut can. It is that fluid from inside the disc that leads to physical compression of the nerves that comprise the sciatic nerve. This is referred to as a disc herniation.
- Degenerative disc disease can be another cause of Sciatica and compression of the sciatic nerve. As we age, especially if there is a history of recurrent back pain, the fluid in our discs dries up. As that happens we lose disc height. the important part of maintained good disc height for our spine is that the disc height is vital for maintaining the openings that our nerves run through. So a loss of the fluid inside the disc and subsequent loss of disc height can actually cause compression on any of the nerves that make up our sciatic nerve.
- The third most common cause of sciatica is Piriformis syndrome. This occurs when the muscle that is located adjacent to the sciatic nerve in our pelvis starts to tighten and spasm. This can cause compression on the sciatic nerve after it has exited the back and as it starts to travel into your leg.
WHICH TYPE OF SCIATICA DO I HAVE?
The only way to determine what is causing your sciatica is by a spine specialist who performs a thorough history, examination and through imaging.
Dr. Clark is not interested in guessing as to what might be causing your sciatica. Here at Advanced Spine and Disc our whole purpose is to FIX THE SOURCE of the compression or irritation of your sciatic nerve. In order to do this we’ll need a recent MRI. An MRI is the only way to see if there is a disc injury. X-rays are great for looking at the bones, but this is not a bone problem, it is a disc and nerve problem. An MRI will show not only where the disc injury is but what type it is and how bad it is. This is the only way to obtain a proper diagnosis and allow for a treatment program that will be EFFECTIVE for fixing the problem.
TREATMENTS THAT TREAT THE SYMPTOMS, NOT THE PROBLEM
Until the disc material that is causing compression of the sciatic nerve is removed the problem will continue to persist. Any treatment that does not remove that material will just MASK THE SYMPTOMS!
Treatments that just mask the symptoms…
- -Anti-inflammatories (for inflammation only)
- -Muscle relaxants (does not address the cause)
- -Pain medication (Masks the pain)
- -Cortisone shots (decreases inflammation only)
- -Epidural shots (removes inflammation only, does not change the disc injury)
- -Chiropractic Care (does not affect disc material causing compression.)
- -Physical therapy (deals only with muscles)
While all of these therapies have a place in a comprehensive treatment program, they will not do anything to fix the underlying problem!
WHAT TREATMENT FIXES THE SOURCE OF SCIATICA?
Remember, unless a treatment fixes the underlying disc injury causing compression of the sciatic nerve it will not fix the problem. Surgery attempts to address this problem but unfortunately it has very limited success rates. Scar tissue, muscle atrophy, infection and chronic pain are all associated with back surgery.
Advanced Spine and Disc has the developed the latest and most advanced Non-Surgical Sciatica treatment and rehabilitation program!
It accomplishes all of the goals of effective treatment by:
Using a therapy system called the DRX Decompression therapy system that addresses the disc injury. This therapy can actually fix the disc and allow it to heal! That means no more compression on the sciatic nerve and NO MORE SCIATICA.
We also provide a comprehensive strengthening, muscle re-balancing, chiropractic and rehabilitation program. This prevents the problem from coming back again, and KEEPS YOU PAIN FREE.
To see if you qualify for this exclusive therapy program and can get relief from your sciatica, schedule a consultation with Dr. Clark!
Sciatica Pain Treatment in Murray & Murray UT
Start Your Consultation
If you believe that your chronic neck or back pain is a sign of this condition, contact Advanced Spine & Disc to schedule a consultation with Dr. Clark. Each consultation with Dr. Clark includes:
- a full examination of the your symptoms, limitations and pain history
- a clear explanation of what current diagnostic imaging and other symptoms mean
- specialized and effective treatment that can solve the cause—not just the symptoms—of your chronic pain
Dr. Clark enjoys helping many of his patients gain relief from their neck or back pain and get back to enjoying their lives. He will take the guesswork out of discovering the right treatment for you using proven, non-surgical methods. Advanced Spine & Disc’s state-of-the-art equipment, including the DRX9000 decompression machine, is another innovative feature that can help patients like you battle back against pain and get their life back.