Living with chronic pain can be burdensome. It’ll affect your career and relationships; and at times, it may also trigger depression. Chronic pain takes too much from an individual, and if medication can’t provide relief, functioning normally is something that’d be hard to achieve.
Chronic pain like sciatica pain persists and goes beyond the usual recovery period. In the United States, it was estimated that 26% of adults aged 45 to 64 years suffer from chronic pain, and a much higher percentage for 65 years and older.
Because of this, there has been an increase in opioid dependence in the population. This is also one of the reasons for the high medical costs affecting the economy.
What Is Sciatica Pain?
The trademark of sciatica pain is a severe, sharp, excruciating pain traveling from the lower spine to the buttocks and radiating to the thigh and the calf. The pain may sometimes feel like a jolt or an electric shock. More severe cases of sciatica pain make the leg muscles numb and weak, and one may even have trouble controlling their bladder.
Sciatica pain happens because the sciatic nerves get compressed, leading to irritation and inflammation. The pain usually begins with mild pins and needles and progresses to more severe pain as time goes by. The nature of the pain could be due to an injury, obesity, and age. Other reasons make the pain worse, including:
- Frequent heavy lifting
- Prolonged sitting
- Improper posture
- Diabetes
- Osteoarthritis
- Sedentary lifestyle
- Smoking
Chiropractor Treatments For Sciatica Pain
Suppose the pain from sciatica is affecting your life. In that case, you may take self-care treatments like OTC medications and NSAIDs such as ibuprofen and naproxen to relieve pain and reduce inflammation, hot and cold packs, and gentle stretches. If these self-care treatments don’t relieve the pain, you might want to try going to chiropractors.
Chiropractor treatments help with sciatica pain in many ways, including the following:
1. Apply Chiropractic Massage Therapy
A chiropractic massage therapy is an intense type of massage that’ll induce deep muscle relaxation to release endorphins, your body’s natural ‘feel-good’ chemical that’ll naturally signal your body to cope with the pain.
Chiropractic massage therapy by knowledgeable chiropractors will coax the body’s muscles to function as they should and apply particular motions to keep the blood flowing in the area to reduce inflammation.
2. Perform Chiropractic Adjustments
Chiropractors may apply spinal manipulations, so herniated discs can move back into position to take the pressure off the sciatic nerve. The chiropractor may do quick high-velocity thrusts or a combination of minimal force and gentle pressure to align the lower back vertebral discs. It may look scary at first, but many people dealing with sciatica pain have their chiropractors to thank for relieving them of the debilitating pain affecting their daily lives.
Once the pressure from the sciatic nerves is released, nerve signal flow will go back to normal, and muscle spasms will subside. This may be the long-term relief many sufferers of sciatica pain seek to achieve since they can regain their mobility and function once this is performed.
3. Apply Spinal Decompression
Herniated discs may at times result in the drying of the spinal vertebrae, which also makes it thinner and compressed, causing the pain that sciatica brings to your lower back.
Chiropractors may use traction and decompression therapy to stretch and lengthen the spine to enhance the space in your vertebrae resulting in a decompressed nerve and reduced pain. This therapy promotes an optimal healing environment for herniated, bulging, and degenerating discs. When the spine is decompressed, not only will the nerves restore its signal, but it’ll also allow nutrients to pass through it and enable that specific area to receive minerals like calcium and magnesium that they need to generate efficiently.
4. Utilize Heat And Cold Therapies
Chiropractors use traditional heat and cold treatments or a combination of both to provide quick relief from pain during or before a session. The heat from the pack can release tight muscles, which would be optimal before a more severe chiropractic application. The cold therapy, meanwhile, will slow down blood flow and reduce the area’s swelling. Experienced chiropractors will know which treatment will suit your condition or may apply both at one time.
Conclusion
Freedom from pain is a human right, and no one should suffer from long-term pain inadvertently. Access to pain management and relief should be granted to people who most need them. This is essential so one can perform their functions efficiently. Chronic pain like sciatica, though common, shouldn’t be tolerated. For those looking for specialized methods and advice, it might be beneficial to explore various sciatica treatment options to find what’s most effective for your specific condition. And if chiropractic treatment is needed, one should be given access to it.