The sciatic nerve runs from your lower back and branches out into your hips, glute muscles, and both legs. If your musculoskeletal system is not properly aligned, most often due to a herniated disc, bone spur, or narrowing spine, it can compress and put pressure on part of the sciatic nerve. When this happens, the nerve sends pain signals up and down the branches of the nerve to create a sharp and painful sensation that’s often accompanied by hip or leg inflammation.

The most common symptom of sciatica is a chronic pain that starts in the lower back and radiates into one leg (usually only one leg is affected). Depending on the area that’s under pressure, you could feel pain anywhere in your leg, but most often it’s located high in the hip, glute muscle, or thigh.

The level of pain associated with sciatica varies depending on the severity of the condition. You may feel a mild ache that won’t go away or sharp bursts of extreme pain when you move your legs in a certain direction. If you experience sudden pain or you notice a persistent pain developing after an injury, accident, or long periods of sitting still at a desk, it’s a good idea to get a professional evaluation from a licensed chiropractor to determine the cause and recommend treatment options.

To treat sciatica, we start with an accurate diagnosis. If you’re experiencing the symptoms of sciatica but haven’t been technically diagnosed, we may suggest an X-ray, MRI, or CT scan to confirm spinal misalignment and location of the pressure point(s).

Once we’ve identified the place in your back that’s pinching the sciatic nerve and causing pain and inflammation, we use chiropractic therapies to adjust the spine back into normal alignment. This might include gentle manual manipulation/adjustments, ultrasound waves that reduce muscle and tissue inflammation, PNF stretching, or cold therapy.

After aligning your spine, the pressure on the sciatic nerve will be relieved, and your body will be able to heal itself, eliminating pain and swelling. To fully realign your spine, you may need to visit the Injury Centers of Brevard location nearest you in Brevard County, FL, a few times to slowly adjust your spine without causing further damage. If your sciatica is the result of an injury or car accident, let our team know so that we can share all of our records with any legal parties necessary to help you file a claim.