AFC Physical Medicine’s holistic approach to sciatica will help you get to the root cause of your sciatica and provide relief. An initial visit in one of our AFC locations for sciatica symptoms would start with a convenient appointment time. There, our case manager will sit down with you 1-on-1 for a detailed consultation to find out how your sciatica started.
Over the years, I have found that certain traumas or life experiences can lead to your current sciatica symptoms, and many times, you don’t even realize it! Our next step is a comprehensive spinal exam performed by our Doctor of Chiropractic and a Physician’s Assistant. After our providers collect the information from the exam, an x-ray may be necessary to check for any abnormalities or misalignment of your spine often leads to sciatica.
All of our findings will come together into one report narrowing down the cause of your sciatica and the recommended treatment regimen. While the symptoms are often similar, sciatica has a variety of causes. We will provide recommendations regarding your specific needs, which may include spinal realignment or physical therapy to build strength in your glutes and quadriceps.
Sciatica Treatment
With my 13 years of chiropractic experience, I have found that what works best is a combination of the services we offer. Physical medicine helps to stretch and strengthen the muscles of your lower back in order to improve posture, and in-office massage therapy with every visit reduces symptoms caused by muscle spasms.
At the end of each visit, our chiropractors will gently align the specific bones in your lower back that have strayed over time from their intended positions. If a disc in your lower back is applying pressure to the sciatic nerve, a flexion distraction table may also be used to slowly reduce the pressure in a controlled environment. After the adjustment is performed, patients feel immediate relief while working towards a long-term solution.
Sciatica Pain Treatment
While we continue to improve your posture and muscular support through chiropractic adjustments and physical therapy, you may still face sciatica pain as the sciatic nerve is pinched by misaligned discs or muscle. Trigger point therapy focused on the piriformis muscle provides relief to problem areas. Trigger point injections performed by our physician’s assistant with natural botanicals greatly reduces the day-to-day pain as you recover from sciatica.
While the proper treatment of sciatica varies by bone structure and alignment, the purpose of the treatment is universal, bringing your bones back into proper alignment and supporting muscle strength in order to not just cure your sciatica but improve your bone health in the future.