Have you had pain radiating from your low back to the backs of your legs or even to your feet?
We often refer to this type of radiating pain as “sciatica”, and it is definitely not fun to deal with! This type of pain can frequently be treated conservatively with chiropractic and manual release of pertinent nerves that may be causing the pain. Dr. Jaffer Barlas at Barlas Chiropractic near South Lake Union can treat you and help you avoid the need for surgery or other serious interventions that might be prescribed elsewhere.
The source of sciatica pain or discomfort can be a muscle, a nerve, a joint, or a combination of those.
In some cases, sciatica is caused by a bulging or herniated disc. In other cases pain might be caused by entrapment of the sciatic nerve within the glute (buttock muscle) or even by restricted joints in the low back that create radiating leg pain. Chiropractic Adjustments and Active Release Technique® soft tissue therapy are the perfect methods to relieve many types of sciatica. Even some disc herniations can be treated with adjusting and therapeutic exercises rather than with surgery.
A thorough exam and diagnosis is necessary to determine the cause of pain and then to determine the proper course of treatment. A common treatment is chiropractic adjusting to the SI (sacroiliac) joints and/or lumbar spine and active release of the sciatic nerve or sacral nerve roots.
Certain therapeutic exercises are very beneficial as well for reducing pain and creating low back stability.
A striking study published in 2013 highlighted the likelihood of surgery depending on what a person visited first. Of the 1885 back pain patients in the study, 42.5% of those who visited a surgeon as their first point of contact received surgery, whereas only 1.5% of those who visited a chiropractor for their first point of contact had surgery (Keeney BJ, 2013). So, before choosing to visit an orthopedic surgeon for your back pain, consider that less serious, less invasive, and far less expensive treatment might be available at a chiropractor’s office.
Give Barlas Chiropractic a call at (206)954-7479 to schedule an initial visit!
Works Cited
Keeney BJ, F.-K. D. (2013). Early Predictors of Lumbar Spine Surgery After Occupational Injury: Results from a Prospective Study of Workers in Washington State. Spine, 953-964.
(206) 954-7479