Can a Chiropractor Help With Sciatica?

What is sciatica?

Sciatica is pain that follows the path of the sciatic nerve, from the low back or buttock down the back of the leg. It is usually on one side. It can feel sharp, burning or electric, and it often comes with numbness or tingling in the leg or foot.

Sciatica is a symptom, not a diagnosis. It tells you a nerve is irritated. It does not tell you why. Finding the why is the whole job of the first visit.

What causes sciatica?

• A disc. A bulging or herniated disc in the low back presses on a nerve root. This is the most common cause.
• Narrowing in the spine. The space around the nerves gets tighter with age, called spinal stenosis.
• A tight muscle in the buttock. The piriformis muscle sits right over the sciatic nerve and can irritate it.
• A joint in the pelvis. An irritated sacroiliac (SI) joint can send pain down the leg that feels like sciatica.

These can feel the same from the inside, and more than one can be present. That is why the care that helped a friend's sciatica may not be the care yours needs.

How can a chiropractor help with sciatica?

1. An exam to find the source. Your posture, range of motion, nerve tests, and the joints of your spine, pelvis and hips. As a Certified Chiropractic Extremity Practitioner, Dr. Bekkum also checks the hip, knee and foot, because the way you walk loads your low back.
2. Screening for warning signs. If we find one, we refer you the same day.
3. Hands-on care matched to the cause. Chiropractic adjustments to restore motion to stuck joints, and soft tissue work on the muscles of the buttock and hip that have been guarding.
4. Rehab so it stays better. Exercises to build strength and control around the low back and hips, and simple habits for sitting, lifting and sleeping.

The first two steps are Relief by Design, our first phase of in-clinic care. The last is Rehabilitation by Design. For more on back, disc and nerve pain, see sciatica and herniated disc care in Moorhead.

What does the research say?

Research on spinal manipulation for sciatica is mixed. Some trials found it eased leg pain from a disc problem. Others found little difference from other kinds of care. What is consistent is that most sciatica improves over weeks to a few months, and that staying gently active tends to help more than bed rest.

So we do not promise a result. We measure where you start, tell you plainly what we think is going on, and re-measure to see whether care is working.

How long does sciatica take to get better?

It varies with the cause and how long you have had it. There is no set number of visits. We measure your pain and what you can do at the first visit, then measure again as you go. Care continues while your scores are improving and stops when your pain is low and your function is back.

When should you get medical care right away?

Some symptoms are not a chiropractic problem. Go to an emergency room or call 911 if you have:

• New loss of bladder or bowel control, or numbness in the groin or inner thighs
• Weakness in a leg that is getting worse, or a foot you suddenly cannot lift
• Fever, chills or unexplained weight loss with back pain
• Pain after a serious fall or car accident
• A history of cancer with new back pain

We screen for these on day one. If we see one, we refer you the same day.

What about injections or surgery?

Those are medical decisions, made with a medical doctor. Dr. Bekkum is a chiropractor and does not prescribe medication or give injections. If your exam suggests you need imaging or a medical opinion, he refers you. Many people try hands-on care and rehab first, and it does not close the door on anything else.

What can you do at home in the meantime?

• Keep moving. A few short, easy walks a day are usually better than long rest.
• Break up sitting. Stand up and change position every 20 to 30 minutes.
• Avoid what clearly sets it off for now, such as heavy lifting or long drives, without stopping all activity.

This is general information, not a plan for you. If your pain is severe, getting worse, or comes with any warning sign above, get care.

Who provides and bills your care?

• Who and where. In-person chiropractic care by Dr. Paul M. Bekkum, DC, CCEP, at Downtown Health & Wellness, 22 6th St N, Moorhead, MN 56560, under his Minnesota chiropractic license.
• Billing and insurance. Downtown Health & Wellness bills your in-clinic visit fees, not Integrix Health. It bills your insurance for covered services, such as your exam, adjustments and rehab. You pay any copay, deductible or coinsurance your plan requires.
• Results. Results vary, and no outcome is guaranteed.