Sciatica

…health complaint. The sciatic nerves are the largest (and longest) nerves of the body, reaching about the size of your thumb in diameter, and running down the back of each leg. When these nerves are irritated or affected by the inflammation of nearby soft tissues, doctors refer to this as sciatica. One of the most common causes of sciatic

leg pain is the Vertebral Subluxation Complex. It can be accompanied by the bulging or herniation of the soft, pulpy discs which separate each spinal bone. This can irritate or put pressure on the sciatic nerve roots as they leave the spinal cord. The result can be an intense pain shooting down either or both legs.

In the past, treatment has involved pain medications, muscle relaxers, physical therapy, and even surgery. The chiropractic approach is to use carefully directed and controlled pressure to remove the interference from spinal structures. These chiropractic “adjustments” can be quite effective in reducing nerve irritation and its associated pain.

Sciatica, like other health problems that can be traced to the spine, often respond dramatically to the restoration of normal spinal function through chiropractic care.

While it can take time, conservative chiropractic care can be quite successful in removing the cause of sciatica and low back pain.

· REFERENCES ·

Gray, H., 1827-1861, Grays Anatomy, Williams, P., Worwick, R., Editors, 37th edition, Churchill Livingstone, 1989, Reprinted 1993.

Kirkaldy-Willis, W., M.D., Managing Low Back Pain, 3rd edition, Churchill Livingstone, 1993.

Kur, F., Loh, C., Treatment of Lumbar Intervertebral Disc Protrusions by Manipulation, Clinical Orthopedics, 215:47, 1987.

Manelfe, C., M.D., Imaging of the Spine and Spinal Cord, Raven Press, 1992.

Memmler, R., M.D., Structure and Function of the Human Body, 5th edition, J. B. Lippincott Company, 1992.

Moore, K., The Developing Human: Clinically Oriented Embryology, 3rd edition, W. B. Saunders Company, 1989.

Nwuga, VCB: Relative Therapeutic Efficacy of Vertebral Manipulation and Conventional Treatment in Back Pain Management, Am. Phys. Med., 61:273, 1982.

Rothman, M.D., Simone, M.D., The Spine, 3rd edition, W. B. Saunders, 1992.

White, A. A., M.D. and Panjabi, M. M., Ph.D., Clinical Biomechanics of the Spine, 2nd edition, J. B. Lippincott Company, 1990.

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