In other words… what is underlying your sciatica and are exercises even the best thing to be doing?

To begin with, it would be helpful for you to appreciate what your pain is resulting from. Since sciatica can mimic a variety of other musculoskeletal-related conditions, let’s examine the area.  If you are truly suffering from a sciatic complaint  or condition, then what is happening is the nerve roots coming from the lower part of your back and sacral areas are being compressed, twisted, pulled or otherwise stressed to the point of creating symptoms.  These symptoms are often pain, but they could also be numbness, tingling, burning or pins and needles.  In a very advanced stage of compression, degeneration of the nerves can result and lead to muscle paralysis and wasting.  This is an extreme situation that results when sciatic treatment is not sought.

Another common scenario that can be similar to sciatica is what is called piriformis syndrome.  The piriformis muscle is a triangular-shaped muscle that comes from the sacrum to the outer aspect of the femur bone in the hip area.  Since the sciatic nerve travels through this area in the buttock area, a spasm or tightening of the piriformis can compress or irritate the sciatic nerve, leading to symptoms very similar to a disc herniation cause of sciatica.

Trigger points are another condition that can mimic the sciatica syndrome.  Trigger points are focal muscle spasms that can result in referred pain to distant areas.  Often, these trigger points are the result of other underlying nerve system tension issues.

Nerve tension is a concept that was pioneered by Alf Breig, M.D. in the late 1970s.  He showed that the spinal cord and nerves can be subjected to external forces through their connection with the bones of the spinal column.  His work led to the discovery of how gentle touches at specific places along the spine could cue the body to unwind tension, allow for deeper breathing and ease people’s pain.

In our office, we utilize a variety of exercises for sciatica and other spinal-related conditions.  Some of these involve simple breath and body awareness exercises, called Somato-respiratory integration.  It’s a big name but basically refers to placing your own hands in specific places on your body and breathing in certain ways.  People often find amazing results from these exercises alone.

We also utilize Network Spinal Analysis as a way of helping your body to unwind spinal tension, freeing your nerves from the stress.  This is a major step toward finding relief from sciatica.  Because of the relationship with the spinal nerves, this is why sciatica responds very well to this type of treatment in most cases.

Many forms of herniated disc treatment exist; decompression, extension exercises, laser therapy, prolotherapy, microsurgery and major back surgery for very serious, even life-threatening cases.  Conservative care has been shown to be as effective if not more than any of these more radical procedures both in the short and long term for uncomplicated cases of lower back pain.  In fact, most of the people that come to our office have already tried many of the more traditional routes and have had little or no success.

Through the initial course of care, which varies from a few months to maybe six months, it is common for people to begin seeing and feeling major changes.  We incorporate some extension exercises (on the table) and positioning as part of this initial phase.  In the later phases, there are more advanced stretching and yoga postures that can be incorporated to help create more spinal stability.

Many times, the right combination of proper chiropractic spinal care and appropriate stretching and yoga poses (asanas) it is possible to regain many of the activities that you’ve lost due to your sciatic condition.  Wouldn’t you like to discover your life again?

At Infinite Healing Arts Center, we utilize a light touch approach of chiropractic care.  Network Chiropractic is what it is commonly referred to, is an evidence-based approach at helping you recover from injuries and develop better strategies within your body and spine to ease your pain, feel more well-balanced and whole. Contact us today to learn how we will get you started on the path you want to walk!

As a chiropractor in Gilbert, I’m among a population of active and busy families. We get to see mothers, children, babies, grandmothers and dads all working and playing, doing as much as they can to enjoy their lives. So, it is always a treat when we can play some small part in another’s healing journey and help keep families healthy together. Here’s one of our favorites from the sciatica treatment category…

“I was referred to Dr. Mike Funicello after enduring excruciating pain for over seven months.  I had already tried six different Dr.’s and while they were able to help me get to a certain level they were not able to get rid of my pain.  I had suffered from a very bad fall and had injured the left side of my body and fractured two discs in my back.  I was still suffering from Sciatica and Piriformis Syndrome and bad spasms in my spine.  I was not able to sit and walking was barely manageable.  My life was barely tolerable because of the pain.  For seven months, I had lived day to day on very strong pain pills and could barely manage to get our of bed, much less walk.  This was not the way I wanted to live the rest of my life.

I have been in network care for two months and the changes have been amazing!  I can now stand straight!  I now can walk, I can sit and I can also lay down and be comfortable.  While I still have a limited amount of pain and am still stiff and sore at times, I no longer have to take pain pills.  Finally, I am able to get my life back on track.  I am so much more aware of my body!  I am so much more in tune to what my body is telling me and I am learning to listen to my body.  I am so much more aware now of my body and how emotions and stress played a significant factor in my not being able to get rid of the pain.

My emotions have changed from a very negative out look to one of joy and happiness and contentment and I am looking forward to the future once again.  My happy spirit is back once more and I can laugh, I can live each moment and enjoy my life for the first time in nine months without excruciating pain.

What I enjoy most about the Network Care at Infinite Healing Arts Center is that I am getting well!  I am learning so much from Dr. Mike Funicello about how much body awareness plays a vital role in wellness.  I am so grateful that he is so patient and so knowledgeable and so efficient and effective in his practice.  His treatments have been so effective that I am now on the road to wellness.  These treatments really do work.

I have come a long way from my very first visit that I had with Dr. Mike.  When I went in I was so skeptical as to how he could help me in my condition; I could not grasp how the treatment could help me with my injuries and how he could possibly get rid of my pain.  Two months later I am now a firm believer!  Going to Dr. Mike has turned my life around!  This has been and continues to be a life altering, positive experience for me.”

~Dorene R., Gilbert

All this to say that conservative approaches should be attempted first. You can also feel comforted by the fact that most herniated disc symptoms are treatable with conservative management. This could include things like acupuncture, therapeutic exercise, home exercise training (taught by your health care provider), lifestyle modification and chiropractic care. In fact, gentle approaches like Network Chiropractic can be extremely powerful in helping you to not only feel better in terms of relieving your pain but may also lead to more of a resolution of your concern, too.

This is what most people really want when they are seeking care; resolution. Back pain relief is nice but is often fleeting. Resolution of the underlying cause of one’s back pain is the ultimate goal. This need not be surgical, as is often assumed.

In terms of surgery, there are a few different routes that are often taken. One is to do a micro-discectomy. This is basically the removal of parts of the ‘offending disc’ through a small incisions. These endoscopic discectomies are more and more common today. Still, their success rate of 85-90% leaves some patients with persistent and chronic pain. Older methods with larger incisions and involving spinal fusions are less common and result in a much greater likelihood of complications and future surgical care for the patient.

If you follow a typical conservative medical approach, you will still be given anti-inflammatory drugs, possible steroid injections into the area of your spine or back, physical therapy and recommendations for rest. Again, this may provide relief for some, but does little to resolve your problem. In fact, many people with disc herniations have them ‘resolve’ or find pain relief from simply waiting and allowing their body to do the healing. Medical treatment often just supports this process anyway.

Conservative management may end up being your best bet. If you’re looking for a chiropractor in Gilbert to help you with your herniated disc treatment or other concerns with your back or neck pain, contact us to schedule your consultation with Dr. Michael J. Funicello. It will put your mind at ease and give you a better idea of what to do next.

One extremely common form of pain that exists in the lower back and can refer pain to the back of the leg area is called sciatica. Sciatica is known to affect many millions of Americans each year. When it strikes, it can be an extremely debilitating type of pain that may take you to your knees. A typical scenario is one where the pain travels from your lower back area and radiates down the back of one leg, often in a fashion that you could draw a line down where it travels. It may radiate just into your buttock, to above the knee or even into the big toe. Sciatica is defined as occurring on one side at a time. If you are experiencing burning pain in both legs, then this is not sciatica, classically speaking.  At this point, you’re likely willing to try about anything for some sciatica pain relief.

In order to best understand your sciatica treatment options, it is a good idea to review some of the anatomy and causation elements. The sciatic nerve consists of the nerves from the 5th lumbar and 1st sacral nerve roots that exits the spinal canal and travel down to form the large sciatic nerve. This nerve passes beneath the muscles of the buttocks and down the leg into the foot. There are several branches that pass from the sciatic nerve as it travels down the leg into the foot. This is why when this nerve is irritated, compressed, twisted, distorted or otherwise interfered with; it may cause pain down the leg.

Depending on the nature of the sciatic nerve issue or problem, there are a variety of treatment options. In many traditional Western medical philosophies, it is believed that treatment consist of first conventional and then more radical means. For the sciatic nerve, this means anti-inflammatory medicines, ice, rest and physical therapy to address the muscular spasms. These may help people to feel better, but they often lack the means to address the core issues underlying the cause of the sciatic pain.

In an alternative or complementary philosophy toward sciatica treatment, we would address the reason underlying one’s problem in the first place, attempting to achieve a resolution of the problem rather than stopping at temporary sciatica relief. This type of treatment would likely include a chiropractic evaluation and assessment of spinal function and muscular balance. Since the spinal nerves can easily be pinched, compressed, twisted and distorted, the spinal cord and nervous system are great places to seek answers to the sciatic issue. There may also be additional or concomitant factors that lead to the compression of the sciatic nerve by the piriformis muscle, but this we would call piriformis syndrome and treat that differently.

Because the sciatic nerve can also be compressed by disc pressure, one must not overlook this as a possible factor contributing to the pain. Herniated disc symptoms are actually synonymous with the sciatic pain that you may be experiencing. And, like the sciatic issue with its many nuances, herniated disc treatment is also dependent on a variety of factors, including one’s tolerance, age, physical activity level, personal choices regarding their care and treatment. Some of these procedures would include various forms of surgical intervention in an attempt to physically repair or remove the disc.

Most conservative forms of treatment for sciatica and lower back pain, like Network chiropractic, home exercises, stretching and lifestyle changes all result in favorable outcomes. The prognosis for someone with a fairly simple or uncomplicated sciatica issue is quite good. Surgical outcomes vary, but many of the ‘less radical’ forms can provide for pain relief at least for some period of time. Again, if no effort is made to address the underlying cause of the issue, then it may only end up showing up elsewhere in one’s spine or nervous system somewhere along its path. As you can tell, there are a variety of ways one might pursue their sciatica treatment. Consider Gilbert chiropractor, Dr. Michael J. Funicello to help you with yours. You’ll be glad you did.

In many cases of uncomplicated back pain, your body will recover and heal itself with little or no intervention. Taking it easy for a bit while your body heals is always a good idea. However, there are reasons to consult with a qualified health practitioner if you have back pain, too.

While there are serious reasons, like cancer and other systemic disorders, organ dysfunction and the like, it is more common to have a physical-related pain condition. That is to say, you can usually find back pain relief through some form of physical treatment of your body.  So, while the treatment or care may be directed at the physical body, there are often other reasons or causes for how the pain shows up there. That is to say, back pain has many origins. This is why a workup or consultation with a health care practitioner is warranted. Your herniated disc symptoms can be differentiated from a more simple condition, with quicker recovery times in most cases.

What Is Piriformis Syndrome?

This is a fairly straight forward condition. The piriformis muscle is located in the pelvic region attaching on the anterior aspect of your sacrum (a triangular shaped bone that sits between your two pelvic bones) and the upper part of your leg bone at the hip. This muscle is responsible for helping you twist or rotate your leg outward. Because of the anatomy of this area, your sciatic nerve actually sits just in front of (or below depending on how you visualize this image), it can be pinched by the muscle. This occurs when your muscle is in spasm or there is an otherwise compression of the sciatic nerve at the region of the piriformis.

This is also called an ‘entrapment syndrome’ of the sciatic nerve. Really, the only difference is in causation, where true sciatica is defined as symptoms from a herniated disc in the lower or lumbar spine. As mentioned, this can directly mimic sciatica, with pain, tingling or numbness in the gluteal region, down the leg and into the sole of your foot. Piriformis induced pain is often reported as a dull ache, deeper in the gluteal region that is worse with squatting, walking or sitting.

Piriformis Treatment

Because tightening or spasms of the piriformis muscle are at the root of the problem, stretching is often the best treatment. Massage and chiropractic care can be beneficial as they allow the pelvis and muscles to become more balanced, too.  Many of the same sciatica treatment approaches are similar to that of the piriformis.  If you’re looking for treatment and you think you may have piriformis syndrome, contact us at our Gilbert chiropractic office today.  Best wishes!