How We Help Sciatica

We can help you with Sciatica at our Chagrin Falls clinic.

Sciatica is a condition that causes pain and tingling into the upper buttock and sometimes down into the leg and toes. The sciatic nerve, a large nerve traveling from the low back and down the leg, gets irritated. This condition can be caused by both obvious and not so obvious imbalances in the body.

Most suffering with this condition are told by their medical doctor that their only option is drugs or surgery.
Fortunately, there are safe, effective alternatives. Chiropractic and applied kinesiology are effective treatment methods for relieving sciatica and we specialize in both. According to a recent government study, chiropractic manipulation was the most effective approach in relieving acute low back pain.

Our Approach is Safe and Non-invasive

  1. Correct pelvic dysfunction. When the bones in the pelvis are not moving like they should, this can cause tightening of the deep pelvic muscles and irritate the sciatic nerve. When the pelvis is not moving properly, the hip, knee, ankle, and foot can be affected as well exhaserbating this condition.

  2. Disc herniations. Sciatica is often caused by a bulging disc. Disc problems can be diagnosed using several methods including neurological tests, x-rays, MRI, etc. We use neurologic muscle testing to determine if there is a herniation. We find this method to be the most accurate and the most cost effective. If a disc herniation is diagnosed, surgery is not the only option. Chiropractic and applied kinesiology have proven over and over to be the best treatment for this condition, assuming the damage is not too great.

  3. Correct muscle weakness/dysfunction. Since muscles move bones, it is important to check the functioning of the muscles in the low back and pelvis. Unfortunately, not many doctors do. There are several key muscles that support the low back and pelvis. We test these muscles and correct any imbalances. We often find and correct a spasm of the piriformis muscle, a muscle that is actually pierced by the sciatic nerve in most individuals. Correction of the spasm is often a key to one’s recovery.

  4. Intestinal Imbalance. Yes, an imbalance of the intestines is a common cause of sciatica, especially when no injury occurred. The ileocecal valve is a valve in the intestines that allows waste to travel from the small intestine to the colon. When this valve malfunctions, toxic fecal waste gets reabsorbed into the bloodstream causing many possible symptoms including neck pain, headaches, and pain shooting down the leg. Symptoms almost always decrease immediately after our treatment is applied.

  5. Nutrition. Dietary recommendations, anti-inflammatory herbs and supplements are recommended to speed up healing time and decrease pain.

Other factors are addressed including: posture, exercise, and diet.

If you are struggling with sciatica or low back pain, we can help! Dr St. John will check for all of these above imbalances and work with you to correct them. 440.893.0348

 

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