Sciatica and chiropractic medicine
Sciatica can be a painful condition. If you suspect you may be suffering from sciatica, chiropractic medicine in Kansas City can help relieve the symptoms and often the underlying causes of the condition. First, you should make sure you do in fact have sciatica.
There is a physical exam, which begins with looking at your posture, condition and range of motion, and checking your spine for proper alignment and any sign of muscle spasm. This may include a straight leg raise, in which you lie flat on your back with your legs straight and your doctor raises your leg. If the pain is particularly severe when your leg isan angle of between 30 and 70 degrees to your torso, the problem may be sciatica.
A doctor in Kansas City, MO may also check your spine using an X-ray, CAT scan or MRI. The most common cause of sciatica is a herniated disc pressing on one of the lumbar or sacral nerves. Whenthe fibrous exterior of a spinal disc cracks and the gelatinous interior protrudes out, it is known as a herniated disc. Another medical condition which can lead to sciatica is lumbar spinal stenosis, in which aging, trauma or something else has caused a narrowing of the spinal canal.In the case of a herniated disc, which causes nine out of ten cases of sciatica, a chiropractor can use spinal decompression to relieve pressure on the ruptured disc.
Symptoms and effects of sciatica
Sciatica symptoms are always painful. They usually involve pain in the lower back, hip, buttock or thigh on one side of the body. The pain has been described as a squeezing sensation inside the muscle, a feeling of burning or boiling of the leg, a slicing sensation like a knife slashing down from hip to ankle, a stinging sensation like hot needles or fire ants, or, for some people, a dull ache. Once it sets in, it can have an enormously detrimental impact on your life, making every movement of the leg something to dread and avoid if possible. Walking and driving can become agonizing experiences, and it can become difficult to concentrate on work. Many primary care physicians will recommend chiropractic medicine as a treatment for sciatica.
Chiropractic treatment for sciatica in Kansas City and Lees Summit MO
If you live in western Missouri and suffer from a pain in the leg or hip area that might be caused by sciatica, consider Rejuvenate Mind-Body Wellness Center, whose staff includes three chiropractors, Dr. Joe Symes, Dr. Travis Early and Dr. Jaynee Brown. They will help you determine if the cause of your pain is sciatica or something else, discuss your treatment options and improve your quality of life. Rejuvenate was ranked the top chiropractor in Lees Summit in 2015.
