Sciatica is pain down one of both legs caused by a restriction on the pathway of the sciatic nerve. This is the largest nerve bundle in the body outside of the central nervous system. When it is flared up one might experience shooting pains, tingling, numbness or even stabbing pains. As one could imagine this has a large impact on daily life. When we are in pain like this, our thoughts are distracted, our bodies feel drained and we simply do not show up our best for work, family and community.
This is a question we hear regularly. Should I see a physical therapist or a chiropractor for my sciatic pain? I wish I had a simple cut and dry answer for you, but it isn’t that simple. Throughout the rest of this blog my goal is to break down the difference in what a PT and/or Chiro will do to support your sciatic pain. By the end of this blog you should be more confident in deciding if you should see a PT, a Chiropractor or both to help ease and/or eliminate your pain.
Everyone experiences sciatic pain slightly differently. This is because the nerve originates out of your L4-S3 vertebrae, comes out through the back of the pelvis, down the back of the leg, through the back of the knee and down the calf to the bottom of the foot into your toes. Any nerve pain along this pathway can be called sciatic nerve pain. I believe the complexity of this nerve is why it isn’t possible to give a one size fits all answer when it comes to a plan for sciatica.
If you would like further information on Sciatica itself check out our previous blog ‘Can Physical Therapy Help My Sciatica?’
When you come to see one of our Doctors of Physical Therapy for your sciatic pain, the first thing we are going to do is a comprehensive assessment to help us identify the root cause of the pain. We will discuss current and past injuries, look at how you walk, sit, move, do standardized tests to rule out or in different diagnosis and injuries. Once we believe we know the root cause of your pain we will try some treatment and see if we get the results we are looking for. If we feel like we are on the right track we will discuss a plan of care to help you decrease and/or eliminate your pain.
The goal of this assessment is to pin point where the restrictions are that are causing irritation and pain to your sciatic nerve.
When you work with us to eliminate this sciatic pain you can expect a multitude of treatment techniques. Our focus is to improve the mobility along the line of the nerve all the way from the spine down to the toes. You can expect treatment to range the whole length of that leg including your low spine areas as needed. Some of the techniques you may experience are,
One thing you won’t experience in our clinic is spinal manipulations or ‘cracking’ of the spine, which is often experienced at the Chiropractor.
Our treatment sessions are one hour long and the majority of that time is spent receiving hands on manual therapy. This is skilled work that only your Physical Therapist can do. We do give our patients a few exercises or stretches that they can do at home to help continue the progress we make during our sessions.
After we get the nerve freed up we will work with you on strengthening your core and the muscles surrounding and impacting your movement patterns. This strengthening is going to help you get back to doing the things you love!
If the restriction is coming from somewhere from the hip down the leg, a Physical Therapist will most likely be your best option to start.
The chiropractor is going to focus on realigning the spine to relieve pressure on the nerves. Their specialty and focus is on the spinal column and central nervous system.
If the nerve restriction is coming from your spine where the nerves leave the vertebrae or is due to an imbalance or misalignment in the spinal column, Chiropractic will be immensely helpful. Their focus is usually more on the adjustments getting you back into alignment and less on the nerve pathway down the leg and strengthening.
If the pain is coming from a spinal or pelvis misalignment the Chiropractic may be the best place for you to start.
Collaborative care between a great PT and Chiro can be extremely beneficial in the treatment of your sciatica pain. You may have restrictions in your spine as well as down your leg and having a team address all of these issues at the same time is going to be an incredibly effective and efficient option.
For low back and Sciatic pain we love to collaborate with Dr. Libby from Activate Chiropractic in Poway, CA. He takes a very gentle approach using the least force to get the results he is looking for and does an amazing job of communication with our team for enhanced patient care. https://myactivatechiropractic.com/
When PT is the better choice? When the root cause is along the nerve pathway in your leg, you are experiencing muscle weakness, mobility issues, or are looking to return to doing the activities you love with confidence that you body is strong and stable enough to do it.
When chiropractic care may help? When you are experiencing spinal alignment issues and/or the root cause is from a misalignment of the spinal vertebrae and/or pelvis.
How a combination of both may sometimes be beneficial? When the PT and chiro are versed in each other's care plans they can work together to get you to your goals faster with the best outcomes.
If you are struggling with sciatica and are in the San Diego area we are here to help!
Ready for some clarity and direction? Come in for a free 30 minute targeted relief session to get some initial answers as to what is going on. Our goal is always to have you walking out feeling better than you walked in.
Click the link below and we will get you on the schedule.