by Ruth A. McKinney, DC
Pain is your body’s way of telling you something is wrong. People with leg nerve pain perceive it in different ways. It may feel like aching, numbness, tingling, shocking, or burning. It may be mild and tolerable or excruciating, lasting for a short period of time or chronic over months. Certain activities or body positions can aggravate it. Those who have it want it to go away now.
Sciatica starts in the lower back and buttock, traveling down one leg past the knee into the calf and foot. The pain in the leg will feel worse than the pain in the back. Sitting, bending and twisting increases the pain, and gentle activity like walking helps bring relief. If the nerve is pinched severely or for a long period muscles in the leg and foot can become weak causing foot drop.
This type of leg pain is most common around age 40 to 50, rarely occurring before age 20. It does not usually result from a specific injury but develops over time. Wear and tear processes that cause degeneration of structures, narrowing of openings, inflammation and bulging of discs, and overgrowth of soft tissue and bone cause irritation of nerves that exit the spine in the lower back and travel down the leg.
Several risk factors increase the incidence of sciatica. Since 80% of your entire body weight is carried on your lower back, being overweight greatly increases the pressure on your lower spine. Research links smoking with low back and leg pain. Because sitting increases the pressure on the low back discs and muscles it can cause leg pain. Improper body mechanics and repetitive activities like lifting boxes can result in back injury.
Some treatment for sciatic leg pain can be done at home. A day or two of rest is fine, but more than that can cause more harm than good. Avoid sitting for long periods of time. The piriformis muscle is located in the buttock and lies on top of the sciatic nerve. Stretching it can relieve pressure on the nerve. Functional dry needling (also known as trigger point dry needling) can be helpful. Apply ice for 15 minutes each hour to reduce inflammation. Chiropractic adjustments reduce irritable pressure and muscle spasm which in turn reduces inflammation.
To learn how Chiropractic helps you with sciatica call our office at 423-485-8480.
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