January 2022 – Page 4

Sciatica is not an actual disease or health condition in itself. Instead, it’s a term used to describe a cluster of symptoms caused by other conditions stemming from the lower back.

Essentially, sciatica is the name given to the pain experienced after the sciatic nerve is irritated, inflamed or compressed. When this happens, it causes shooting pain on the leg, anywhere from your buttocks to the ankle.

What are the causes of sciatic pain? Here are four things that can cause sciatic pain.

1. Lumbar Bulging Disc or Herniated Disc

The spine has multiple discs that serve several functions, including flexibility, balancing loads placed on the spine and cushioning the vertebrae. Disc bulging and herniation typically occur in the lumbar spine because this is the part that supports the upper body, as well as any weights you might pick up.

When a disc bulges or herniates, it can press against an adjacent nerve root and compress delicate tissue. Depending on the nerve, this might cause sciatica.

This compression can occur on one side of the body, causing sciatic pain on this side or both sides. The latter is known as bilateral sciatic.

2. Spinal Tumors

Spinal tumours are abnormal growth on the spine that can be malignant or benign.

Benign growths in the spine can compress the sciatic nerve. Examples of these include:

Osteoid osteomas: these tend to be small and grow on bone. However, they can cause new bone to form in the affected area or osteoid bone to form around the tumour.

Aneurysmal bone cysts: these are not actual tumours but blood-filled cysts that tend to expand quickly.

Giant cell tumours: aggressive bone tumours that attack bones located close to a joint.

When spinal tumours develop in the lumbar region, there is always the chance of sciatica developing. Fortunately, spinal rumours are very rare, and so is the type of sciatica related to them.

3. Pregnancy

Most pregnancies will come with some aches and pains. Sciatica is among the common discomforts experienced by mothers to be.

During pregnancy, the body releases hormones to make the ligaments in the pelvis and spine more flexible.

This, alongside the bay weight and other changes in the body, can cause sciatica and back pain. The pain can be experienced during the day as you go about normal business or at night, making it difficult to sleep.

The good news is that chiropractic adjustments and massages can help with this pain. It will also often go away after you have the baby.

4. Trauma

Direct trauma from contact sports, motor vehicle accidents, assault and taking a tall can cause sciatica. The impact of any of these events can injure the nerves directly.

Broken bone fragments can also compress the nerves.

There is also traction-induced sciatica that can result from pelvic fractures or dislocations.

Other traumatic events that can cause sciatica include objects penetrating the body and tearing or cutting the nerve. These can be knives or even bullets.

A muscle strain, commonly referred to as a muscle pull, occurs when a muscle is torn or overstretched. This can result from overuse of the muscle, improper use of a muscle or muscle fatigue.

While muscle strains can happen in any muscle, they are typically experienced in the lower back, shoulder, neck and hamstring, a muscle behind the thigh.

Once you suffer a muscle strain, it can cause limited movement and pain in the affected muscle group.

How Chiropractic Care Can Help

One thing you can do after a muscle strain is getting chiropractic care. Here are some ways in which this can be beneficial.

You Get To Avoid Medication

At times, the most obvious thing to do about a pulled muscle is to take some pain relief for it, specifically anti-inflammatory pills to reduce the pain and swelling. While this might offer some relief, it’s not always the best cause of action.

This is especially so for people whose lifestyles make them more susceptible to muscle sprains. If you want to avoid popping pills each time you suffer a muscle sprain, chiropractic care is an excellent alternative.

Chiropractic care can use musculoskeletal manipulation to manipulate joints, muscles and tissues and relieve the tightness of a pulled muscle. This is bound to offer some pain relief, expedite the healing process and restore mobility.

Restore Mobility

One of the symptoms of a pulled muscle is restricted mobility on the part of the affected body part.

Alongside alleviating the pain, restoring mobility is also a huge concern.

One effective technique chiropractors use for a pulled muscle is the active release technique. This technique breaks up adhesions that build up from scar tissue in the muscle. This addresses the pain and helps the patient gain more mobility.

R.I.C.E

The rice method is very effective for treating pulled muscles at home. If you are prone to them, it might not make sense to go to the hospital every time you get one.

A chiropractor can be very instrumental in teaching you how to carry out the R.I.C.E method correctly. This method uses Rest, Ice, Compression and Elevation.

Prevention

The best way to deal with a muscle strain is to prevent it before it happens. While it might not be possible to eliminate the chances of getting one completely, there are things you can do towards prevention.

Chiropractic care for one stretch muscles and increases their range of motion. If this is something you do regularly, you will increase your strength, improve circulation, minimize muscle tension and enjoy more flexibility.

The Takeaway

Chiropractic care is very useful in treating muscle strain. Not just that, but regular chiropractic care can help prevent or lessen the instances of getting muscle strains.

If you lead an active life or work out a lot, getting a chiropractor to work with you can ensure you have fewer muscle pulls and other back, neck and limb injuries. A chiropractor can also give you tips on how to stretch better and take care of muscle strains at home.

2022 January

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4 Things That Cause Sciatic Pain