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Sciatica back pain is pain radiating from the lower spine to your buttock then down to the back of your thigh and calf. While you may feel the discomfort almost anywhere along the sciatica nerve, it typically follows this path.
Symptoms of Sciatica
Sciatica back pain usually affects one side of your lower body with pain extending from your lower back down to the back of your thigh and through the leg on that same side. Symptoms of sciatica back pain will also vary depending on your severity and where along the sciatic nerve is affected.
In some cases, sciatica back pain could also extend down to the foot or your toes.
Sciatica back pain can be either severe and debilitating or infrequent and annoying. Even if the pain is only found to be infrequent and annoying, sciatica back pain does have the potential to become worse. Below is a list of the most common symptoms found in sciatica back pain:
- Low back pain
- Hip pain
- Weakness, numbness, or trouble moving affected leg or foot
- Pain in the rear or leg that becomes worse while sitting
- Constant pain on one side of the rear
- Difficulty standing due to shooting pain
- Burning or tingling sensation down the leg
What Causes Sciatica?
Sciatica back pain is most commonly caused when a bone spur on the spine, narrowing of the spine, or a herniated disk applies pressure on part of the sciatica nerve. This compression will cause pain, inflammation, and sometimes numbness in the leg that is affected. Below are a few causes of sciatica back pain:
- Stress applied to the spine due to heavy lifting or excess body weight can contribute to the development of sciatica back pain. Additional weight and stress on the spine can force the spine to change positioning. This being said, pregnancy could add weight to your spine as well.
- Herniated disks and bone spurs are the most common cause of sciatica back pain and are related to changes in the spine that happen in the natural aging process.
- Sitting for long periods of time or living a sedentary lifestyle can increase the chances of developing sciatica back pain compared to those who are active.
- Diabetes is a condition that affects the way your body will use blood sugar and can increase the risk of nerve damage.
- Your occupation may cause your sciatica back pain. Jobs that require you to twist your back, drive a vehicle, or carry heavy loads for long periods of time could bring about your sciatica back pain.
Treatment Options for Sciatica Back Pain
When dealing with pain, it is very common to find treatments that offer “fast relief” from the symptoms associated with sciatica back pain.
The downside to this is the treatment that offers fast relief from its symptoms does not fix the underlying problem. If you treat only the symptoms, it does not stop the underlying cause of your sciatica back pain from getting worse.
Medication is a common option for those who want fast relief; however, medications work by altering the way your body naturally reacts and functions. A symptom is a signal the body sends to the brain to alert something is not right.
By relying on medication to “ignore” these signals, it allows the problem to freely worsen over time. This is similar to your check engine light turning on in your car and putting tape over it to cover up the alert: if you can no longer notice it, “the problem does not exist”.
Surgery works the same way as medications, by helping alter the way your body functions and reacts, and are an option if your sciatica back pain lingers from a nerve compression located at your lower spine.
However, it is important to note that medication and surgery are no guarantee to take away symptoms associated with your sciatica back pain.
This means not only is surgery a more permanent, unnatural change to your body, but there is a chance numbness will still be present along with sciatica returning in another location within your spine.
What does this mean for those who have sciatica back pain? It means going a more natural route first could prove more beneficial before going with a more intense treatment that may not work.
Upper Cervical Natural Sciatica Treatment
Very few have heard of upper cervical as a reliable sciatica back pain treatment and because of the focus on the upper cervical spine, it is overlooked to help lower back pain. The upper cervical spine is located in our neck area, so how does this help lower back pain?
The truth is, your upper cervical spine plays a significant role in how the rest of your spine positions itself. If there is a misalignment to your upper cervical spine, the rest of your spine will begin to shift, twist, and turn to ensure your head stays level.
This misalignment causes the rest of your spine to move out of correct positioning and due to the rest of your spine changing position, there is a chance of multiple vertebrae pressing on your nerves.
The way upper cervical treatments work is by making gentle, precise adjustments to your upper cervical spine to correct any present misalignment. Many patients have noticed a huge difference after as little as one adjustment.
The reason for this is simple: when the upper cervical spine is in the correct position, the rest of the spine will follow its lead and realign itself to match. Because of this, it is required for patients to stay hydrated and get plenty of rest after an adjustment while the spine shifts back into place.
It is also common for patients to feel soreness during the changes.
Depending on the severity of the misalignment and how long it has been present, the number of adjustments needed will be different for everyone.
If you are looking for an all-natural treatment for sciatica back pain that targets the underlying cause and not just the symptoms, upper cervical treatments are highly recommended before going with a more intense treatment option.
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