You may have heard the term "Sciatica" or "Sciatic Pain" before, but what is it exactly? The Sciatic nerves branch from the lower back through the hips and buttocks down the legs as you can see in the image below. These nerves can get affected and you may begin to experience a variety of symptoms on one side of your body such as numbness, tingling sensation, a sharp pain and weakness that travels down your leg through the back or side of the leg/knee and in severe cases reaches your toes. Other symptoms include: Lower back pain and loss of movement or difficulty and painful walking or sitting.
There are several reasons why these nerves could be injured: bone spurs, herniated disk, tumors or even diabetes. This type of pain is very common, for some it could resolve on its own within a week or so, for others it may become lasting and chronic, regardless of the duration, its discomfort makes it life interrupting for some and should be addressed promptly.
What can you do if you have Sciatica or Sciatic pain?
There are a variety of options available for the treatment of Sciatic pain. Western medicine will prescribe imaging tests like X-rays, MRIs, CT scans, to look for the underlying cause, they will also provide you with prescription medicine including anti-inflammatories, muscle relaxants or even steroid injections. The drawback with this, is that it could be time consuming and carry unwanted side effects from the medications, also it is very common for no cause to be found after all, and the pain to still be present. In some cases, your western doctor might even recommend surgery.
An effective alternative is to use Acupuncture to treat this pain. We have helped numerous patients here in the Melbourne Florida Area to get back to their life after suffering from Sciatica. "I have a 95% rate of success in treating Sciatica pain, but as always, early treatment is key in providing relief. If you are suffering from this, you should come in for a consultation and treatment before long"- Shares Dr. Andrea Izquierdo, L.Ac.
How to prevent Sciatica pain recurrence?
This is a condition that could come back if proper care is not exercised. We recommend maintenance acupuncture treatments for overall well being. Along with acupuncture, we recommend staying active and working out your back/core muscles, keeping good ergonomics while performing day to day tasks, and being mindful of your body posture while standing, lifting or working.
If you suffer from Sciatica pain, get in touch with us to setup your consultation with Dr. Andrea and start feeling relief!