Don't Let Sciatica Ruin Your Life: Get Educated and Find Relief
Don't Panic, Get Educated and Find Relief!
Don’t Panic
First of all, don’t panic. Sit down. (Or keep standing…whatever’s most comfortable.) And take a breath. (Slowly in through your nose, and slowly out through your mouth. Ahh…Ok, now you can keep reading.)
I can’t tell you how many times I hear from friends and family that they have “sciatica” and they lose themselves in a downward spiral… Will I have to give up golf? I’ll never be able to sit through a movie again and I LOVE MOVIES! Or….Will I have to take these pain meds forever? Or … Do I need surgery? And what if surgery makes it worse? Though these are common fears, you don’t have to let these fears take over. Instead, realize you are a unique individual with a unique history of stresses and strains on your body. Every horror story you have heard and read does NOT have to be ending to your story. You have choices and getting educated will help you make the best choice for your life.
Get Educated
Hearing you have sciatica is not the end of the world? And what is “sciatica” anyway? Sciatica is the pain felt when the sciatic nerve (which happens to be longest nerve in the human body) is irritated. It’s often described as a shooting pain, burning, or numbness down the side or back of your hip and leg, or even pins-and-needles or tingling in the feet and toes. And to clarify, a nerve is the pathway (like a telephone wire) that the brain and spinal cord uses to send electrical signals to and from your muscles, joints, organs, etc, to allow you to function. In this case, it allows for movement of your legs and will also give sensory feedback like pain, pressure, and temperature from your legs back up to your brain.
So if it still sounds like you have sciatica, do you know why your sciatic nerve is being irritated?
Find The Source of The Problem
Most people jump to the conclusion that there is something seriously wrong with their backs and may even run to the doctor and get an MRI and expect to need surgery. The problem with this is that what shows up on your MRI may not even be the cause of your sciatic irritation. You may see a small (or even large) disc herniation or some degeneration on your XRAY or MRI but the cause of your pain may simply be some tightness in your leg muscles or a little rotation in your pelvis because you always sit with your right leg crossed over your left. Now don’t get me wrong, there is nothing wrong with seeing your doctor first. But what’s important is that you understand, there are multiple sources of sciatic nerve irritation, not just back issues, and many of these sources don’t even show up on scans. In addition to this and in the state of California, you can go directly to a physical therapist without waiting weeks to see your doctor to get a referral and you can get the help you need immediately.
Some of the other most common causes I see are imbalances in muscles that cause the pelvis to rotate, limited joint mobility, inflammation caused by overuse, and restrictions along the path of the nerve in either the muscles and/or fascia. And none of this (nope…none of this) can be seen in and XRAY or MRI.
(click here to learn more about fascia, a sneaky little culprit for pain that is often overlooked.)
Get A Full Body Evaluation and Find Relief
The best thing to do is find physical therapist that will take the time to look at your whole body from head to toe and figure out how one area of your body is affecting another.
If you’d like to find out more about your situation and if Essential Physical Therapy and Wellness can help you, then schedule a comprehensive, full body evaluation now. By being out of network and not confined by the restrictions of insurance companies, we can look at your whole body and not be just confined to looking at the sight of your pain. We will figure out all the different areas that are contributing to your pain and even help rule out any of the scary stuff. We will get a detailed history of your day-to-day activities, challenges, and your goals, answer any questions you may have, and create a roadmap to your recovery. Though we hope you work with us to eliminate your pain and get back to the activities that give you joy, there is no obligation to sign on for a full plan of care. Just start by getting educated about your own body…because I guarantee it’s different than your friend’s who has a similar pain.
Don't suffer from sciatica any longer. Click here and book your Full Body Evaluation and get the help you need.