Health and Well Being July Articles
There are many types of conditions and treatments that you might seek a chiropractor for help with. One of the more common areas that people experience pain or discomfort is in the lower back area. This is a complicated region as there are any number of joints and muscles in the area that can develop issues. Some of these issues could include things like back pain, hip pain or sciatica.
Sciatica is a really aggravating and debilitating type of pain that typically begins in the lower back area and sends a shooting type of pain into the back of the leg, even into the foot if it is bad enough. So, what is sciatica and how is it different than other types of back pain? Well, to begin with, it would help to have a little lesson in the anatomy of the area.
The region of the spine in question is called the lumbar spine and sacrum. The sacrum is a triangular-shaped bone or set of bones that sits between the two pelvic bones. There is two joints on either side of the sacrum where it meets the pelvis or ilia bones called the sacro-iliac joints. Then, there is the lumbo-sacral joint where the sacrum meets the lumbar spine. The nerve roots that exit the lower spine from the 5th lumbar area meet up the nerve roots that leave the 1st sacral nerve root to form the large sciatic nerve. This nerve then travels through the buttock region, down the back of the thigh.
When there is any compression or irritation of this nerve along its path, it can lead to back pain. If the compression is great enough, it may cause pain in the back of the leg or into the heel, as mentioned. There is another type of situation that can mimic sciatica, called piriformis syndrome. This arises when the sciatic nerve becomes pinched or compressed by the piriformis muscle which stretches from the sacrum to the hip bone. It can cause very similar symptoms and pain. Chiropractic treatment can be very effective for both of these types of situations.
Written by Gilbert chiropractor, Dr. Michael J. Funicello, a certified Network Chiropractic physician.
