Chiropractic Care for Sciatica

Chiropractors routinely diagnose and treat sciatica using various chiropractic care techniques.

Sciatica is a symptom of an underlying disorder. The sciatic nerve—the largest nerve in the body—can be a source of significant pain if it becomes pinched.

Before your chiropractor can develop a treatment plan for you, he or she will need to diagnose what underlying condition (or conditions) is causing your leg pain.

Learn more about what conditions can cause sciatica in our sciatica causes article.

How Does a Chiropractor Diagnose Sciatica?
Chiropractors address the mechanical and neurological causes of sciatica.

At your initial appointment, your chiropractor will take an extensive history and provide a comprehensive examination to determine what’s causing your sciatica.

The chiropractor will determine areas of restricted joint motion, disc injury, muscle spasm, and ligament injury, typically through motion and static palpation—an examination by means of touch.

The chiropractor will also analyze how you walk, and he or she will examine your posture—both of these will help him or her better understand your body mechanics.

Your chiropractor may also order an x-ray or an MRI of your spine to see whether there are any degenerative changes in the spine that could be causing sciatica.

After the examination and once the diagnosis of the underlying condition causing sciatica is made, the chiropractor will be better able to create an effective treatment plan for your leg pain.

Chiropractic Treatments for Sciatica
Your treatment will depend entirely on your symptoms and what’s causing your sciatica, but many chiropractors use spinal manipulation (also called spinal adjustment), which is an active, hands-on approach to return motion to the spine. Below are some spinal manipulation techniques your chiropractor may use.

• Flexion-distraction technique: This gentle, hands-on, non-thrusting manipulation is used to treat herniated discs. However, a slow pumping action is used on the disc instead of direct force.
• Instrument-assisted manipulation: This spinal manipulation is another non-thrusting technique. The chiropractor can apply force using a hand-held instrument but without thrusting into the spine. This is especially useful for older patients with degenerative joint syndrome.
• Specific spinal manipulation: Your chiropractor will use this gentle thrusting technique to stretch soft tissue and stimulate the nervous system to return normal motion to the spine.

Manual therapy is another technique chiropractors sometimes use to treat injured soft tissues, such as ligaments.

• Instrument-assisted soft tissue therapy: Graston technique is an example of an instrument-assisted therapy your chiropractor may use to treat the injured soft tissue.
• Manual joint stretching and resistance techniques: Muscle energy therapy (an osteopathic technique) is an example of a resistance manual joint therapy the chiropractor may perform.
• Trigger point therapy: The chiropractor puts direct pressure on tight, painful points on a muscle to relieve tension.

The chiropractor may also use other therapy modalities to help address the inflammation that can cause sciatica.

• Interferential electrical stimulation: A low frequency electrical current is used to stimulate your muscles in order to decrease inflammation.
• Ultrasound: Ultrasound helps reduce muscle spasms, stiffness, and pain. By sending sound waves deep into your muscle tissues, ultrasound creates a gentle heat that can increase circulation.

Your chiropractor may also prescribe therapeutic exercises to reinforce the improved joint mechanics and the return of normal spinal motion.

Chiropractors emphasize prevention as the key to long-term health—keeping the low back healthy by doing therapeutic exercises is one way to help prevent sciatica.

How Does Chiropractic Care Help Treat Sciatica?
Chiropractors view back pain as unique to each patient, and they don’t focus on just your low back and leg pain. If you go to the chiropractor with leg pain and low back pain, he or she will still evaluate your spine as a whole. It’s important to examine the entire spine because even though it’s just your low back that hurts, other regions of the spine can be affected, too.

Chiropractor care works by addressing any underlying causes of your sciatica to help you increase your normal activities so that you can enjoy your daily life.