Sciatica! It seems everyone knows what this problem is, because they have had it or someone they know has had it. What is it? The definition is, “pain in the distribution of the sciatic nerve”. That distribution of the sciatic nerve is in the buttock, and down the back of the thigh, and down the back and outside of the leg, below the knee, and even down to the outside of the foot.
Sciatica has to be distinguished from “referred” pain which may radiate into the buttock and down the thigh, but not beyond the knee. In either case, however, the problem is coming from the lower spine, i.e. lumbar area. And effective treatment must be directed to the lower spine.
This is the problem that I’ve treated for 29 years now. The reason these problems happen 98% of the time, is that over time, gravity, time and genetics result in a slow, degeneration of discs. That causes slow progressive compression of tissues in the spine, i.e. discs, joints and nerves, which give rise to pain and disability.
Because the human spine is so forgiving, and so effective at adapting to these slow, degenerative changes, these pains are often self-limiting, meaning that they go away after awhile. Most people don’t need treatment from a doctor for a long time, as their back or neck pain goes away on its own. Usually time and, perhaps, an over-the-counter medication will suffice.
But at some point in the process, it is common for the problem to get so bad, and persist, that the person has to see a doctor.
While the degenerative process that gives rise to such pain is simple to understand, most doctors don’t use a simple, effective treatment to reverse the process and improve the problem.
As you can learn from this website, https://backstrong.net, after 29 years experience in various specialties, including orthopedics, physical medicine, physical therapy, chiropractic and neurosurgery, I have found the most effective treatment for these common, spinal problems to be the spinal decompression treatment I have used for the last 10 years. This is, by far, the most effective non-surgical treatment I have used in all the medical specialties in which I have practiced.
