5 Orthopedic Causes of Sciatica

Sciatica is a condition that causes nerve pain in your legs and lower back. This condition is caused by a number of problems, some of which are orthopedic in nature. Learning what causes sciatica helps you avoid the pain or manage your condition.

At Pinnacle Health Chiropractic, our team are experts in pain relief from a variety of disorders, including sciatica. Dr. Jason Ablett is our in-house, board-certified chiropractic specialist. Dr. Ablett has years of experience in manual chiropractic manipulation and other treatments for chronic pain disorders like sciatica.

What is sciatica?

Sciatica is a condition that leads to pain along your sciatic nerve. This nerve begins in your lower back and continues down into your buttocks and legs. Pain with sciatica is often severe, because of the sheer size of the sciatic nerve. It’s the largest in your body, making it prone to problems.

Sciatica is often caused by compression on some part of the sciatic nerve. This can be from a multitude of problems, including herniated discs and spinal stenosis. The compression causes pain signals to shoot from the nerve, often traveling down into your buttocks and legs. 

If you have sciatica, there are a number of different symptoms you may experience, some of which include:

• Numbness in your back or legs
• Weakness of your legs or feet
• Tingling feeling in your legs or feet
• Pain that’s worse when you move
• Immobility or loss of range of motion

You may experience all of these symptoms or only a few, depending on the severity of your condition. The pain often comes and goes, based on how you move or aggravate the condition causing compression of the nerve.

5 common causes of sciatica

Sciatica can be caused by anything that puts pressure on the sciatic nerve. However, this condition is often caused by orthopedic issues in your spine. These problems lead to nerve compression in one way or another. Five of the most common orthopedic causes of sciatica include:

1. Arthritis

Osteoarthritis is a very common form of arthritis, and causes the breakdown of tissues within your joint. This leads to inflammation and pain, along with conditions like sciatica.

2. Herniated disc

Herniated discs happen when part of the intervertebral disc moves out of place, and causes compression in your spine. If it’s located in your lower back, sciatica is often the result from direct compression of the nerve.

3. Compression fractures

Fractures of your vertebrae cause the bone to collapse, sometimes onto the sciatic nerve. This leads to pain, numbness, and weakness of your legs and low back.

4. Spinal stenosis

Spinal stenosis is a condition that causes your spinal canal to become narrow. It’s often seen in older adults, but can happen to anyone. 

5. Degenerative disc disease

This condition causes your intervertebral discs to slowly wear away, leading to the vertebrae touching, causing inflammation. Degenerative disc disease sometimes leads to sciatica when the nerve is affected.

How is sciatica treated?

Sciatica can usually be managed with conservative treatments by Dr. Ablett and his team. Physical therapy is a great way to manage the pain and symptoms associated with this condition. Other ways Dr. Ablett treats sciatica include:

• Manual chiropractic manipulation
• TENS therapy (electrical stimulation)
• Rehabilitative exercise plans
• Fascia release
• Heat and cold therapy

Dr. Ablett and his team take into account your symptoms and other treatments you’ve tried before when formulating a treatment plan. The main goal is to reduce your pain so you can function properly and live comfortably. 

If you’re suffering from back pain caused by sciatica, call our office today to make an appointment with Dr. Ablett. You can also schedule an appointment online using the booking tool on our web page.