Here's How Your Weight Affects Your Sciatica Pain

Do you sometimes feel a painful bolt of lightning running from your lower back or hip down into your buttocks or legs? Sciatica affects around 40% of all people at some point in their lifetime, and your risk can go up as you age or if you have other back problems.

At Pinnacle Health in Kirkland, Washington, Dr. Jason Ablett uses various chiropractic treatments to reduce the pain of sciatica and can help you find ways to lose weight and mitigate pressure on the sciatic nerve.

What is sciatica?

The sciatic nerve is the longest nerve in the human body. It runs from the back downward in an inverted “Y” shape that continues down each leg. Pressure on or inflammation around the sciatic nerve leads to pain when can be debilitating. If you have sciatica, you can find it hard to sit, stand, or lie down without pain shooting down one leg or the other.

What causes sciatica?

Many conditions can lead to sciatica. You could have:

• A narrowing of the spinal canal in the lower back (known as lumbar spinal stenosis )
• Chronically damaged or degenerating discs in your back meaning there is less or no cushion between your spine vertebrae (known as degenerative disc disease and often hereditary)
• A condition in which one vertebra slips forward over another one (known as spondylolisthesis)

If you work a job that means you sit at a desk a lot, or you have to lift a lot of weight and bend, squat, and stretch, you may have a higher chance of sciatica. Diabetes, pregnancy, muscle spasms in the back or buttocks, or being overweight or obese can be a contributing cause of sciatica or make it worse. 

What does weight have to do with sciatica?

Being overweight puts a lot of pressure on your spine and legs and can increase pressure on the sciatic nerve. When the sciatic nerve is continually pressed against or pinched, it can become inflamed. If you have a pinched sciatic nerve, you may feel like pain is arrowing from the site of the compression down your leg or into your buttock, or you may have tingling or weakness in your leg.  

What is the best treatment for sciatica?

Treatment for sciatica can include several phases. If Dr. Kirkland sees an underlying cause, resolving a health condition could remove sciatic pain. If you are overweight, he will work with you to create a plan for you to lose weight in a healthy way and combine it with rehabilitative exercise. He may also recommend electrical stimulation, ultrasound therapy, fascia release, or chiropractic adjustment.

If you have chronic pain or other symptoms that may be caused by sciatica, contact our office at 425-368-5744, or book your appointment with Dr. Ablett using our online booking tool.