By Michael Pritsker


Many people suffer from sciatic pain. Sciatica is pressure on the Sciatic nerve which is actually two nerves, the tibial and common peroneal nerve, bound together by common sheath of connective tissue. Both of these nerves form the Sciatic nerve, and they originate from L4-S3. Pressure or injury to the sciatic nerve results in sciatic pain. In addition to pain, which is sometimes severe, there may be numbness, muscular weakness, or tingling and difficulty in moving the leg. Sciatic pain can start in the buttocks and go down to the sides of the foot.

Many cases of sciatica can be helped by massage care. When a person has sciatica, the first step is identifying the cause of the sciatic pain pattern. Doctors can perform orthopedic exams, neurological testing, and other diagnostic testing such as MRI's can help determine if the Sciatica is cause by herniated discs, or other reasons. Many times, Sciatica is caused by what has been coined Piriformis Syndrome. The Piriformis muscle is a small triangular muscle deep in the buttocks. The Sciatic nerve passes either through the Piriformis muscle, or underneath it depending on how a person is born. When the Piriformis muscle is irritated, it can contract and be in a chronic state of spasm. This often will press on the Sciatic nerve causing sciatic pain.

Massage can help treat the cause of the sciatic pain when it is due to muscle spasms. If the Sciatic pain is caused by Piriformis syndrome, certain massage treatments are utilized to relax the Piriformis muscle and lessen the nerve root irritation. Many cases of sciatica have healed over a relatively short period of time once the piriformis muscle spasm had been addressed and corrected.

A subluxation is when one or more bones of your spine (vertebrae) move out of position and create pressure on, or irritate spinal nerves. If the subluxation occurs in the lower back near L4-S3, it is possible that the sciatic nerve is affected. Once a specific location of subluxation is determined, a chiropractic doctor can restore the spine to its proper alignment through gentle adjustments. Freeing up the subluxation will relieve the pressure off the nerves.

Finally, a bulging disc may be involved in the sciatic pain. As the vertebrae comes together and choke the degenerating disc, this creates a disc bulge. The weak spot in the outer core of the disc is directly under the spinal nerve root, so a bulge can put direct pressure on the nerve, which in turn can cause sciatica. Incorporating chiropractic, physical therapy, and spinal decompression is often very effective in restoring integrity to the disc, and allowing the body to heal. Consider massage care if you are experiencing sciatic pain.




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