Have Sciatic Radiculopathy? Try Decompression Therapy

Introduction

Inside the body are countless nerves that intertwine with each other and are all spread out. These nerves are functioned to give motor and sensory function to the body that allows a person to feel, sense, touch, and move. As part of the peripheral system in the body, these nerves are connected to the spinal cord and spine as they branch out in the spinal columns and send signals to and forth to the brain. When the body suffers from an accident or an injury, the nerves send the pain signals to the brain allowing the immune system to go to the affected area and start healing the injury. Sometimes the body suffers from natural wear and tear and that causes pain to the nerves, making the body lose the sensory and motor functions that the nerves provide. This causes radiculopathy in the body and there are treatments that allow relief to reduce the effects of radiculopathy. Today’s article post will discuss the sciatic nerve and radiculopathy, its symptoms, and how decompression therapy can help individuals that are suffering from sciatic radiculopathy. Referring patients to qualified and skilled providers who specialize in spinal decompression therapy. We guide our patients by referring to our associated medical providers based on their examination when it’s appropriate. We find that education is essential for asking insightful questions to our providers. Dr. Alex Jimenez DC provides this information as an educational service only. Disclaimer

Can my insurance cover it? Yes, it may. If you are uncertain, here is the link to all the insurance providers we cover. If you have any questions or concerns, please call Dr. Jimenez at 915-850-0900.

The Sciatic Nerve & Radiculopathy

Have you been experiencing pain traveling down to the lower extremities of your body? Does the pain feel hot to the touch? Is the pain a sharp, stabbing pain or a burning, searing pain in the sciatic nerve? If you have encountered these symptoms, these symptoms might be due to radiculopathy along the sciatic nerve. The sciatic nerve is part of the peripheral nervous system; its primary sensory and motor functions ensure that the legs move and stand in the body. When the body goes through natural aging, wear and tear, accidents and injuries, it can cause radicular pain along the spine while compressing the nerve roots, including the sciatic nerve. Research studies have shown that radicular pain along the sciatic nerve root can cause deficits in the lower extremities’ motor and sensory function. This radicular pain can cause many problems and conditions when not treated right away. 

Research studies have defined radiculopathy as one of the reasons that many people have been suffering from low back pain. Radicular pain is located along the spine in the cervical, thoracic, and lumbar areas. When these areas are affected, it can severely damage the underlying nerve roots, thus causing the lower extremities to lose all sensory and motor functions. Additional information has found that sciatica is a type of radiculopathy that pinch the sciatic nerve causing sharp, radiating pain that travels from the lower back down to the legs. Depending on how severe the radicular pain is, it can affect the sciatic nerve over time and develop into sciatica. 

The Symptoms

When the sciatic nerve is pinched and irritated, it can send radiating pain down the legs and transmit signals to the brain. These pain signals can disrupt the brain signals and cause the immune system to constantly send inflammatory cytokines to the affected areas along the legs, lower back, and buttocks regions. Some of the common symptoms that occur when a person is dealing with sciatic radicular pain or sciatica will experience:

• Numbness alongside the legs and feet
• Wide range of pain from mild to burning sensation
• Muscle weakness in the lower back, buttock, and legs

The Chatanooga Decompression Table-Video

Feeling muscle weakness alongside the lower back, legs, and feet? Does the pain range from mild to a burning sensation after physical activity? How about feeling discomfort or relief after shifting positions while relaxing? If you have experienced these symptoms, you might be experiencing sciatic radiculopathy, and non-surgical decompression treatment is the answer you are seeking. Suppose you want to learn more about decompression treatments and how they can benefit you in providing relief from sciatic radiculopathy? The video above introduces the Chatanooga traction machine that allows the person suffering from sciatic radiculopathy to feel relief. This traction machine is part of non-surgical decompression therapy. It enables the spine to be gently pulled slowly to allow the compressed spinal discs to release their hold on the irritated sciatic nerve. After the pressure has been removed from the pinched sciatic nerve, the affected leg, low back, and buttock muscles will begin to relax, and the pain signals to the brain will start to diminish. Incorporating spinal decompression as part of your wellness treatment is beneficial. This link will explain how decompression offers optimal comfort for many people who suffer from sciatica or other sciatic radicular pain.

How Decompression Therapy Can Help With Sciatic Radiculopathy

When radiating pain is shooting down to the leg and feet, many individuals try to find relief for sciatic radiculopathy. Some people will incorporate heat and ice compressed pads to be placed in the affected areas. At the same time, others use electromagnetic pulses along their legs to relax the muscles trapping the sciatic nerve roots. One of the treatments that many people have incorporated into their wellness treatments is decompression therapy. Research studies have learned that when the gluteal muscles entrap the sciatic nerve, it can become irritated or pinched, causing radiating pain down the legs. Decompression can help release the trapped sciatic nerve from the gluteal muscles and reduce the pain. Another reason that decompression therapy can help with sciatic radiculopathy is because it can help dampen the effects that the inflammatory cytokines have caused along the lower region of the body. Additional research studies have found that decompression surgery has provided less soft tissue and muscle damage, reduced pain symptoms along the legs, decreased the risk of re-herniation occurring, and faster recovery. Many individuals will experience less leg pain and low back pain from occurring when they add decompression into their wellness treatment.

Conclusion

The sciatic nerve can succumb to radicular pain like herniated discs or gluteal muscles trap the sciatic nerve making it irritated or aggravated. When this happens, the sciatic nerve causes motor and sensory dysfunction in the legs and radiating, throbbing pain to the side. Treatments like decompression therapy can help alleviate sciatic radiculopathy by releasing the compressed disc or muscle off the sciatic nerve and dampening the painful effects it causes. Decompression therapy is a beautiful addition to any wellness treatment for individuals trying to regain their health and wellness.

References

Aljawadi, Ahmed, et al. “Sciatica Presentations and Predictors of Poor Outcomes Following Surgical Decompression of Herniated Lumbar Discs: A Review Article.” Cureus, Cureus, 21 Nov. 2020, www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7681772/.

Dydyk, Alexander M, et al. “Radicular Back Pain.” In: StatPearls [Internet]. Treasure Island (FL), StatPearls Publishing, 2 Nov. 2021, www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK546593/.

Feinberg, Joseph, and Shikha Sethi. “Sciatic Neuropathy: Case Report and Discussion of the Literature on Postoperative Sciatic Neuropathy and Sciatic Nerve Tumors.” HSS Journal : the Musculoskeletal Journal of Hospital for Special Surgery, Springer-Verlag, Sept. 2006, www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2488172/.

Medical Professionals, Cleveland Clinic. “Radiculopathy: Symptoms, Causes & Treatment.” Cleveland Clinic, 16 Mar. 2022, my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/22564-radiculopathy.

Park, Myung-Sik, et al. “Clinical Results of Endoscopic Sciatic Nerve Decompression for Deep Gluteal Syndrome: Mean 2-Year Follow-Up.” BMC Musculoskeletal Disorders, BioMed Central, 20 May 2016, www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4875686/.

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