Preventing Sciatica Pain

So, you’ve experienced sciatica pain and you’re probably wondering what caused it. It’s easy to correlate pain after lifting a heavy object, sustaining a fall, or moving in an unnatural fashion could result in an injury to your spine. 

By definition, sciatica comes when the sciatic nerve has been irritated which results in pain radiating down the leg, usually past the knee. The most common cause of sciatica will likely surprise you: extensive research has shown that the number one cause of sciatica is too much sitting. That’s also completely understandable: as the leading sciatica pain specialist in Livermore, we’ve seen the very real impact sitting too much has on our patients’ lives. 

WHY IT MATTERS

Sitting down for long periods of time can lead to back pain—but that doesn’t have to be the case. When you spend hours each day sitting, the core is not engaged which results in atrophy or wasting of the muscles. This leads to imbalances and a lack of proper lumbar stabilization which damages the spine over time. Without the support of the stabilizing muscles, your spine relies on other muscles in your body to keep it aligned and balanced—and if those muscles aren’t strong enough, you’re more likely to injure your back. 

Weak muscles lead to seemingly trivial actions such as picking up a small toy off the ground resulting in injury to the back and sometimes excruciating pain. Fortunately, this also means that the best way to prevent sciatica is pretty easy. Just stand up! 

It’s no secret that movement is key to staying healthy. But did you know that it’s also key to preventing sciatica pain? One of the best ways to prevent sciatica pain is care that is focused on movement. Stretching before and after any exercise-related activities can help you both improve your flexibility and reduce your chances of experiencing a number of avoidable injuries. 

That isn’t the only time you can benefit from stretching though. Stretching before bedtime can help reduce muscle tension throughout the night and even promote better sleep quality! 

Modern research also indicates that consistent exercise can stop or even reverse the effects of too much sitting—which is great news for anyone who spends most of their day in front of a computer screen! 

It is recommended that people incorporate 30 minutes of exercise each day. This helps strengthen the supporting muscles around the spine to help prevent future sciatica. 

Another great tool for helping to prevent future episodes of sciatica is getting periodic spinal adjustments. It can help both in the correction and prevention of conditions that can cause sciatica pain. If it’s been a while since your last chiropractic adjustment, it’s time to get one. While many people think that Chiropractic care is just getting your back and neck cracked, it is not the only procedure that is performed at a great evidence-based Livermore chiropractic office with advanced chiropractic modalities. 

While chiropractic adjustments are big and powerful in the treatment and prevention of sciatica, at Balanced Livermore we actually use a variety of techniques to address sciatic nerve impingement and pain which include rehabilitation techniques that can be performed at home to stay feeling well. Chiropractors take a conservative, non-invasive, approach to health and healing. We combine techniques like Spinal Adjustments, Active Release Technique, and Rehabilitation to get amazing results. 

The top medical research journal SPINE found that when patients maintain chiropractic care even while feeling well, Chiropractors can evaluate, detect, and potentially prevent future disc problems and low back pain episodes. Chiropractic care can be a very effective means of maintaining spinal health and preventing future injury. 

If you’re looking for a sciatica pain specialist in Livermore that takes a holistic and non-invasive approach, you have found the right place in Balanced Livermore Chiropractic and Rehabilitation! 

NEXT STEPS

 If you’re like most people, sciatica pain is something that comes and goes. It can be manageable, but if it’s more than just a little annoyance, it can take over your life. Our patients have come to enjoy significant relief from sciatica pain and improved in addition of mobility and stability. 

Maintaining your body with movement-based care is the best way means to prevent sciatica pain in the future in addition to including regular chiropractic care even when feeling well. Taking a few minutes every hour to get up and walk around or perform some at-home stretches given to you by your Chiropractor at Balanced Livermore can go a long way.

If you have struggled with recurrent or chronic sciatica pain, it is best to try a conservative approach to treatment, rather than start with injections or surgery which have high risks of complications and disability in the future.

Schedule an appointment with Dr. Nic for a sciatica pain specialist in Livermore. We’ll work together to pinpoint the root cause of your pain and come up with a plan that can help you get and stay out of pain for years to come. You deserve nothing less!