Top 10 Sciatica Facts You Should Be Aware Of

Sciatica is a widely known lower back problem that concerns practically everyone worldwide. Because sciatica is among the primary causes of disability, learning more about it can be highly beneficial. Being aware and prepared is essential to prevent the problem from progressing or from occurring in the first place. Many people, particularly those who work in an office, experience back pain and sciatica resulting from the nature of their job. Are you ready to take the first step on the path to a back pain-free life?

If so, continue reading to discover the ten most important sciatica facts that you should be aware of. 

1. It affects the sciatic nerve
Sciatica is a condition that occurs when the sciatic nerve is irritated or compressed. This nerve is made up of five nerve roots that originate in the spinal cord and branch down both legs. It is also your body's largest nerve. Sciatica is diagnosed by chiropractors based on the type of pain and its location.

2. Sciatica is more than just a back pain
Lower back pain is a common sign of sciatic nerve damage. However, it can also cause tingling, loss of sensation, or even a burning feeling. This feeling often starts at your hip and radiates down one leg. Sciatica can affect both legs in rare cases.

3. Sciatica has varying pain levels
The intensity of sciatic pain varies from person to person. The entire area of the body it affects varies widely as well. Some regions of the body experience varying degrees of discomfort, tingling, and loss of sensation. In severe cases, sciatic pain may extend from your head to your foot or both feet. This can result in difficulty driving or walking. Sciatica can also damage your bowels and bladder if it progresses enough.

4. SI pain and sciatica are different things
Lower back pain can sometimes be caused by the SI (sacroiliac joint). This is not to be confused with sciatica pain. SI pain typically doesn’t affect your legs and is very different from sciatica.

5. Identifying the underlying cause is the key to relief
The sciatic nerve can be irritated or compressed for a variety of reasons. The greatest solutions for treating your pain are determined by understanding the fundamental cause of the issue. Exercise can provide relief for certain people, while others require the necessary spine realignment.

6. Pain relievers provide short-term relief 
Most people believe that the best sciatica treatment is pain medication. The assumption is that by the time the medicine wears off, the discomfort has subsided, and the person has been “treated or cured.” The fundamental downside of this method is that it focuses on the pain rather than the cause of it. As a result, pain can reappear at any time and without warning. When this happens, it's easy to grow addicted to pain medicine over time. 

7. Surgery is never the only solution
Having different options is usually a good idea. Surgery may be effective in a few rare underlying diseases. However, it is rarely the most effective long-term treatment for sciatica pain. Many studies have found that surgical and non-surgical treatments have similar long-term outcomes. Always consider your options and pick the one that works best for you.

8. Your spine can be the source of sciatica
When you have pain in the lower back, it doesn't mean the underlying cause isn't present in the upper region of the spine. Consider this: the skull can weigh up to 12 pounds. When your neck is misaligned, the remainder of the body adjusts to balance the weight. If compensation occurs in the lower back, the sciatic nerve is put under more strain. In such a case, the neck misalignment must be corrected to achieve long-term relief from top to bottom.

9. It can be a previous injury
Because the spine goes from top to bottom of your body, any changes in it are often quite slow. However, a misalignment in the neck can put the spine in a stressed position, causing the discs to degenerate more quickly than they should. Keep in mind that ordinary wear and tear can cause decades of damage in as little as a few years, which can lead to arthritis in the spine or other problems that cause discomfort and even sciatica.

This explains why you may only be experiencing pain now as a result of injuries or incidents that occurred 10 to 15 years ago. Your body may have been subjected to a chain reaction of extra wear and tear as a result of previous traumas. Upper cervical x-rays can reveal injuries that have been hidden for many years and are causing current symptoms.

10. Natural relief from sciatica is available
If your sciatica is caused by an upper cervical misalignment, there's reason to be optimistic. Luckily, temporary relief might be obtained by adjusting the lower back. Fixing the fundamental problem in the neck may have long-term benefits because the lower back will no longer be subjected to persistent pressure that causes it to pull back out of alignment. Upper cervical chiropractors concentrate on the spine's top two bones. 

Diagnostic imaging can detect misalignments as little as a hundredth of a degree. These minor neck misalignments can be corrected with minimally invasive and long-term adjustments, giving your body the time it needs to heal properly. This procedure also allows undoing some of the changes in the spinal structure to keep your head balanced. As a result, some patients discover that once their upper spine problems are resolved, their lower back problems also go away.