SCIATICA - Symptoms and Treatment:+Sciatica refers to a collection of symptoms.
+Determining the underlying cause of sciatic pain is vital to treatment.
+Studies show that the outcomes of surgical and non-surgical treatments for low back pain are the same after two years.
+Postural imbalance leads to spinal conditions that cause sciatica.
+Trigger points can mimic true sciatic pain and need to be treated differently from true sciatic compression.
Here at the Sarasota Pain Treatment Center we It is important to remember that Sciatica is a term for a collection of symptoms relating to the compression of the five nerve roots that join together to from the sciatic nerve of the sciatic nerve itself rather than a diagnostic term indicating the source of irritation of these structures. Determining why the sciatic nerve and its roots are causing pain is the key to successful treatment of Sciatica. In addition, pain patterns cause by Trigger Points, found in muscle tissue, can mimic Sciatic symptoms. Unless a distinction is made between nerve compression and trigger point pain, customary treatments of sciatica can be unsuccessful.
SURGICAL REMEDY:
Surgical approaches to alleviating Sciatica include laminectomy, discectomy, laser surgery or even spinal fusions. A study from the University of Virginia, published in 2008, shows that the outcomes of surgical and non-surgical treatments for low back pain, including Sciatica, are the same after 2 years.*
NEUROSOMATIC REMEDY:
Neurosomatic Therapy resolves Sciatic nerve pain in a lasting, non-surgical, way that addresses the forces that cause nerve compression as well as relieving “Sciatic-like” Trigger Point pain.
Let’s take these two components and explore them more fully.
Compression of the sciatic nerve and its roots can be the result of several different conditions. Disc, stenosis, spodylolithesis and muscular entrapment are some of the more common reasons for nerve compression. In these conditions, there is actual physical pressure on the Sciatic nerve roots, causing pain. We believe that these conditions have postural imbalances at the root of their cause. The physics of postural distortion produces forces like torsion, shearing and compression that contribute to the weakening of soft tissues, and stimulation of bone spurring and arthritic changes, as well as the biomechanical dysfunction that can cause joint damage. The restoration of postural balance through Neurosomatic Therapy is key to removing the underlying cause contributing to these conditions. We have found that when a person’s posture becomes balanced, the pain associated with Sciatica in significantly relieved.
TRIGGER POINT REFERRAL PAIN:
Pain, or other sensations, caused by Trigger Point in the muscles of the low back, hips and legs, can be mistaken for true sciatica. This type of pain is not caused by compression of the Sciatic nerve of its roots but, instead, areas of high neurological activity within a muscle that create pain patterns identical to those of Sciatica. We call this kind of pain, Trigger Point referral pain, and while we are discussing Sciatica here, can be present in any area of the body. In Travell and Simon’s Myofacial Pain and Dysfunction, documented Trigger Point referral patterns stemming from major muscle groups of the low back, hip, and leg clearly illustrate the parallels to true Sciatica.** One of the main reasons for the development of Trigger Points is postural imbalance and the stresses it creates in muscles. As with the forces that contribute to disc and stenosis, once the muscular Trigger Points are addressed with Neurosomatic Therapy and postural balance is restored, Trigger Point referral pain is alleviated. Whether the low back and leg pain is the result of true Sciatica or the Trigger Point pain that mimics in, postural correction through the application of Neurosomatic Therapy provides a lasting solution without painful, expensive surgery or the use of medication.
Call today to let one of our expert therapists answer any questions you may have regarding Sciatica.
*Gregory DS, Seto CK, Wortley GC, Shugart CM (October 2008). “Acute lumber disk pain: navigating evaluation and treatment choices” Am Fam Physician 78 (7): 835-42 PMID 18841731
**D.Simons, J. Travell, L. Simmons. Myofacial Pain and Dysfunction; The Trigger Point Manual. 2nd ed. Baltimore, MD: Williams & Wilkins, 1999