Moraine Valley Wellness

Sciatica is a distracting pain that begins in the lower back and extends down one or both legs. It typically worsens with periods of sitting or standing. The discs between the spinal bones of the lower back are often involved. Trauma can cause one or more discs to bulge. This decreases the space around nearby nerves, causing irritation and inflammation.

How Do You Get Sciatica?

Often time, Sciatica is the result of cumulative damage. Years of bad posture, poor muscle tone, obesity or countless other causes can contribute. Spinal decay may also be another culprit. Then, something simple like bending over to pick up your socks can trigger an episode. Instead of disc thinning that puts pressure on the sciatic nerve roots, arthritic bone spurs can intrude into the space normally reserved for the nerve.

Can Drugs Help with Sciatica?

Pills or muscle relaxation drugs can't correct the nerve compression caused by a bulging disc. This is a perfect example of drugs supressing some of the symptoms, but not curing the issues causing the pain.

What We Do

Sciatica can worsen with bed rest. Medications don't correct the nerve irritation caused by a bulging disc. Physical therapy merely increases your tolerance to pain. And surgical solutions make irreversible changes to discs or bones.

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