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Sciatica.

What Causes Sciatica? How do I know if I have sciatica? How is Sciatica treated? Cold Laser Treatment  

The sciatic nerve is the longest nerve in your body. It runs from your lower back, through your hip area and buttocks and down each leg. The sciatic nerve divides into smaller nerves as it travels down the legs providing feeling to your thighs, legs, and feet as well as controlling the muscles in your lower legs. The term “Sciatica” refers to pain that radiates along the length of this nerve.

What causes Sciatica?

Sciatica is a sign of underlying problem resulting in pressure being applied on sciatic nerve along its course. The most common cause of this nerve compression is a bulging or herniated disc (in lumbar spine). Piriformis syndrome is another cause of sciatica. The piriformis is a muscle that sits directly over the sciatic nerve. If this muscle becomes tight or if you have a spasm in this muscle, it puts pressure on the sciatic nerve. 

How do I know if I have sciatica?

Pain that radiates from your lower back to your buttock or buttocks and down the back of your leg or legs is the hallmark of sciatica. Sciatica can be accompanied by numbness, tingling, and muscle weakness in the affected leg or legs. This pain can vary from a mild ache to a sharp or burning sensation or excruciating discomfort. Sometimes it may feel like a sharp stabbing pain or electric shock. Sciatic pain often starts gradually and intensifies over time. Normally it gets worse when you sit.  

How is Sciatica Treated?

The majority of the time, sciatic pain can be relieved through a combination of stretches, deep tissue massage of the piriformis muscle and chiropractic manipulation on lumbar spine. Occasionally, in cases where chronic spasm of the low back or piriformis muscles is causing the sciatic pain, it may be necessary to do a procedure called a trigger point injection, where a medical pain specialist injects a small amount of aesthetic directly into a spasmed muscle to break the spasm cycle. However, this is typically not necessary.

Cold laser Therapy/Treatment

The lasers used at Central Chiropractic Clinic are certified as Cold Laser.  For the past 30 years the technology of Cold Laser Therapy (also known as Low Level Laser Therapy) has been formally accepted in North America and in many other parts of the world such as Europe, Russia and Japan.  In all this time there have been no recorded long-term adverse effects from low level laser therapy.  It is considered to be non-invasive, painless and safe.

Cold Laser Therapy uses laser light energy to stimulate cells to function optimally.  In the body, light sensitive chromophores and other elements within the cell absorb energy, initiating a series of important photochemical changes such as increased production of ATP. The mitochondria and Kreb’s Cycle stimulation initiates the production of ATP, providing the cell with the extra energy needed to accelerate the healing process and positively influence pain.  These activities can occur in all types of cells and includes ligament, nerves, cartilage and muscle.

Low Level Cold Laser Therapy (LLLT) is a Handheld, non-invasive, light-emitting medical device which is used over different areas of the body. It provides an unmatched advantage in the treatment of conditions such as;

Sciatica,

Upper Back and Lower back pain

Piriformis syndrome 

Slipped disc,

Prolapsed disc

Herniated disc

Trapped nerves.

Sacroiliac Joint inflammation 

Hip Pain

Athletic Injuries

Knee and Foot Pain
Shoulder Injury
Carpal Tunnel Syndrome
Arthritic Pain Relief

Muscle Spasm
Relief of Muscle and Joint Pain
Skin infections.

       
Wound Management  including Skin Ulcers, Pressure Sores and Burns

Soft Tissue Injuries  including Sprains and Strains, Tendonitis and Haematomas

Joint Disorders  including Arthritic Pain Relief and Tenosynovitis 

Chronic pain such as Trigeminal Neuralgia and Chronic Neck Shoulder and Back pain.

For further in depth information on Back Pain Sciatica, Disc injuries, please go to top left hand corner under “Pain” or “Conditions “and “Treatments” for Cold Laser Therapy is very effective in pain relief and healing.

Tags: back pain