Are you finding it difficult finding a sciatica specialist?
Finding a back-pain specialist is easy however finding a practitioner or doctor who is specialises in sciatica is almost impossible.
The problem is, most people (even health care practitioners) assume that all sciatica pain is generated from the lower back. Sciatica is a complex condition, the pain can start in one place and move to another region, and then completely move back again. This is the nature of nerve related pain and it takes a practitioner who specializes in sciatica who has seen thousands of chronic sciatica pain cases to pick up on patterns, and to provide effective sciatica pain treatment.
The sciatic nerve branches out from the lower back, derived from spinal nerves L4 to S3 and it contains neural fibres from both the anterior and posterior divisions of the lumbosacral plexus. Most of the focus on the diagnosis and treatment of sciatica pain is in the region of the body, the lumbosacral region. It is for this reason that sciatica pain sufferers are sent to a lower back pain specialist by their doctor or medical professional.
The sciatic nerve branches out from the lumbosacral plexus, to form the largest/ widest nerve in the human body. The large nerve descends through the pelvis in deep in the buttock past the external rotator muscles of the hip. We find this region to be one of the sources of chronic sciatica pain in the vast majority of cases, not always the lower back region.
Postural imbalances lead to the hips becoming internally rotated, which compromises the sciatic nerve as it forms into one thick nerve and descends through the pelvis. If we unwind the underlying cause of chronic sciatica, we begin to understand its complexity and why so many practitioners approach it incorrectly:
- Weakness to the major hip muscles (gluteus maximus muscles) occurs over a period of time
- The anterior muscles (hip flexors and quadriceps muscles) compensate for the weakness of the gluteus maximus, carrying more body weight forward of the midline.
- This compensation leads to over dominate anterior muscles and a further weakening of the posterior muscles (gluteus maximus, hamstrings, adductor muscles)
- The deep rotator muscles of the hip (Piriformis, gemellus superior, obturator internus, gemellus inferior, quadratus femoris and the obturator externus) become overloaded compensating for the major hip muscles weakness and shift in body weight forward of the midline.
- The hips become internally rotated as the muscles remain tight, jammed and contracted.
- The gap between the head of the femur and the lateral border of the sacrum becomes greatly reduced.
- The area in which the sciatica nerve branches from the lumbosacral plexus and where it descends through the pelvis is compromised.
- This interference (or squashing) of the sciatica nerve results in localised pain deep in the buttock, and radicular pain (referred pain) down the leg and or into the lower back region.
At Back Solution Clinic we have physical therapists that specialize in sciatica who have seen this time and time again and have provided successful treatment of sciatica pain. In many cases, carrying out effective work deep in the buttock and hip regions offers people much welcomed relief after months of treatment to just their lower back, incorporated with the strength and conditioning your body needs.
For more information on how we can help you with your chronic sciatica pain, please call today.
Back Solution across America has a proven record with acute and chronic back pain sufferers exceeding in excellence across the country. We have treated thousands of patients that range from Olympic athletes, professional athletes as well as everyday pain sufferers. Our rapid growth across the country will ensure a local clinic will be in your area soon to address your acute and chronic back pain.