Sciatica and Spinal Decompression

What Is Sciatica?

Sciatica is an irritation of the sciatic nerve (sometimes misspelled as " syatic nerve " or " psyatic nerve "), which is formed from the nerves arising from the spine in the low back which join together in the pelvis and then extend down the back of each leg to the foot.

Sciatica Symptoms may include pain, burning, "electric shock" sensations, numbness, and possibly weakness typically beginning in the muscles of the buttocks and travelling part way or all the way down the leg. The symptoms are often severe and disabling.

Most cases of sciatica are caused by a bulging or herniated disc placing pressure on one or more of the component nerves of the sciatic nerve where they branch off from the spine in the low back. In some cases, the pressure on the nerve may be due to a combination of the disc bulge itself and swelling resulting from inflammation.

Other causes of sciatica symptoms can include degenerative disc disease (thinning of the discs can narrow the openings around nerves), bone spurs, compression of the sciatic nerve at areas other than the spine (as seen in piriformis syndrome discussed in the video above), and in rare cases, spinal tumors.

How Does Spinal Decompression Help Sciatica?

As the decompression treatment pulls bulging disc material back towards the center of the disc, the disc no longer compresses and irritate the nerve, and sciatica gradually (or in some cases, very rapidly) diminishes. In many cases, the symptoms furthest from the spine will go away first. For example, if the pain, tingling, burning, etc. runs all the way down the leg to the foot, it is common for the treatment to alleviate the symptoms in the foot and lower leg first, and then the symptoms will gradually be relieved further up the leg, and in most cases, altogether as treatment progresses.

Spinal decompression with the DRX9000 is usually a very effective long-term solution for sciatica, depending on the underlying cause and various other factors. In general, patients with sciatica due to disc bulging/herniation and/or disc degeneration get excellent results from spinal decompression treatment.

Fortunately, most people are able to obtain sciatic nerve pain relief without surgery, and are able to return to normal activities with just a few weeks of spinal decompression treatment.

To schedule a complimentary consultation and evaluation to find out if you are a candidate for our spinal decompression treatment program, please give us a call at:

(210) 408-7888

San Antonio Spinal Decompression Index