How Osteopathy Effectively
Treats
Sciatica
Osteopathic treatment
decreases the inflammation that surrounds the sciatic nerve, and improves
mobility of the spine in order to decrease the pressure surrounding the
nerve from a disc
bulge. This can be done successfully by soft-tissue massage, gentle
articulation and mobilization of the joints of the spine and stretching of
the muscles in spasm surrounding the spine.
By improving mobility and decreasing the
inflammation, a disc bulge will heal at a quicker rate.
Osteopathic treatment will decrease the
recovery time, enabling the patient to get back on their feet quickly. The
gentle manual treatment provided by the osteopath reduces the
muscle spasm, inflammation, and nerve pressure, the primary pain producers. By
mobilising the joints and soft tissues, osteopathic treatment aids in the
prevention of scar tissue formation around the disc, a factor associated with
recurring back pain.
Don't suffer sciatica in silence, for advice on how the Israel Center for Osteopathy
can treat your sciatica and avoid an operation
call now !!
Ramat Aviv Medical Center
Jerusalem Medical Center
03-519-5008
02-566-9173
or email here
More
than 4% of the population suffer from sciatica symptoms at least once in
their lives. Sciatica is used as a term for pain which travels down the
back of the whole leg to the ankle and even into the sole of the foot.
It is called sciatica because it
follows the route of the sciatic nerve. The sciatica nerve is the
largest nerve of the body, whose width is as wide as a finger. The
sciatic nerve leaves the pelvis and travels down the back of the leg
past the knee and into the foot.
Sciatica is a symptom of a problem at
the level of L4, L5, S1 &S2 nerve roots or the sciatic nerve itself.
It must be borne in mind that the term
sciatica must not be mistaken for a diagnosis. It is a symptom. In
effect it is Latin for a pain down the back of the whole leg. If a
patient goes to his practitioner and complains of pain down the back of
his leg and the practitioner tells him, he has sciatica. All the
practitioner has done is translate the symptoms into Latin. As
sciatica is only a symptom not a diagnosis. He has not yet determined
the cause.
Sciatic symptoms:
-
Pain down the back of one leg with or
without lower back pain
-
Sciatic pain can be a sharp or
dull pain. It may be so sharp the patient cannot move.
-
Sciatica may be accompanied by
numbness or paraesthesia (pins and needles) along the back of the leg
and into the foot.
Possible Causes of Sciatica
Pain
-
Pressure on the nerve roots of the
lower back as a result of a prolapsed disc ("slipped disc") or
degenerate disc (where the disc has thinned and the distance between
the vertebrae is reduced causing pressure on the ensuing nerve root) .
In these case osteopathy is successful in relieving the sciatic
symptoms.
-
Spondylolisthesis: Where one
vertebra has slipped forwards with respect to the vertebrae below it.
(Most common at the level of L4 on L5)
-
Piriformis Syndrome: As the
sciatic nerve leaves the pelvis it passes near a muscle that lies deep
in the buttock called piriformis. In 10% of patients the sciatic nerve
pierces the piriformis muscle and is liable to be squeezed by piriformis
causing sciatic symptoms.
It has been known that a person's wallet in their back pocket can cause
piriformis muscle to contract and compress the sciatic
nerve causing sciatic symptoms.
-
Pregnancy: The postural
changes that occur during pregnancy can cause pressure ont the sciatic
nerve roots and/or piriformis contraction causing piriformis syndrome.
-
Intra-pelvic disease: Pressure
on the sciatic nerve during its course in the pelvis. For example
compression by bony growth or intra-pelvic tumor. This is a rare cause.
For advice on how the Israel
Center for Osteopathy
can treat your problem call now !!
Ramat Aviv Medical Center
Jerusalem Medical Center
03-519-5008
02-566-9173
or email here
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