I thought the pain would go away. Then over time, the pain started radiating down into my buttock and lower leg.Does this describe your problem? If so, know that you are not alone. This is one of the most common complaints I hear from patients while taking their history.
So why does this happen?
There are a variety things that can cause this. However, in each case, it is due to nerves being irritated or compressed. In the majority of instances this type of a problem begins as a mechanical problem. What do I mean by a mechanical problem? Simply put, our spine and pelvis are made up of many parts. Parts that not only fit together in a very specific way but also allow movement. Each part is connected to the other by ligaments. The ligaments not only hold everything together but allow a certain amount of motion. On occasion, due to trauma, repetitive activities or simply weakness due to a poor fitness level the parts of our spine and pelvis can shift outside of their normal position. When this happens, the ligaments become inflamed and due to their proximity to neurological structure put pressure on these structures. Where this happens will determine a patients pain pattern. In the leg, pain can occur on the front, side or back. It can occur in the upper leg, lower leg and foot. In fact, the term sciatica is often used for pain that radiates into the leg. Sciatica is actually graded due to severity. Pain into the buttock is called primary sciatica. Pain that continues through buttock into the thigh area, is called secondary sciatica. Pain that continues through the buttock and thigh area and into the lower leg and foot is called tertiary sciatica. As a general rule, the further down the pain goes in the leg the more serious the case.
Below is a great example of how a compressed nerve can cause both lower back and leg pain.
Is this problem correctable?
In the majority of instances the answer yes! The first thing we need to do is to find out exactly where in your spine the problem is originating from. Once we find the problem area, we work on correcting the faulty position and mechanics. As you begin to heal, you will notice the pain will begin to retrace. I tell my patients it’s like playing the movie backwards. The last pain you had to show up will be the first thing to go away. Example: A person starts out with lower back pain that eventually goes into their buttock and then down the back of their leg to just above the knee. Once I begin treating them the pain will move up until it is no longer in the leg. Then it will move out of the buttock and only in the lower back. Finally, the lower back pain will be gone.
If you are suffering with lower back and leg pain and live in the Cincinnati area give me a call. Life is too short to be encumbered by pain.
The term Sciatica refers to pain, numbness and occasional muscle weakness in the areas supplied by the sciatic nerve. Areas innervated by this nerve are: hip, buttock, back of thigh, calf and foot. The patient may experience pain, burning or a crawling sensation over the affected area and an inability to walk on his toes or heels due to muscular weakness. There are many causes of sciatica but the most frequent cause has been found to be faulty alignment and mechanics of the lower spine and pelvis. Such faulty alignment serves to compress or irritate the sciatic nerve with a resulting painful inflammation of the nerve.
Other more serious causes involve the discs of the lower spine, which can bulge or herniate (see below) causing direct pressure on the spinal nerve roots or in some cases, the spinal cord.
Clinical experience has shown that Chiropractic Care applied to these faulty spinal-pelvic-mechanics to be the method of choice for correcting the cause of sciatica. If you live in the Cincinnati area and have been suffering with sciatica and are tired of the pain, give me a call and schedule an exam.
There is a piriformis muscle located in each buttock. The piriformis muscles are deep and are responsible for rotating our feet outwards. Due to the proximity of the piriformis muscles to the sciatic nerves problems can and do occur. If the piriformis muscle goes into spasm it can choke or press on the sciatic nerve causing pain to radiate down into the leg(s). If you are experiencing sciatica it may be due to a piriformis spasm. You should have this evaluated to determine what is causing your leg pain. This is a common syndrome that I have treated many times. If you live in the greater Cincinnati area and are experiencing leg pain give me a call.
The causes of low back pain are many. Finding the actual cause is very important. Typically, people do things that simply “numb” the problem. Numbing the problem however, with various medications only allows the problem to continue, ultimately causing more pain, disability and degeneration. A thorough history and examination with the appropriate diagnostic workup is necessary to find the actual cause of low back pain.
Below are several causes of low back pain:
• Poor Posture – Causes an improper loading of the spine. Improper spinal loading, forces weight to be placed on structures that were not designed to carry weight. This type of compensation ultimately causes pain. In the majority of cases, poor posture is a symptom of years of inadequate exercise and improper sitting postures both at home and at work. Watch your posture. Watch your children’s posture. I tell patients all the time that proper posture in children is critical. I have a saying I use all the time… As the twig is bent the tree shall grow.
• Lumbar Subluxations – Misalignments or subluxations are the true enemy of the disc and spinal joints. When your spine becomes subluxated the disc’s normal pumping motion is reduced or in severe cases, completely eliminated due to loss of motion. This pumping motion is needed to pull in nutrients and eliminate waste in both the joints and the discs.
• Osteoarthritis - If the subluxation is not corrected, degenerative processes begin leading to osteoarthritis. This is a degeneration of both the disc and the spinal joints at that same level. Once this happens, the areas above and below the affected area have to compensate for the osteoarthritic area. Over time these areas will begin to become problematic also.
• Pelvic Problems – The pelvis is actually made up of three separate bones. Two side bones or iliums and a center bone called the sacrum. These bones come together and form joints. There are actually three joints in the pelvis. There is a single joint in the front of the pelvis and two in the rear. These joints allow motion to occur when we move and walk. On occasion these joints become misaligned or subluxated. When this happens the lower back can respond by tightening muscles, shifting vertebrae which in turn can cause a stretching of spinal joints. All produce pain.
Eight out of ten people in the Cincinnati area will experience back pain during their lifetime. There are really only two choices of treatment when it comes to back pain. 1) If you choose to treat the symptom you are allowing the problem to get worse. Remember… Eliminating the pain with drugs does not eliminate the problem. 2) If you choose to treat the cause you will be working on eliminating the problem for good. A large percentage of my practice is made up of people that have had low back pain.
So why does this happen?
The causes of low back pain are many. Finding the actual cause is very important. Typically, people do things that simply “numb” the problem. Numbing the problem however, with various medications only allows the problem to continue, ultimately causing more pain, disability and degeneration. A thorough history and examination with the appropriate diagnostic workup is necessary to find the actual cause of low back pain.
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