FOUR COMMON CAUSES OF SCIATICA

(Pain running down the back of the leg)

 

 

Have you been told that you have sciatic nerve pain -- pain that runs down the back of the legs?  Have you been told that you have a herniated disc or Piriformis syndrome?  

 

Has no treatment helped?  

 

If so, I can give you information that can help you find a good treatment.

 

 

Sciatic pain is a term that gets thrown around a lot.  If you have pain shooting down the back of your legs from either your low back or your hips, then you probably have one of the four causes of sciatica or sciatic-like conditions described in this chapter.

 

 

There are four common causes of sciatic pain, and each cause has a different treatment.  A good exam should determine which of the four causes you have, but many practitioners don't do a thorough exam.  So many new patients have come into my office and said, “The doctor said I have an inflamed sciatic nerve.” The doctor hasn't told the patient a thing!

 

Inflamed sciatic nerve is not a diagnosis. It is a symptom!

 

What the doctor should have told you is why you have an inflamed sciatic nerve.  Which of the four common causes do you have? 

 

(1)   Locked-up spine

(2)  Sacral iliac fixation

(3)  Piriformis syndrome

(4)  Herniated disc (slipped or bulging disc).

 

I'll ask the patient, “Did the doctor do any physical testing -- that is pushing and pulling on you?  Did the doctor touch you?”  They always say no.  When a patient comes to me, I test for each of the four diagnoses or causes and prescribe the correct treatment.  I'm confident that many practitioners (chiropractors included) aren't aware of all the causes and aren't looking for them.  If the doctor doesn't even know what is wrong with you, he's not going to prescribe the right treatment.

There are other less-common causes of sciatic pain such as bone spurs and stenosis, but these are much rarer.  As with the rest of my book I concentrate on the common causes missed by so many practitioners.

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