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Chiropractic for Sciatica
Chiropractic for Sciatica DiagnosisMost sciatica is diagnosed as coming from a structural issue in the lumbar or lumbo-sacral spinal regions. Herniated discs have the distinction of being the most commonly diagnosed source of pain, although degenerative disc disease and spinal arthritis are not far behind. All three conditions are either universal or extremely prevalent in the lower back, making diagnosis fast and easy for care providers. Unfortunately, for patients, these diagnoses are typically wrong, as research clearly shows virtually no link between these common back pain scapegoat issues and the actual incidence of dorsopathy. That’s right. Many people have terrible pain without a structural source and many people have horrible looking structural issues, with no pain… Occasionally, there is no actual reason discovered to explain the pain, but treatment continues, regardless, since it is often a cookie cutter process anyway, regardless of diagnosis...Chiropractic for Sciatica TreatmentChiropractic treatment usually consists predominantly of spinal adjustments. Some doctors also integrate dietary counseling, exercise therapy, massage therapy, TENS, or spinal decompression into their care regimens. All of these are fine for providing temporary and holistic aspects of potential relief, but only spinal decompression offers any hope of providing a lasting cure for structural back pain. Luckily, the incidence of chronic structural back pain is very rare, as most patients suffer from regional ischemia as the source of their symptoms. This also explains why so many back pain therapies, including chiropractic, typically do not cure the condition. If the causation is due to a mindbody issue and the treatment is targeting a structural source, then treatment is guaranteed to fail. I greatly prefer chiropractic as a lifestyle choice and health maintenance option compared to simply using it as a back pain treatment.Chiropractic for Sciatica AdviceSciatica supposes an anatomical reason for the pain, either in the spine, or in the piriformis muscle or sacroiliac joint. This is consistent with the purely Cartesian philosophy taught to every medical, complementary medical and pseudo-medical student in the healthcare system today. It is for this very reason that most back pain endures despite constant care.How many people do you know who had terrible pain and recovered completely and permanently? Did chiropractic cure them? Surgery? Drugs? No, none of these. The few people who truly recover have almost all embraced the only technique which has proven itself to me for MANY types of pain… knowledge therapy. This is my recommendation for a great number of patients. If you need symptomatic relief and understand the limits of care, then chiropractic may be a good choice for sciatica. However, if you want the pain to end forever, then look elsewhere. In many cases, I recommend looking inside your mind, not your spine…
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