One of the common injuries we treat in our Boulder office is sciatica. We have had numerous successful treatment outcomes in our office by implementing Class 4 Laser Therapy and trigger point dry needling therapy in the treatment plan.
What is it?
Sciatica is a condition that occurs when a person has lower back pain and leg pain simultaneously. The term ‘sciatica’ is not an exact diagnosis, more generally referring to a number of problems that lead to pain to radiate from the lower back to the leg.
The sciatic nerve is a large nerve that runs from the lower back to the ankle in each leg. This nerve supplies the muscles and blood vessels of the leg with communication from the brain. There are a few conditions when the nerve can become irritated which leads to pain that shoots down your leg.
A lumbar disc injury is the most common cause of this issue. In a person who sits for long periods of time during the day, a disc can bulge out and push on the nerve root or the disc can rupture leading to shooting leg pain with numbness, tingling, or even weakness in the leg.
Predisposing Factors
Tightness in the hip flexors, hamstrings, and lower back muscles
Weakness in the core muscles or gluteus muscles
Frequent prolonged sitting (behind a desk, driving, on a bike or couch)
Poor bending technique
How Class 4 Laser Therapy Can Provide Sciatica Pain Relief
Class 4 laser therapy is a soothing medical treatment that can provide sciatica pain relief using focused light energy to stimulate a healing response called photobiomodulation. The cells absorb the energy triggering a biological cascade of events that leads to:
an increase in cellular metabolism
decrease in pain and inflammation
reduction in muscle spasm
improved microcirculation to injured tissue.
A typical class 4 laser therapy treatment for sciatica takes about 5-10 minutes to perform.
How Dry Needling Can Provide Sciatica Pain Relief
Dry needling therapy is a medical treatment that uses acupuncture needles to release tight, stubborn, muscles quickly. Unlike other hands on techniques, the needle can penetrate deeper into tissues to help manually release the muscle and stimulate a healing response. In cases of sciatica pain, we can use electrostimulation on the needles to provide deep sciatica pain relief.
decrease in pain and inflammation
reduction in muscle spasm
improved healing response to injured tissue by stimulating the immune system.
Full resolution of sciatica pain can be seen in an average of 12-15 visits.
Resolution of symptoms can be seen quicker in cases that also utilize other offerings in our office such as:
Chiropractic treatment to restore alignment, decrease nerve root pinching, and eliminate mobility restrictions
Flexion Distraction therapy to decompress the disc
Physical Therapy for strengthening exercises to eliminate weakness
Massage Therapy and Active Release Technique to decrease muscle tension.
Physical Therapy for Sciatica Pain Relief
If you are suffering from sciatica, it is likely that you need to have a full evaluation performed by our physical therapist to identify the weakness and compensation that triggered your symptoms. In your first appointment you will learn the cause of your symptoms, receive treatment, learn targeted exercises, and have a plan to return to pain free activity. This typically involves core strengthening, gluteus strengthening, and increasing hip stability.
Active Release Technique for Sciatica Pain Relief
Active release technique (ART) is a non-invasive, hands-on diagnostic process of evaluating and treating musculoskeletal problems in the body. ART works by releasing tight and inflamed muscles, ligaments, tendons, and fascia after injury and overuse.
ART is a fantastic tool for releasing the tension in your hip flexors, hamstrings, or lower back and improving pain free range of movement.
Decompression for Sciatica Pain Relief
Flexion-distraction is a non-invasive technique that uses a motorized table to gently decompress the discs of your lower back. This is a common and effective therapy used to provide immediate sciatica pain relief. The average treatment plan of 12-15 visits provides long lasting relief and helps eliminate any nerve root compression in most cases.