I Have Butt and Leg Pain - HELP!!!

Pain with Numbness and Tingling in the Leg and Butt?

You have pain that is in the butt and the leg, what can it be? Is it on both sides? Is it a pain, numbness, tingling...? The sciatic nerve travels down your rear (goes between the two heads of the piriformis muscle) and then travels down the leg. Sometimes depending on where it is you can tell which nerve root in the back is effected. Is it in the feet - might be the L5 or S1 nerve root? Is it just in upper thigh - might be L3.

Nerve roots exit the spine, and in the lower part of the body, form the sciatic nerve, which goes down the leg. Hence the term "Sciatica". So your pain can be back related but maybe it started in the leg? Ask yourself, what might have triggered this? That will help you find the answer.

Your doctor will send for xray or an mri and do and exam, this will confirm it. Chances are it may just be a good strain. Inflammation builds up somewhere and creates pressure; then you get a symptom.

The Glastonbury Chiropractor is located in central Connecticut- CT Spine and Disc Center specializes in patients who suffer from sciatica, disc degeneration, bulging disc or herniated disc in the lumbar spine. For low back pain, neck pain, midback pain, headaches, fibromyalgia and more, chiropractic can help you. Call our Glastonbury office at 860-633-8756 to schedule an appointment and to see if you are a candidate for non surgical spinal decompression.

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Additional Reading Resources:

• Traction Products for the Lower Back
• A Brace You Can Wear to Correct Posture
• How Can Spinal Decompression Heal my herniated and bulging discs
• Non Surgical Spinal Decompression in Connecticut with the Drx 9000
• Contact the Glastonbury Chiropractor via telephone, or email

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Steroid Injections Offer Short Term Relief, study shows

The pain associated with sciatica can be intense, often shooting pains down one leg due to pressure being put on the sciatic nerve. It can also involve numbness, tingling and weakness.

Study Shows that Steroid Injections
Offer Only Short Term Relief

One of the treatments that an Orthopedic Doctor may recommend for sciatica is an epidural. This involves the injection of a steroid into the joint spaces of the spine.

A new study published in the Annals of Internal Medicine on Nov 13, showed that these steroid injections often only provide short term pain relief. This study involved 3100 patients who were followed for over a year. 23 Clinical trials were measured.

"The review showed that [epidural injections] offered only small, short-term improvement in pain and disability for people with sciatica and had no long-term effect," said Dr. Chris Maher, a professor of physiotherapy at the School of Public Health at the University of Sydney in Australia (co author).

The results showed that at 2 weeks and 3 months after treatment, 10 trials showed leg-pain relief and 14 reported improvements in disability. But after a year or more, no differences were found in leg pain, back pain or disability for those given injections compared to those given a placebo.

"Given that the treatment effect is likely to be small and short term, patients with sciatica should discuss the potential risks involved in [steroid injections] with their doctor before agreeing to the procedure" said Maher, who also is director of the George Institute for Global Health, in Sydney.

These findings are very similar to an earlier study that showed that the steroid injections are no better than anti inflammatory medications.

At our Glastonbury chiropractic Office we offer non surgical spinal decompression treatments for patients with sciatica and leg pain. Call our office to see if you are candidate for this treatment.

The Glastonbury Chiropractor is located in central Connecticut- CT Spine and Disc Center specializes in patients who suffer from sciatica, disc degeneration, bulging disc or herniated disc in the lumbar spine. Call our chiropractic office at 860-633-8756 to schedule an appointment and to see if you are a candidate for non surgical spinal decompression

Source: Steroid Shots for Sciatica: Benefits only Brief, Analysis Finds US News 11/12/2012

Additional Reading Resources:

• Traction Products for the Lower Back Pain Relief
• Lower Back Supports - Lumbar Belts
• Do Your Suffer from back and leg pain due to sciatica
• Non Surgical Spinal Decompression in Connecticut
• Contact the Glastonbury Chiropractor

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Study Reveals Reveals 1/3 of Women go to the Chiropractor During Pregnancy

In the December 2010 Issue of JCCP (Journal of Clinical Chiropractic Pediatrics)a study revealed that 1/3 of Women have chiropractic treatment during thier pregnancy.

The study found that 90% of these patients present with pelvic pain and about 30% picked their chiropractor as the first choice for treatment. Some other common symptoms are lower back pain, radicular pain (pain radiating to legs), mid-back pain, and infertility issues.

Speaking of pregnancy and the chiropractor; I have a friend who practices in Pennsylvania who recently helped one of his patients with her pregnancy. He let me know that this patient of his mentioned that she was trying to get pregnant for a long time, but was unsuccessful. A short time after getting her pelvis and lower back adjusted she got pregnant. He told me it could have been a multitude of factors, and the chiropractic adjustments may not have done anything for the pregnancy but they definitely helped fix her posture and relieve back pain. However, the fact of the matter is, she feels it was critical in her getting pregnant. And sometimes you can’t doubt a mother’s instinct!

Sources:

• www.chiropracticjournal.com
  
• www.icapedicatrics.com
  
• www.worldchiropracticalliance.org

The Glastonbury Chiropractor is located in central Connecticut- CT Spine and Disc Center specializes in patients who suffer from sciatica, disc degeneration, bulging disc or herniated disc in the lumbar spine. Call our chiropractic office at 860-633-8756 to schedule an appointment and to see if you are a candidate for non surgical spinal decompression


Additional Reading Resources:

• Lower Back Pain? Or Is it?
  
• How to Have a Healthy Pregnancy without crazy weight gain
  
• Non Surgical Spinal Decompression in Connecticut
  
• A Fit A Healthy Pregnancy
  
• Contact the Glastonbury Chiropractor

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Sciatica and the Piriformis Muscle...

Technically, we refer to any back pain going down into the leg as sciatica. The reason is the sciatic nerve travels down the leg giving off different branches to various parts of the leg.

The source of pain is from the lower back because that is where the nerve roots come off the spinal cord. The lower nerve roots form together to create the sciatic nerve. The sciatic nerve then travels down the buttocks between two head of the piriformis muscle and down the leg.

When this piriformis muscle gets irritated, it pinches the nerve making pain worse. Ultimately, pressure on the nerve roots in the back will contribute to piriformis tightness as well. This happens because the piriformis is controlled by these nerves too. Spinal misalignments and/or disc problems can be the root cause of the nerve pressure however.

Chiropractic treatments and spinal decompression are the two best natural options for quick pain relief.


The Glastonbury Chiropractor is located in central Connecticut- CT Spine and Disc Center specializes in patients who suffer from sciatica, disc degeneration, bulging disc or herniated disc in the lumbar spine. Call our chiropractic office at 860-633-8756 to schedule an appointment and to see if you are a candidate for non surgical spinal decompressionAdditional Reading Resources:

• sciatica treatment exercise program
  
• spinal decompression research
  
• What is Chiropractic
  
  
  Save this to Del.icio.us
  
  Digg This !
  
  Subscribe to CT Spine Disc Center by Email
  
  Subscribe in a reader

Specific Symptoms Associated With A Lumbar Radiculopathy

Pressure on nerve roots L1-L3 are often associated with pain above the knee. Also one may have decreased sensation in the anterior thigh.

The pressure and radiculopathy most commonly affects the L4, L5, and S1 nerve root levels.

Someone with pressure at the L4 level most often have weakness in the quadriceps muscle, pain in the low back and or front of the leg, and a decreased knee (patellar) reflex.

An individual with L5 symptomatology often has pain in the low back and or pain on the side of the leg, as well as a decreased medial hamstring reflex, weakness of the antherior lower leg muscles, and sometimes sensory loss on the outer calf.

S1 radiculopathy often creates pain in the low back, and or pain down the back of the leg or pain in the foot. The Achilles reflex may also be affected as well as sensation on the lateral foot and calf muscle strength.

Symptoms other than pain may include numbness and tingling, or burning pain. Also, most symptoms usually occur on one side of the body as the left nerve roots exit the spine on the left side of the low back and the right nerve roots exit on the right side. Sometimes pressure can be more central creating irritation to both nerve roots. This will often give bilateral symptoms.

One must keep in mind that depending on which nerve fibers have pressure on them and how severe that pressure is often determines your symptoms. If symptoms persist or get worse, see a professional right away.

If you have specific questions about a lumbar radiculopathy or sciatica or have tried various treatments with no real success, call our office at 860-633-8756 to find out if we may be able to help.

Additional Reading Resources:

• Treatments for Sciatica: Low Back & Leg Pain Relief
  
• Causes of Sciatica and Lumbar Radiculopathy
  
• Is Your Low Back Pain And/Or Leg Pain From A Lumbar Radiculopathy
  
• Understanding Non Surgical Spinal Decompression: FAQ's
  
• Research about Non Surgical Spinal Decompression
  

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What is Causing My Sciatica??

Sciatica or a lumbar radiculapathy is when pressure is put on one or more of your lumbar nerve roots. The nerve roots in the lower lumbars form together to make the sciatic nerve which travels down the leg. It gives off numerous branches that go to various parts of the leg – your toes, muscles, blood vessels, etc. Hence the term sciatica. It’s the general term for pain going from the lower body down the leg.

So what’s causing the pressure? The main pressure is from inflammation in the area. This is usually caused by a disc injury, trauma, facet irritation, arthritic changes, or stenosis. A disc bulge for example may put pressure on a nerve inflamming the nerve, causing pain or another symptom. The facet joints, which are the joints that exist just behind where the nerve roots exit off the spinal cord, can get irritated from a disc bulge can create inflammation which closes in on the nerve root.



In fact many things can cause irritation and inflammation in the low back. This is why so many people have experienced a severe episode or two of back pain. Even a severe strain or muscle spasm can create significant pain. A irritation to muscles in the low back or buttocks can cause radiculopathy or sciatica. Remember the nerve roots exit out of hole called foramen and form together into the sciatic nerve. Therefore spasm, muscle inflammation and strain of one or more of the muscles located in this region can cause problems. Also, the sciatic nerve, before it travel down the leg, goes through two heads of the piriformis muscle which is located in the buttocks.

Another common cause of pain is a spinal misalignment. A trauma to the low back, maybe a car accident or a fall, or a sports injury can cause a shift of the spine. Muscle spasm, poor posture, and heavy lifting are a few other causes of misalignments or subluxations.

Someone can even have a specific misalignment called a spondylolesthesis which is a shift of vertebrae forward or backwards on the one below it. This is often more severe and can be from a trauma but also one may be born with it or it happens because of severe lumbar degeneration.

These are the many causes of your back and leg pain. The next blog post I’ll cover treatment options for individuals currently suffering from lumbar radiculopathy.
If you have specific questions about a lumbar radiculopathy or sciatica or have tried various treatments with no real success, call our Glastonbury CT office at 860-633-8756 to find out if we may be able to help.


CT Spine and Disc Center is located in central Connecticut- Specializing in patients who suffer from sciatica, disc degeneration, bulging disc or herniated disc in the lumbar spine. Call us at 860-633-8756 to see if you are a candidate for non surgical spinal decompression


Additional Reading Resources:

• How does spinal decompression work ?
  
• How does Drx9000 spinal decompression work?
  
• Is your Lower Back Pain or Leg Pain the result of a radiculopathy?
  
• Learn how chiropractic manipulation can be extremely valuable on your pathway to health and relief of pain
  
• Understanding Non Surgical Spinal Decompression: FAQ's
  
• Research about Non Surgical Spinal Decompression
  

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What is Sciatica?

Sciatica is low back/buttocks and leg pain. Basically your sciatic nerve is formed form nerve roots in the lower spine that come together to create the sciatic nerve. This nerve travels down the legs giving off multiple branches which supply and control our legs, knees, ankles, feet, etc…
The sciatic nerve exits out an area in the buttocks next to the piriformis muscle which is why people with sciatica can often have pain in the buttocks region. It then travels down the leg. Depending exactly on the severity of pressure and what nerve fibers are effected one may have pain in the leg but often can get other symptoms such as burning, numbness and tingling, or even weakness.