5330 College Avenue, Suite 210 Oakland, CA 94618
Low back pain is one of the most common health problems in the United States. However, many patients (perhaps including you) continue to suffer because of the misinformation circulating about low back pain.
The first step to achieving lower back pain relief in Oakland CA is to separate facts from myths. So before you look for a treatment, stop for a minute and let’s put the record straight about this taxing condition.
Being physically active is no guarantee that you won't develop lower back pain. Unfortunately, some patients love to engage in physical activities but still carry the burden of low back pain. Even athletes experience low back pain after vigorous training.
Now you're probably wondering, "why do they still get low back pain if they're in an excellent physical condition?"
Well, athletes engage in repetitive motions that lead them to over-exert their back muscles. This causes muscle strain and tearing of the ligaments and tendons in the lower back.
Another cause of lower back pain in physically active people is a herniated disc. If you have a herniated disc, you're most likely going to feel a radiating and crippling pain in your lower back.
There is nothing wrong if you reach for a bottle of Advil to relieve your back pain. However, you should always assess the severity of your problem before taking any painkillers. Medications only provide short-term relief. Also, the more you take it, the more you put yourself at risk of addiction.
To get lower back pain relief in Oakland CA, you can take advantage of physical therapy and exercises. Also, lifestyle modification is one of the best alternatives to relieve your pain. One of the lifestyle changes you can make is to leave your bad habits behind, including smoking, drinking, and sleeping in late. Remember that these habits can make your suffering worse.
To learn more about the connection between head and neck injuries and lower back pain, download our complimentary e-book by clicking the image below.
Yes, lower back pain may indeed come and go—but depending on the source of the pain. If yours is triggered by any sudden movement like twisting or bending, the pain can shut down anytime, just like flipping a switch. But in cases of traumatic injury or chronic condition, the pain is most likely to stay for a while. Visiting a trusted specific chiropractor is an excellent option to trace the pain's source.
Age is also another risk factor for developing low back pain. As we age, there's a possibility that the disc in between our vertebrae may tear and shrink, causing stiffness and pain. Also, if you have experienced whiplash injury in the past, its effect may manifest when you’re a little older in the form of low back pain.
However, aging does not necessarily cause lower back pain. Lower back pain shouldn't even be a part of your everyday life as you grow older.
There are ways to delay low back pain as you age. These strategies include healthy habits that you can do without spending money, including:
● Maintaining a healthy weight
● Practicing good sitting, standing, and sleeping posture
● Eating a healthy diet
● Taking short walks every day
● Performing exercises that strengthen the lower back
If you have low back pain, you should buy the hardest mattress in the store—right? Not really.
You’d need to think twice (or better yet, cross it off your shopping list) before purchasing the firmest mattress because it isn't the best choice for everyone, especially for people with low back pain. In fact, a firm mattress can worsen your discomfort. Instead, what you need is a mattress that can support your spine throughout the night.
Posture is essential even in your sleep. Unfortunately, a hard mattress will not offer the support your spine needs. It makes you more prone to a spinal misalignment over time. The same thing could happen if you choose to buy a mattress that's too squishy. So, it is best to invest in a medium-firm type of mattress for optimal lower back support.
If you’re one of the thousands of people seeking lower back pain relief in Oakland, CA, we want to introduce you to Dr. Melissa, our trusted chiropractor who can help restore the optimal health of your lower back.
Having specific chiropractic as her technique, she focuses on providing generational chiropractic care from kids to grandparents. This can help give anyone with low back pain another shot at living a pain-free life.
This form of care can also reduce the chances of recurring lower back pain flare-ups. Life Chiropractic’s main objective is to detect, target, and correct spinal misalignment, one of the least detected sources of lower back pain.
Spinal misalignment affects the normal function of your nervous system. As a result, it causes pain and diseases that may disable you from living your best life. However, with the help of a specific chiropractor, you have a good chance of recovering from back pain.
You can reach Life Chiropractic through this contact form or call us at 510- 394-5035. Our excellent team is excited to offer you the care you need.
To schedule a special consultation in our Oakland office call (510) 594-9994, or just click the button below.
Patients who have sciatica have varying complaints. Some cry over the pain on the right side of their lower backs and hips. On the one hand, others wish to end the pain on the left portion of their lower bodies.
On some occasions, sciatica affects both parts of the body, causing impairment of numerous functions like bowel and urinary control. As an Oakland CA chiropractor, Dr. Melissa has welcomed quite a lot of sciatica patients here at Life Chiropractic.
Our team has also encountered cases of patients having no clue of their sciatica since they only suspect ordinary back pain. If this sounds like your dilemma, our list of questions below might help you determine if you likely have sciatica. Hopefully, these can help you get an official diagnosis from a physician and begin seeking sciatica relief in Oakland, CA.
Muscle strain often follows extensive workout and training in professional athletes. For example, triathlon athletes often experience back pain because of the accumulating pressure on their lumbar discs, the protective layer between the lumbar vertebral bones.
Another example would be gymnasts, weightlifters, or football players who frequently overextend their lumbar spine. Studies show that such training behavior often increases risks for developing spondylosis, a degenerative disc disease.
If you’re not an athlete by profession, the back pain you experience most likely doesn’t stem from a simple muscle strain. As a result, applying a mentholated ointment and other topical remedies might not be enough to keep your pain at bay.
The more information you can provide your physician, the more comprehensive diagnosis you can get. So, when describing your pain, you need to be accurate. You can determine if it stems from a muscular injury by pressing on your lower back muscles using one or two of your fingers. If that results in immediate pain, your pain most likely comes from a muscle strain instead of sciatica.
Notably, sciatica pain doesn’t easily get triggered by touching the tender part. In most cases, the pain becomes apparent when you move around or bend your body. It also worsens when you sit for long hours because the pinching bones or tissues put additional pressure on the sciatica nerve.
To learn more about the connection between head and neck injuries and lower back pain, download our complimentary e-book by clicking the image below.
The sciatic nerve (the largest nerve bundle) runs from your lumbar spine to the toes. As a result, when it gets pinched, irritated, or compressed, you experience pain, weakness, and discomfort in the entire lower body. Muscle numbing or tingling can also follow as the nerve damage progresses.
The longer the pinching persists, the more severe damage you will have on your nerves. That's because the pinching sensation typically leads to the deterioration of the myelin sheath, the protective covering of the nerves. It’s a good idea to seek sciatica relief in Oakland, CA, as soon as you receive your diagnosis from your physician.
Bilateral sciatica is rare, and it brings severe effects on a patient’s life. For starters, it can lead to long-term bowel or bladder problems. If you can’t control your urges to pee or defecate, we recommend talking to your physician. This situation often requires emergency assistance, so don’t hesitate to call 911 for help.
Before seeking sciatica relief in Oakland, CA, take our advice and consult with a physician. This way, you can assess the extent of your sciatic nerve damage. It will also help you manage other pre-existing health conditions that might make your sciatica pain worse. Usually, a sciatica diagnosis procedure involves the following:
While most sciatica pain gets resolved after 4 to 6 weeks, some cases linger, causing debilitating effects to the affected individual. In that case, we recommend seeking helpful procedures such as specific chiropractic care.
Finding effective sciatica relief in Oakland, CA, is not a walk in the park for most people. That’s because some remedies don’t work for some patients. If this is a familiar situation, we suggest trying specific chiropractic care. It’s a unique and special chiropractic technique that focuses on spinal alignment.
Case studies on sciatica show that the pinching sensation can result from misaligned vertebral bones. That’s why, some cases of sciatica take longer to resolve compared to others. With the help of specific chiropractic adjustments, you can slowly restore the neutral alignment of your vertebral bones. This releases pressure on the sciatic nerve and allows it to heal from the damage gradually.
If you have exhausted other options for sciatica pain relief in Oakland, CA, but found no significant improvement, we suggest scheduling an appointment with us at Life Chiropractic.
Dr. Melissa can provide you with precise spinal adjustments to restore your vitality and ease your sciatica symptoms. Book an appointment with her via phone (510) 594-9994 or our online booking system.
To schedule a special consultation in our Oakland office call (510) 594-9994, or just click the button below.
Did you know that low back pain can stem from all kinds of triggers? Some of these factors, such as obesity, sedentary lifestyle, and chronic stress, are obvious causes of low back pain. Many of the patients coming in to seek Oakland CA chiropractic in our office report these triggers. But, unknown to most people, there’s one more major contributor to a severe lower backache – and that’s no other than smoking. So let’s take a deeper dive into the effects of smoking, specifically on your lower back.
Cigarettes contain high amounts of nicotine. An average piece of cigarette contains roughly 10 to 12 mg of nicotine. In addition, while you will likely burn a significant fraction of that nicotine, you will still end up inhaling up to 1.8 mg. So, if you smoke about 20 sticks of cigarettes per day, you take in up to 36 mg of this harmful substance.
Dr. Melissa Crago, our lower back pain chiropractor in Oakland CA, is firmly against smoking and recommends our patients to quit or avoid it at all costs. Smoking can lead to many problems ranging from poor circulation to your vertebral discs to reduction of calcium absorption into your bones.
Unfortunately, this could mean trouble for your back. As the protective discs deteriorate, your spinal bones begin to rub on each other, causing you discomfort every time you move. Also, you might suffer from reduced bone quality, increasing your risks for problems such as osteoporosis.
On top of all that, smoking can also agitate your lungs, forcing you to cough. The coughing action may also add to the pressure on your already painful back.
To learn more about the connection between head and neck injuries and lower back pain, download our complimentary e-book by clicking the image below.
Aside from smoking, there are other potential triggers of lower back pain. They can increase your risk or exacerbate your condition, making you more and more susceptible to suffering. Good thing you can control these triggers by making minor lifestyle adjustments. So let’s discuss them one by one before you visit a lower back pain chiropractor in Oakland CA.
Apart from enhancing your chances of catching another potentially serious condition, obesity also puts undue pressure on your body, specifically your spine, bones, joints, and muscles. Therefore, it would be best to maintain a healthy weight by sticking to a good exercise routine, eating a balanced meal, and staying away from sugary and processed food products.
Your lower back pain should never be an excuse to maintain a sedentary lifestyle. In fact, your symptoms should encourage you to stay fit and active. Oakland CA chiropractic favors exercising for patients. Mild exercise comes in handy in dealing with low back pain. It also relieves muscle tension and helps you trim off excess inches off the waist.
Frequent and regular exercising also prevent premature spine degeneration and possibly lessen your chances of developing arthritis at an early age.
Chronic stress can leave devastating effects on your body, most especially your lower back. Stress stimulates the release of adrenaline and cortisol, which can result in involuntary muscle tightening, especially along the neck and spine. The prolonged tension in your muscles can eventually trigger back pain that doesn't go away quickly. Sometimes, you may need to seek the assistance of a massage therapist, acupuncturist, or an Oakland CA chiropractic doctor to experience relief.
Reducing your risks for back pain heavily involves addressing or minimizing your triggers. For example, if you’re a chain smoker and you notice recurring backaches, then it’s safe to assume that your pain might not just result from doing manual work or sitting in the office for hours. Instead, you may be suffering from excruciating and chronic back pain problems because of your smoking habits.
It’s crucial to make the necessary adjustments like keeping tabs on your weight, lessening or eliminating your consumption of nicotine-containing products, and managing your stress levels.
Other than that, you might also find it helpful to seek natural or medical remedies to address the source of your pain. Some of your likely options include the following:
Specific chiropractic care has risen to popularity thanks to the numerous positive feedback from patients. Studies prove its immense potential in resolving painful disorders and reducing risks for worrying diseases. For years, many patients have been going to a lower back pain chiropractor in Oakland CA to end their chronic backaches.
Specific chiropractic is among the leading procedures used to relieve recurring low back pain. The process involves assessing the spinal alignment (from neck to the bottom spine) and checking for possible changes in the vertebrae’s positions.
Research explains that even the slightest shifting of the spinal bones can result in serious problems, including pinched nerve roots, unleveled hips, compromised spinal health, and agonizing back pain.
The sooner you get your spinal alignment checked, the earlier you can see improvements in your overall well-being.
Get to know more about Oakland CA chiropractic as a natural approach to healing. You may book an appointment or call us at (510) 394-5035 to schedule your visit. We look forward to helping you restore your spinal health today!
To schedule a special consultation in our Oakland office call (510) 594-9994, or just click the button below.
Waking up with unbearable back pain is frustrating, and you are not alone in this experience. Believe it or not, roughly 8 in 10 of the U.S. overall population will feel pain in the lower back at least one point in their lives.
As a practice offering Oakland CA lower back pain relief, we’ve handled hundreds of lower back pain cases. Patients come in with complaints about their back pains. They usually ask, "What causes back pains?", "Who is at risk of lower back pains?", and "What can give me back pain relief?" during visits.
Did you know that there are three types of lower back pain? To help you understand how to get long-lasting relief from lower back pains, let’s go over some important information about the spine.
The spine consists of bones, ligaments, and joints that support our backs and protect the spinal cord. You can locate its endpoints at the base of the back of your head down to the tip of your tailbone. Here are what you should know about these parts:
The spine is divided into three main segments: cervical, thoracic, and lumbar. The lumbar spine, located at the lower back, connects to the pelvis and legs. It allows movement like bending, turning, and twisting. The lumbar spine also enables us to stand, lift, walk, and do pretty much any other activity that requires moving from place to place. Issues in this region may result in lower back pain and other equally debilitating or far more severe conditions.
To learn more about the connection between head and neck injuries and lower back pain, download our complimentary e-book by clicking the image below.
Back pain falls into three categories-- local, radiating, and referred pain.
Local pain occurs in a specific or distinct location in the spine. Localized pain is the most common type of back pain and is usually accompanied by muscle soreness and spasms. This may be caused by sprains, muscle strains, and injury from playing sports. When you experience local pain, switching positions can help relieve or may intensify your back pain.
You might be experiencing radiating pain if you have disorders like osteoarthritis, spinal stenosis, or a herniated disc. Think of radiating pain this way: it’s a lingering, dull ache that stretches down the leg from the lower back. If you are experiencing radiating pain, you can also suddenly feel intense piercing pain in the back of your legs. Sneezing, coughing, or bending over can trigger radiating pain symptoms.
Referred pain is felt in a different location instead of the actual problem area, simply put. One good illustration of referred pain is what happens during a heart attack. Those who suffered from heart attack felt pain in their left arm during the incident. People wishing for Oakland CA lower back pain relief are usually surprised to hear that the reason for their lower back pain comes from a different part of the spine.
It does not matter whether you are an active individual or not. Anyone can develop back pain for a number of reasons, including posture, lifestyle, and bone health. Some of the classic reasons for back pain include:
However, as a chiropractic practice providing Oakland CA lower back pain relief, we noticed that lower back pain becomes more frequent with age. Senior citizens are more likely to develop this type of back pain.
People who work at jobs that require constant lifting or operating heavy machinery can also develop back pain. Pregnant women are also prone to back pain because their backs would have to support the weight of their babies.
Some underlying conditions list back pain as a symptom. These conditions include:
Most of our patients complain of back pain after doing some activities. Some may get back pain after strenuous activities like lifting heavy items or participating in sports like baseball, golf, and tennis. Some patients even report experiencing pain in the lower back after dancing, exercising, and, sometimes, crouching down to get something off the ground.
Now that you know the basics of back pain, the last question and perhaps the most significant one to be answered is “How can I get relief from back pain?” Let’s do a quick review.
The spinal column is made up of closely connected vertebrae. Any pain originating from a single point in the spine may lead to pain in the rest of its parts. For example, a slight misalignment in any part of the spine can result in pain in the lower back. When talking about spinal misalignments, you might need the help and expertise of chiropractors.
Here at Life Chiropractic, we use accurate, safe, natural, and most importantly, pain-free techniques to help alleviate lower back pain. Before the adjustment, we make sure to thoroughly assess and evaluate the spine to look for the root of the issue. This step is important in designing a tailored adjustment procedure for every client. Proper adjustment will encourage better healing from the pains and, ultimately, relief.
Learn more about the benefits you can get from getting specific chiropractic care. If you are looking for a chiropractor for Oakland CA lower back pain relief, fill out our online form to book a consultation with us.
To schedule a special consultation in our Oakland office call (510) 594-9994, or just click the button below.
As a specific chiropractor providing sciatica relief in Oakland, CA, Dr. Melissa Crago has had many patients asking questions about their condition. After all, dealing with sciatica comes a bit tricky sometimes as it is often a misunderstood health problem. If you’re one of the thousands of people suffering from sciatica symptoms, our list of top 10 FAQS can help you manage your situation better.
Sciatica stems from nerve pinching or compression. Health problems like vertebral bone spurs, tumors, spinal misalignment, and other spine structure defects can cause the irritation or compression of your sciatic nerve. Unless you address the nerve compression or pinching, your sciatica symptoms will most likely continue to bug you. While you seek a lasting option for sciatica relief in Oakland, CA, you can try using temporary remedies to manage the different symptoms that you experience.
Often, many people would ask us what would happen if they don’t manage their condition. Will it get worse? Will it take longer to experience long-term relief from the symptoms? To that we say, it all depends on the underlying cause of your pain. For example, if your sciatica resulted from trauma or spinal injury, you likely have swelling around the affected nerve.
Sadly, if the inflammation doesn’t go down, the protective covering of your sciatic nerve slowly deteriorates. It causes permanent nerve damage that would cause you more intense pain. Make sure to have a check up with your physician right away if you suspect sciatica so you can determine what course of action you must take to relieve it.
It’s virtually impossible to provide you with a rough estimate on how long it would take for sciatica symptoms to go away. That’s because diagnosis tends to differ from one patient to another. Certain factors like age, other disorders or diseases, obesity, sedentary lifestyle, and smoking can add to the severity of the condition, making it harder to see significant changes. It’s best to coordinate with your primary healthcare provider or your specific chiropractic doctor to gauge your progress and explore better remedies.
To learn more about the connection between head and neck injuries and lower back pain, download our complimentary e-book by clicking the image below.
Like in the case of question #1, the answer lies in the root cause of your sciatica. If yours stem from a vertebral subluxation and you rely heavily on pain medications, you’re likely to experience short-term relief. Once the effects of your pain reliever wear out, the symptoms may bother you again.
The short answer is yes. For a while, Ibuprofen or whatever type of pain reliever you use can help you ease your symptoms. However, if the problem originates from a herniated disc, misaligned vertebral bones, tumor, or osteoarthritis, you may need to seek other remedies if you wish to cope better.
Surely enough, sciatica can cause severe discomfort and limit your movement. However, it would help if you still kept yourself physically active. Try doing simple stretches like the pigeon pose and hip flexor stretching so you can achieve sciatica relief in Oakland, CA. You can also coordinate with your physician, physical therapist, or specific chiropractor to know what other types of stretching exercises you can try, depending on the severity of your back, hip, and leg pain. This way, you can avoid physical overexertion, which may trigger worse symptoms.
When dealing with pain, many people seem confused about whether to use a cold or hot compress. Take note that ice reduces swelling while heat stimulates blood flow. So, if you notice inflammation, it’s not a good idea to go on long hot baths. This could only cause you more severe pain that could radiate from your hips down to each of your toes. Often, it’s better to resort to using a cold compress when coping with sciatica pain.
Because sciatica can affect an extensive length of your body, you may find it incredibly challenging to find a good sleeping position. As a rule of thumb, you should never sleep while lying on your stomach as it could trigger worse bouts of pain and impact your spinal health. Try sleeping on your back instead but make sure to prop a pillow behind the knees so you can relax your body and avoid accumulating pressure on the back and hips. If you prefer sleeping on your side, it’s best to place a pillow between both knees to keep your spine straight even while you rest.
Unknowingly, many of our patients who have sciatica suffer from mild to severe spinal alignment. It results in uneven shoulders and legs as the body tries to compensate for the faulty alignment. As a result, the sciatic nerve - which runs from the lower back to the toes - gets pressed by the bones and tissues surrounding it. We observe this problem frequently when a person has a history of back or spinal injury. Sometimes, the triggering event such as a whiplash or sports accident happened years or decades before the sciatica symptoms started to manifest. By correcting the structural problem, you can relieve the nerve's pressure and start seeing changes to your painful and debilitating condition.
While pain medication comes in quite handy to provide you with short-term relief, the effects tend to wear out quickly. Fortunately, you have other natural options for easing your sciatica-caused pain, including specific chiropractic adjustments. It focuses on the structure of your spine. The procedure aims to restore the normal alignment of your vertebral column through gradual and precise adjustments. Guided by digital imaging tests, we can find the crucial points that we need to work on, so your spine can go back to what it was before your accident or injury.
Now that we’ve answered all the top questions concerning sciatica, are you ready to seek a practical option for sciatica relief in Oakland, CA? Are you ready to know more about specific chiropractic care? If you are, you may call us at Life Chiropractic at 510-594-9994. You can also write to us via our website form.
To schedule a special consultation in our Oakland office call (510) 594-9994, or just click the button below.
Lower back pain can be a source of misery and frustration. It could hinder you from doing activities and affect various aspects of your life. Typically, it doesn’t occur on its own. Instead, it serves as an accompanying symptom of another condition.
Most of the time, it results from sciatica, a condition where the sciatic nerve gets pinched or irritated. Some people have the acute type, which typically goes away after a few days. However, others suffer from the chronic version. In such cases, the pain tends to linger. Without seeking lower back pain relief in Oakland CA, it can persist for a long time.
Have you been dealing with lower back pain consistently because of sciatica? If you are, then you might find our short guide helpful in relieving your symptoms. Find out as much as you can about sciatica and back pain so you can finally manage your condition better.
Learning about sciatica is the first step to finding effective lower back pain relief in Oakland CA. This will help you determine how a specific remedy can apply to your situation. To help you understand what sciatica is, let’s review the sciatic nerve’s anatomy. Here are quick and essential facts about the most extensive nerve bundle of the human body:
To learn more about the connection between head and neck injuries and lower back pain, download our complimentary e-book by clicking the image below.
The answer to this question ultimately depends on the affected portion of your sciatic nerve. As we’ve mentioned above, the sciatic nerve comprises five nerve roots – two come from the lumbar region, and three stem from the sacral nerves. Below are some of the common characteristics of sciatica lower back pain:
The symptoms can also happen in varying frequency or intensity. At times it could be completely debilitating. There may also be moments when the pain is only mild. It could worsen if you get exposed to certain triggering factors.
Several things can trigger sciatica. Knowing these would help you find better ways to cope. Most of these are underlying health conditions that affect the spinal column. A few notable examples include:
Pregnant women are also at risk of developing sciatica, especially as the fetus grows. As the child develops inside the womb, the spine and the pelvic bone have to compensate for the additional weight. Other factors can also increase your susceptibility to sciatica and lower back pain, which includes:
Now that you have more insights into sciatica, its symptoms, and triggering factors, it’s easier to understand its connection to your spine’s health. If there’s even the slightest translation or shifting of your spinal bones, your entire body needs to compensate. This can cause pinching or compression of your nerves like the sciatic nerve.
So if you want to experience lower back pain relief in Oakland CA, you will need your spine alignment checked. Find out if you have a misaligned spine. This is quite likely if you had an accident that caused physical trauma. It could also occur if you injured your back while carrying a heavy load.
With the help of specific chiropractic care, you can significantly reduce the lower back pain from your experience. Additionally, you can enjoy other benefits, such as:
Caring for your spine should be your top priority if you have sciatica and lower back pain. This will help you improve your prognosis, so you can begin to take control of your life once more. Without worrying about sciatica and lower back pain, you can do all kinds of activities with greater ease.
On top of practicing self-care techniques and remedies, it would help to address the issue's source as soon as possible. The earlier you resolve the problem, the less likely it would turn into a chronic type of sciatica and lower back pain.
Specific chiropractic is a precise and gentle approach to healing. It helps restore the neutral alignment of vertebral bones that might have slipped out of place because of an injury or structural malfunction. Guided by digital imaging results, we can figure out the critical points that need adjustment. Consult with Life Chiropractic today to start seeking lasting lower back pain relief in Oakland, CA. You may reach our clinic online or via phone at 510-394-5035 to schedule a consultation about specific chiropractic.
To schedule a special consultation in our Oakland office call (510) 594-9994, or just click the button below.
Some people who consult with our chiropractor in Oakland, CA may have sciatica. Patients who are no strangers to sciatica understand how challenging and frustrating it is to deal with pain.
Often, the burning, sharp, and stabbing sensation beginning on the lower back and radiating towards the rest of the lower body causes debilitating pain that can last for minutes or hours. It can impact day to day activities and even the overall quality of your life.
Most of the patients report the following symptoms:
Our patients also note varying severity and frequency of their symptoms. Some experience their symptoms rarely. Others, unfortunately, have it worst as they suffer severe bouts of pain. The differences between each case largely depend on the severity of the sciatic nerve compression or irritation.
The sciatic nerve is the largest in the body. It’s about as thick as your small finger. It travels through your hip down to the tip of the legs. Sometimes, the nerves and the nerve roots become irritated or pinched, causing the condition sciatica.
If you or a family member deals with this painful health problem, getting acquainted with some crucial facts about the sciatic nerve can help manage pain:
To learn more about the connection between head and neck injuries and lower back pain, download our complimentary e-book by clicking the image below.
Most of the patients who visit a specific chiropractor in Oakland, CA, are in their 40s to 50s. Here at our clinic, we have middle-aged patients and those in their early 20s who complain about sciatica.
In the USA, 1 out of 4 patients report symptoms of sciatica. For most patients, their condition tends to develop gradually. Some notice their sciatica's onset because of a herniated disc, a narrowing lumbar spinal canal, and spondylolisthesis.
Sometimes, the discomfort and pain go away after a couple of weeks. However, if the nerve compression or irritation doesn’t resolve, the pain can continue for months or years, causing disability or discomfort.
Besides finding hope from a specific chiropractor in Oakland, CA, you can also ease your sciatica pain by following some simple techniques:
Massages can help reduce nerve inflammation and muscle stiffness. It may also come in handy in improving blood circulation.
Remember to use a cold compress to deal with inflammation and a hot compress to boost blood and other fluids' circulation. Ideally, you should use ice when you start feeling sore. Applying heat would only result in increased inflammation.
Although muscle soreness can sometimes make it extra hard to move, doing gentle stretching exercises can provide you with many benefits. It enables your muscles to loosen up and strengthens your core, so you have better spine support. Simple stretching exercises also relieve pressure on the back and legs, helping you cope with the pain better.
If you frequently sit for office work, you might experience worse bouts of pain. Fortunately, you can counter that with the use of a back supporting structure. Ideally, you should invest in ergonomic chairs and tables. They can help you keep a good sitting posture and prevent putting too much pressure on the sciatic nerve and your spine.
Some of our patients also find relief from immersing their sore body in a warm bath. You’d be surprised by how a simple bath can work wonders for your inflamed and stiff muscles.
Nowadays, most patients hope to ease their pain from sciatica through natural methods such as specific chiropractic care. Here at Life Chiropractic, we focus on evaluating the entire spine to find bone misalignments, from top to bottom.
Abnormalities in the spinal bones could potentially lead to all kinds of health problems. If your neck gets displaced even by the smallest degree, your spine and the rest of the body need to compensate to support the head. Your shoulders level may become uneven, causing one side of your hip to appear higher. It could also make one of your legs to appear shorter than the other.
Ultimately, these body adjustments could potentially result in increased nerve compression or irritation. It can trigger worse symptoms that could last longer than your usual episodes. By receiving specific and precise chiropractic care, you could reduce the severity of your sciatica and pain or even get rid of the symptoms all together.
We use gentle and specific chiropractic adjustments, allowing your body to heal independently. It’s a gradual process that aims to provide you with sustainable results.
You can book a consultation session with our specific chiropractor in Oakland, CA to find out more. Please send a message through our website form.
To schedule a special consultation in our Oakland office call (510) 594-9994, or just click the button below.
