Herniated or bulging disc
A disc in the low back can bulge and press on a nearby nerve root. Not every disc change on a scan causes symptoms.
Sciatica Pain Relief in Rancho Santa Fe, CA
When pain shoots from your low back down one leg, sitting, driving and sleep all get harder. We find where the nerve is being irritated and build a plan around it.
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- A full exam before any treatment
The short answer
Sciatica is pain, tingling or numbness that travels from the low back or buttock down one leg along the sciatic nerve. At True Performance in Rancho Santa Fe, CA, we test where the symptoms travel and what makes them better or worse, then use chiropractic adjustments, Class IV laser therapy and near-infrared light therapy.
Overview
Why does the pain run down my leg?
It may have started with a twist while lifting, or it crept up over weeks of long drives. Now a burning or electric pain runs from your buttock toward your foot, and sitting through a meeting is hard.
That pattern usually means a nerve root in the low back, or the sciatic nerve itself, is irritated. The good news is that sciatica often settles with time and the right care.
What does care look like here?
We start by mapping where the pain travels and which positions change it. For many people, care then includes chiropractic care for sciatica and low back pain, adjusted to how sensitive the nerve is.
Understanding
What is sciatica?
Sciatica is a set of symptoms, not a condition in itself. It means the sciatic nerve, the largest nerve in the body, is irritated somewhere between the low back and the leg. The result is pain, tingling, numbness or weakness, usually down one side.
What is actually happening
A disc, narrowed space or tight muscle presses on a nerve root.
The irritated nerve sends pain, tingling or numbness down its path.
Sitting, bending or coughing can raise the pressure and the pain.
Who this usually affects
- Adults who sit for long hours at work or in the car
- People who lift, twist or bend a lot
- Athletes with repeated load on the low back and hips
- Older adults with narrowing in the lower spine
When it is something else
- Loss of bladder or bowel control: emergency care now
- Numbness in the groin or inner thighs
- Leg weakness that keeps getting worse
The re-check
We re-test your strength, sensation and the positions that bring on the pain as you go. If things are not improving, we change the plan or refer you for imaging or a medical opinion.
Is it always a disc?
No. A bulging disc is common, but narrowing of the spinal canal and a tight piriformis muscle deep in the buttock can cause a similar pattern. That is why we test your hip and back before deciding on care.
Symptoms
Symptoms of sciatica
- Burning, shooting or electric leg pain
- Pain that starts in the low back or buttock
- Symptoms that reach the calf, foot or toes
- Tingling or pins and needles in the leg
- Numbness along part of the leg or foot
- Pain that worsens with long sitting or standing
- Pain with bending, coughing or sneezing
- Weakness in the leg, ankle or foot
- Trouble walking or changing position
Causes
Common causes
Spinal stenosis
The space around the nerves narrows, often with age. Symptoms tend to grow with standing or walking and ease when you sit or lean forward.
Piriformis syndrome
A deep buttock muscle that lies close to the sciatic nerve can irritate it and mimic a back problem.
Long sitting and lifting habits
Hours in one position, repeated slouching and lifting with a twist can aggravate a nerve that is already sensitive.
Pelvic injury
A fall or injury to the pelvis can irritate the nerve as it leaves the spine.
A ruptured disc, spinal stenosis and pelvic injury are the causes named in the MedlinePlus overview of sciatica.
Our approach
How our care works
Our sciatica care starts by working out where the nerve is irritated: the low back, the hip or the buttock muscles. Care can combine chiropractic adjustments, Class IV laser therapy and near-infrared light therapy, with movement advice that keeps you active without flaring the leg.
Spinal adjustment
Low back and pelvic adjustments, joint mobilization and exercises chosen after your exam, plus advice on lifting and sitting. See how adjustments for a pinched nerve in the low back are adapted to your comfort.
Class IV laser therapy
Concentrated light is aimed at sore tissue around the low back, hip or leg. It supports care but does not replace the exam for nerve compression. Read about laser therapy for sciatic pain.
Near-infrared light therapy
Invisible light is placed over muscles that are tight or sore alongside the nerve pain, while you rest. Learn what a near-infrared light session for leg and back soreness involves.
Red flags
When to seek care
Sciatica is rarely an emergency, but a few signs mean the nerves need urgent medical attention.
- Loss of control of urine or stool
- Numbness in the groin, buttocks or inner thighs
- Leg weakness that is getting worse
- Back pain with an unexplained fever
- Back pain after a severe blow or fall
If you notice any of these, go to the emergency room or call 911 before booking with us.
Source: MedlinePlus article on sciatica.
Your clinician
Who plans your care
Your exam and plan are led by Dr. Jeff McWhorter, D.C., a chiropractor whose practice focuses on functional neurology, concussion rehabilitation, and performance. His training in how nerves work shapes how he reads leg pain, numbness and weakness.
He tests your low back and hips, your leg strength and your sensation, then tells you plainly whether chiropractic care fits. When the findings point to something else, he refers you and explains why.
Visit
Getting here
You will find us at 18029 Calle Ambiente, Suite 507, in Cielo Village, Rancho Santa Fe, about two miles from Lake Hodges and the San Dieguito River Park trails. Many patients come from Carmel Valley, Rancho Bernardo and Escondido.
The first step
Schedule Your Sciatica Evaluation
- 01Start with a complimentary 15-minute intro call
- 02Your first visit takes about 90 minutes, plus data and history gathering
- 03We check for warning signs before any treatment
Does sciatica go away on its own?
Often it does, though it is common for it to come back. Care aims to ease the current flare and change the habits that keep irritating the nerve.
Is chiropractic care good for sciatica?
Chiropractic care may help certain low back and leg symptoms, and results vary. We recommend it only when the exam fits and no warning signs are present.
Should I rest in bed with sciatica?
Bed rest is not recommended. Short walks and changing position often are, while you avoid heavy lifting and twisting for a while.
Is sciatica the same as back pain?
Not quite. Sciatica is nerve pain that travels down the leg, while most back pain stays in the back. Many people have both, and our page on low back pain that stays in the back covers the rest.
Should I use ice or heat?
Ice for the first two to three days, then heat, gives many people short-term comfort. Neither addresses the cause, so an exam helps if the pain lasts.
Sit, drive and sleep without leg pain
Start with a complimentary 15-minute call with our team.