Can Spinal Decompression Help Sciatica? – Clairemont, CA

Sciatica Can Affect Far More Than Your Leg

Sciatica can begin as an occasional ache in the lower back or buttock and gradually become much harder to ignore. The pain may start traveling into the thigh, calf, foot, or toes. Sitting becomes uncomfortable. Sleep becomes difficult. Exercise stops, and even a short drive can trigger another flare-up.

Some patients describe the pain as burning or electrical. Others experience numbness, tingling, weakness, or the feeling that one leg cannot be trusted.

If this has been happening to you, the most important question is not simply how to cover up the pain. It is:

What is irritating the sciatic nerve, and can that pressure be reduced without surgery?

For certain patients, non-surgical spinal decompression can be an effective option. It is especially worth considering when sciatica is connected to a bulging, herniated, protruding, or extruded lumbar disc.

From Severe Sciatica Back to Hockey, Golf, and Surfing

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

“There isn't enough room to fully explain the relief Dr. Boelk has brought to me and my family.

I found him after suffering from severe sciatica for more than a year. The pain shot from my hip all the way down to my left foot and became almost unbearable. I could no longer enjoy the activities I loved, including hockey, golf, and surfing.

Over the years, I had seen numerous chiropractors and experienced only temporary relief. Acupuncture helped somewhat, physical therapy was difficult to tolerate, and nothing seemed to provide lasting results. I couldn't sleep well, and my quality of life was steadily declining.

Then I met Dr. Boelk.

Through a structured treatment plan, adjustments, rehabilitation exercises, and lifestyle modifications, my life completely changed.

To this day, I tell people that Dr. Boelk saved my life.

Since my own recovery, I have referred my wife, daughter, mother, father, numerous friends, and many clients to his office. Every one of them has thanked me for the recommendation. Most recently, a firefighter friend of mine who was suffering from severe sciatica began treatment and is now making tremendous progress.

If you are considering surgery, I strongly encourage you to have Dr. Boelk evaluate your condition first.

What I respect most is his honesty. If he believes you are not a candidate or that another option would be better, he will tell you.

I trust him with my life and with my back.”

— Jayson Yavorsky, San Diego, CA

Every spinal condition is different, and no treatment can guarantee the same result for every patient. Jayson’s experience shows what may be possible when the source of the sciatica is identified and the patient follows a treatment and rehabilitation plan matched to the condition.

Do Not Keep Guessing About Your Sciatica

If sciatica is interfering with your sleep, work, exercise, or ability to sit and walk comfortably, call 619-298-0800 to schedule a complimentary no-charge consultation with Dr. Cassidy Boelk, DC.

Bring your MRI or other recent imaging if you have it. Dr. Boelk will review your condition, answer your questions, and tell you directly whether you appear to be a candidate for non-surgical spinal decompression.

Call 619-298-0800 or text 619-884-8298 to schedule.

The office is a short drive from Clairemont in Kearny Mesa. Spanish-speaking assistance is available, and calls are answered 24 hours a day.

Sciatica Is Not the Underlying Diagnosis

Sciatica is a general term for symptoms involving the sciatic nerve. Those symptoms may include pain, numbness, tingling, burning, or weakness traveling from the lower back or buttock into the leg.

The next step is determining what is affecting the nerve.

Possible causes include:

• A lumbar disc bulge

• A herniated, protruding, or extruded disc

• Degenerative changes and loss of disc height

• Inflammation surrounding a spinal nerve

• Foraminal narrowing

• Spinal instability

• A hip, muscular, or peripheral nerve condition that imitates sciatica

This is why two people with similar leg pain may need completely different treatment.

Non-surgical spinal decompression is intended to address certain spinal causes of sciatica. It will not correct every condition capable of producing leg pain.

Why Disc Injuries Commonly Cause Sciatica

The lumbar discs sit between the bones of the lower spine. They help absorb force while allowing the spine to bend and move.

If a disc becomes damaged, compressed, or dehydrated, it may begin to bulge or herniate toward a nearby spinal nerve. The resulting pressure and inflammation may cause symptoms to travel into the leg.

Disc-related sciatica may become worse with:

• Prolonged sitting

• Driving

• Bending forward

• Lifting from the floor

• Coughing or sneezing

• Moving from sitting to standing

• Certain exercises or stretches

These patterns can provide helpful clues, but they still need to be compared with the examination and imaging.

How Spinal Decompression May Help

The DRX9000 uses computer-controlled pulling and releasing cycles to gently reduce pressure at a specific area of the lumbar spine.

This is not a forceful stretch of the entire back. The treatment level and settings are selected according to the patient’s diagnosis, body type, symptoms, imaging, and response.

For an appropriate patient, non-surgical spinal decompression may help:

• Reduce pressure affecting the spinal nerve

• Decrease pain traveling into the buttock or leg

• Improve fluid and nutrient movement within the disc

• Reduce protective muscle tightness

• Improve tolerance for sitting, standing, and walking

• Help the patient advance into appropriate rehabilitation exercises

The goal is not simply to provide temporary relaxation. It is to create a better environment for the injured area while improving the strength and stability needed for longer-term recovery.

Why Previous Treatment May Not Have Worked

Many patients arrive after trying medication, injections, physical therapy, stretching, chiropractic adjustments, or rest.

Those treatments may have been reasonable, but several factors can limit the results:

• The underlying diagnosis may have been incomplete

• Treatment may not have targeted the affected spinal level

• Exercises may have been introduced before the nerve irritation settled

• The patient may have repeatedly aggravated the disc between visits

• The treatment plan may have stopped when symptoms temporarily improved

• The spine may not have been evaluated for instability

• Disc pressure may not have been adequately addressed

This does not mean spinal decompression is automatically the answer. It means the condition should be reassessed before repeating the same approach.

Why Dr. Boelk Reviews the Actual Images

An MRI report may mention multiple disc findings, but not every abnormality is causing the patient’s symptoms.

Dr. Boelk reviews the available images and compares them with:

• The exact location of the pain

• Numbness, tingling, and weakness

• Orthopedic and neurological examination findings

• Reflex and strength changes

• Previous treatment and surgical history

• Weight-bearing spinal alignment

• Possible spinal instability

• Activities that make the symptoms better or worse

When appropriate, weight-bearing and flexion-extension X-rays may also be taken. These views can identify movement or instability that may not appear on an MRI performed while the patient is lying down.

Not Every Patient Is a Candidate

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

“I decided to see Dr. Boelk after a pretty gnarly motocross neck injury. At the hospital I was at, I felt I was getting pressured into a surgery, which I refused. A friend of a friend referred him after Dr. Boelk successfully treated his broken back.

Dr. Boelk is a compassionate individual who truly cares about his patients. He looked at my MRI images, explained what he saw and potential routes for recovery. He could not treat me, as I have to wait until the fracture in my neck heals, but the level of professionalism, compassion, caring and knowledge displayed by him was exceptional.

He also recommended seeking an additional opinion from another neurosurgeon. My experience was that he really cares and he's not someone who would take advantage of the situation someone's in. I will definitely be back and already recommended him to others as well! Thank you, Dr. Boelk!”

— Jan H., San Marcos, CA

Jan’s condition involved a neck injury rather than sciatica, but her experience demonstrates an important part of Dr. Boelk’s approach: treatment does not begin until it can be performed safely.

A patient may not qualify for lumbar decompression because of:

• Spinal instability

• Surgical hardware at the treatment level

• A recent or unhealed fracture

• Pregnancy

• Certain advanced spinal conditions

• Symptoms requiring urgent medical or surgical care

If Dr. Boelk does not believe decompression is appropriate, he will explain why and recommend another direction when possible.

Be Careful With Hamstring Stretching

Many patients assume tightness in the back of the leg means the hamstring needs to be stretched.

With sciatica, that sensation may be coming from an irritated nerve. Aggressive stretching can place additional tension on the nerve and send symptoms farther down the leg.

Until you know what is causing the pain:

• Avoid stretches that increase leg symptoms

• Change positions regularly

• Limit prolonged sitting when possible

• Take short walks if walking feels comfortable

• Avoid repeated bending and twisting

• Stop exercises that increase numbness, tingling, or weakness

• Avoid repeatedly testing painful movements

Exercises should be selected according to the diagnosis and the patient’s stage of recovery.

When Sciatica Requires Immediate Medical Care

Seek immediate medical attention if sciatica is accompanied by:

• New loss of bladder or bowel control

• Numbness in the groin or saddle region

• Rapidly progressing leg weakness

• Severe symptoms following significant trauma

• Fever or unexplained illness with severe back pain

These symptoms should not be treated as routine sciatica.

Why Patients Seek Out Dr. Cassidy Boelk, DC

Patients from Clairemont and throughout San Diego County seek out Dr. Boelk because his practice is focused on spinal decompression, disc injuries, sciatica, and difficult neck and back conditions.

His credentials and experience include:

• Certified Spinal Decompression Doctor

• Certified Pain-Free Performance Specialist

• More than 21 years of clinical experience

• Over 100,000 spinal decompression treatments performed

• Founder of the Non-Surgical Spinal Decompression Training Academy

• Trains other doctors in spinal decompression protocols and techniques

• Founding Member of the American Spinal Decompression Society

• Member of the International Disc Education Association

• California-licensed doctor with X-ray radiography certification

• Seven DRX9000 spinal decompression systems

• Extensive personal experience rehabilitating serious spinal and disc injuries

Dr. Boelk has spent thousands of hours rehabilitating his own neck and lower-back injuries while developing the stability, exercise, and decompression protocols he uses with appropriate patients.

People travel to his San Diego office from throughout California, other states, Mexico, Canada, Spain, and the United Kingdom to seek his experience.

Take Action Before Sciatica Becomes More Limiting

Sciatica can slowly take away the activities that matter most. People stop exercising, avoid travel, sleep poorly, and begin planning their days around how long they can sit or stand.

You do not have to commit to treatment to get an informed opinion.

Start with a complimentary consultation. Dr. Boelk will review your situation and tell you honestly whether non-surgical spinal decompression may be appropriate.

Call Today to Find Out if You Are a Candidate

The Spinal Decompression & Chiropractic Center of San Diego
5095 Murphy Canyon Road, Suite 300
San Diego, CA 92123

Call: 619-298-0800
Text: 619-884-8298
Visit: www.SanDiegoBackCare.com

Spanish-speaking assistance is available. Calls are answered 24 hours a day.

Call 619-298-0800 today to schedule your complimentary no-charge consultation. Find out what is causing your sciatica and whether non-surgical spinal decompression is an appropriate next step.