Can Spinal Decompression Help Sciatica Nerve Pain? Kearny Mesa, CA

If you have sciatica, you've probably already figured out that the pain can be unpredictable.

You may wake up feeling pretty good and then sit in the car for 30 minutes and suddenly feel pain running through your buttock and down your leg. You may be able to walk without much trouble but can't sit through dinner. Or the sharp pain may have improved, but you're left with tingling or numbness in your calf or foot that just won't go away.

This is where patients often start looking into Non-Surgical Spinal Decompression.

Can it help?

For the right patient, it may. But first you need to know why you have sciatica.

Dr. Cassidy James Boelk, DC has been working with Non-Surgical Spinal Decompression for more than 22 years and has performed more than 100,000 decompression treatments. Many of the patients he evaluates have already been dealing with sciatica for quite a while.

Some have a known L4-L5 or L5-S1 disc herniation. Others were simply told they have sciatica and never really understood what was causing it.

That's an important difference.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Anthony K. — San Diego, CA

“I have been dealing with back pain for several years. It got so bad that I had surgery 5 years ago for a bulging disc. About 5 months ago the disc bulged again hitting my sciatic nerve creating pain in my legs that made me want to cry it hurt so bad. After trying so many other options I was fortunate enough to find the spinal decompression and chiropractic center of San Diego. After just a few sessions I noticed a difference. Now after being there for the past few months I'm able to go about my normal life again.

What a blessing it was to find a Dr that genuinely cares and knows how to help people in my situation. Thank you Dr Boelk!”

— Anthony K., San Diego, CA

Want to Know if You're a Candidate?

If you're in Kearny Mesa or the surrounding San Diego area, Dr. Boelk offers a No-Charge, No-Obligation Consultation.

Already have an MRI? Bring the images and report.

Dr. Boelk can look at the MRI with you, listen to what you're experiencing and determine whether the findings on the scan actually make sense with your symptoms.

No MRI yet? That's okay. You can still come in and discuss what's happening.

The Spinal Decompression & Chiropractic Center of San Diego
5095 Murphy Canyon Road, Suite 300
San Diego, CA 92123
Phone: 619-298-0800
www.SanDiegoBackCare.com
Live 24/7 Answering Service • Hablamos Español

The First Question Isn't “Do You Have Sciatica?”

It's what is causing it?

Sciatica is a description of symptoms involving irritation of the sciatic nerve or the nerve roots that eventually form it.

A patient may have:

• Pain running from the buttock into the leg

• Burning or electrical pain

• Tingling

• Pins and needles

• Calf or ankle pain

• Numbness in the foot or toes

• Weakness in the leg or foot

A herniated or bulging lumbar disc is one possible cause.

Degenerative disc changes, loss of disc height and narrowing around a nerve may also be involved.

This matters because decompression isn't being used to treat the word “sciatica.” Dr. Boelk is looking for a spinal problem that may be contributing to the nerve irritation and determining whether that particular problem is appropriate for decompression.

Your MRI Says L4-L5. What Does That Mean?

L4-L5 is one of the areas Dr. Boelk commonly sees involved in patients with lower-back and leg symptoms. L5-S1 is another.

But an MRI report saying you have a disc bulge or herniation at L4-L5 doesn't automatically mean that is what's causing your leg pain.

Dr. Boelk wants to see where the disc is protruding and what is happening around the nerve.

Then he compares that with what you're feeling.

This is why he'll ask you to show him exactly where the symptoms travel.

Don't just say, “It goes down my leg.”

Does it go into the calf?

Which side?

Does it reach the top of your foot?

The outside of the foot?

Are any toes numb?

Does the leg actually hurt, or is it mostly tingling?

Those details can help make sense of the imaging.

“But My Back Barely Hurts”

That's possible.

Some patients with sciatica have severe back pain. Others have surprisingly little.

The problem may be originating in the lumbar spine even though most of what you're feeling is in the buttock, leg or foot.

That's why treating only the area where it hurts can sometimes be frustrating.

A patient may massage the calf for weeks because the calf hurts, when the actual irritation is occurring much higher along the nerve.

What Does the DRX9000 Actually Do?

At The Spinal Decompression & Chiropractic Center of San Diego, Dr. Boelk uses the DRX9000 exclusively.

The office has four lumbar and three cervical DRX9000 systems.

During lumbar decompression, the patient lies on the table while the system applies controlled cycles of decompression and relaxation.

Most patients aren't feeling a hard pull. Many actually find the treatment relaxing.

But Dr. Boelk doesn't view spinal decompression as simply putting someone on a machine.

The setup matters.

The level being treated matters. The angle matters. Positioning matters. The amount of force matters. How the patient responds matters.

Someone who is 6'4", 240 pounds with an L5-S1 problem isn't automatically going to be treated exactly like someone who is 5'3", 125 pounds with an L4-L5 problem just because they both have sciatica.

There isn't a “sciatica button” on the DRX9000.

What Should Start Changing if Treatment Is Helping?

Obviously, patients want the pain to decrease.

But that isn't the only thing worth watching.

A patient may suddenly realize they drove to work without having to shift positions every five minutes.

Someone who could only sit for 15 minutes can now sit through a meal.

The pain that used to run all the way into the foot may no longer travel below the knee.

Sleep may improve.

Walking may become easier.

Medication use may decrease.

Those functional changes can be important.

Dr. Boelk looks at how the patient is actually living, not just the pain number they circle on a form that day.

Don't Ignore What Makes Your Sciatica Worse

While you're trying to recover, pay attention to the obvious triggers.

If sitting for an hour always makes you worse, don't sit for three hours straight if you can avoid it.

Get up. Move around. Take a short walk if walking feels comfortable.

If your commute is one of the worst parts of your day, experiment with your seat position. Some patients are sitting very low and rounded in the car without realizing how much that position bothers them.

And be careful with aggressive hamstring stretching.

If a stretch creates a normal muscular pull, that's one thing.

If it causes burning or tingling to shoot down the leg and into your foot, don't keep yanking harder because the leg feels “tight.”

An irritated nerve can feel tight too.

“I've Already Tried Physical Therapy”

That's okay.

A lot of Dr. Boelk's patients have.

Tell him what happened.

Did it help at all?

Did you get stronger but still have leg pain?

Did your back improve while the numbness remained?

Was there one exercise that consistently flared the sciatica?

The same applies if you've had an epidural injection.

If the injection gave you substantial relief and then the pain returned two months later, tell him that.

How your body responded to previous care is part of the evaluation.

Sometimes People Travel a Long Way for Decompression

Lynn C. came from Alaska after dealing with pain traveling into her legs and difficulty walking and sleeping.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Lynn C. — Alaska

“My name is Lynn. I am from Alaska, and I just want to say it was totally worth taking a trip to go to the Spinal Decompression & Chiropractic Center of San Diego. I was having pain radiating down my legs, I couldn’t sleep, I could barely walk.

After treatment I am back to shoveling snow, teaching school, taking walks. So, I just want to thank Dr. Boelk and the clinic, you guys are wonderful, and you have created such a wonderful, friendly, kind and truly caring atmosphere. I highly encourage anybody that might be considering spinal decompression therapy, it really makes a difference.”

— Lynn C., Alaska

What You Can Do at Home Doesn't Have to Be Complicated

One of the easiest things you can do is start noticing patterns.

How long can you sit before the symptoms begin?

Where does the pain travel?

Does walking help?

Does bending bother you?

Is the numbness always there or does it come and go?

Can you sleep on one side but not the other?

Have you noticed any weakness?

If walking feels comfortable, short walks can be reasonable.

For sleep, try your side with a pillow between your knees or your back with support underneath your knees and see which is more comfortable.

And don't spend the entire day testing your sciatica.

Patients sometimes bend, stretch and raise their leg over and over just to see if it still hurts.

If something clearly aggravates the nerve, you don't need to keep checking it every hour.

Give it a chance to settle down.

Not Every Type of Sciatica Is a Decompression Case

This is an important part of Dr. Boelk's evaluation.

Some patients have disc-related problems that may make them reasonable candidates.

Others don't.

Advanced bony narrowing, an unhealed fracture, unstable spondylolisthesis, significant osteoporosis, abdominal aortic aneurysm, pregnancy for lumbar decompression, certain malignancies and certain spinal hardware can change the recommendation.

Previous back surgery doesn't automatically mean yes or no. Dr. Boelk needs to know what surgery was performed and at what level.

Sometimes he recommends that a patient see another specialist instead.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Toni W. — Lake Elsinore, CA

“Very nice Dr. and Honest ! I would definitely recommend anyone who hasn't had metal put in there back in a surgery to go to him and give his program a shot. I believe it would definitely help. Just not in my personal case. As I have a lot of hardware in my back. But I'm glad I took the time to meet with him. It was very informative all around.”

— Toni W., Lake Elsinore, CA

Dr. Boelk would rather tell someone they're not a candidate than recommend decompression simply because they walked into a decompression office.

Pay Attention to Weakness

Pain can be severe and still not necessarily mean there is an emergency.

Weakness deserves special attention.

If your leg is giving way, your foot is beginning to slap when you walk, or you're having increasing difficulty moving the foot normally, get evaluated.

And don't wait for a routine office appointment if you develop new bowel or bladder dysfunction, difficulty urinating, numbness around the groin or saddle area, or rapidly progressing weakness.

Those symptoms require prompt medical attention.

Why Experience With Decompression Matters

Dr. Boelk has been working with Non-Surgical Spinal Decompression for more than 22 years and has performed more than 100,000 treatments.

His interest in spinal injuries is personal as well.

He suffered an L5 compression fracture at 16 and later dealt with disc injuries and sciatica himself.

Today, Dr. Boelk is a Certified Spinal Decompression Doctor, Certified Pain-Free Performance Specialist, Founder of the Non-Surgical Spinal Decompression Training Academy, a Founding Member of the American Spinal Decompression Society, and a member of the International Disc Education Association.

He also trains other doctors in decompression protocols and techniques.

But none of those credentials tell him whether the person sitting in front of him is a candidate.

That still requires an evaluation.

Could Spinal Decompression Help Your Sciatica?

If you're in Kearny Mesa or elsewhere in San Diego and sciatica is interfering with sitting, driving, sleeping, walking, working or exercising, bring in your MRI and let's find out what's going on.

If you don't have an MRI yet, that's okay.

Dr. Boelk offers a No-Charge, No-Obligation Consultation to discuss your symptoms and determine whether Non-Surgical Spinal Decompression may be appropriate.

Not every patient is a candidate. If Dr. Boelk doesn't think decompression is right for you, he'll tell you.

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

Phone: 619-298-0800
www.SanDiegoBackCare.com

Live 24/7 Answering Service • Hablamos Español

Call 619-298-0800 to schedule a No-Charge, No-Obligation Consultation.