Can Spinal Decompression Help Sciatica Nerve Pain? San Diego, CA

Yes, Non-Surgical Spinal Decompression may help certain patients with sciatica, particularly when the sciatic symptoms are related to a lumbar disc problem and the patient is an appropriate candidate.

But there is an important part of that answer that sometimes gets left out:

You have to know what is causing the sciatica.

Dr. Cassidy James Boelk, DC has worked with Non-Surgical Spinal Decompression for more than 22 years and has performed more than 100,000 decompression treatments. When someone comes into his San Diego office with sciatica, he doesn't start by putting them on a decompression table.

He starts by figuring out what's going on.

Where does the pain travel? Is there numbness? Tingling? Weakness? What makes it worse? Can the patient sit? Can they drive? What does the MRI actually show?

That matters because sciatica isn't really the diagnosis. It's a description of symptoms involving an irritated nerve. A lumbar disc herniation is one common cause, and it can produce pain, burning, tingling or numbness that travels from the buttock into the leg and sometimes the foot.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Paul C.

“I have been seeing Dr. Boelk since November for my back pain due to disc herniation. I lost mobility and had difficulty even putting shoes on. The pain was interfering with my everyday lifestyle. After reviewing the X-ray results, we agreed upon a treatment plan. Agreeing to this treatment plan was the best choice I've made for my back pain. The spinal decompression has relieved all the pain I felt in my lower back. I can walk, run and exercise without any pain and I'm able to get back in the gym and continue my daily routines. The office staff are very friendly and caring as well. I highly recommend Dr. Boelk's office to anyone seeking exceptional care.”

Have Sciatica and Want to Know if Decompression Is an Option?

Dr. Boelk offers a No-Charge, No-Obligation Consultation.

If you already have a lumbar MRI, bring the images and report. Dr. Boelk can review them with you and see whether the findings make sense with what you're feeling.

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

What Does Your Sciatica Actually Feel Like?

One person says their sciatica feels like an electrical shock from the buttock into the calf.

Another has burning down the outside of the leg.

Someone else says, “The pain isn't that bad anymore, but half of my foot is numb.”

And another patient can walk reasonably well but can't sit in the car for more than 20 minutes.

Those differences give Dr. Boelk useful information.

He wants to know exactly where the symptoms go, because different lumbar nerves can produce different patterns.

It is also possible to have significant leg symptoms without much lower-back pain. That's one of the reasons people sometimes spend weeks treating what they think is a hip, hamstring or calf problem before realizing the symptoms may be coming from the lumbar spine.

When Can a Disc Cause Sciatica?

Think of the lumbar discs as cushions between the vertebrae.

If a disc bulges or herniates toward an area occupied by a spinal nerve, that nerve can become irritated or compressed. Lumbar disc herniations are a well-recognized cause of sciatica and lumbar radiculopathy.

L4-L5 and L5-S1 are common levels Dr. Boelk sees in patients with leg symptoms.

But seeing “L4-L5 disc protrusion” on an MRI doesn't automatically prove that it is causing the patient's sciatica.

This is where experience reading the imaging and comparing it with the patient's symptoms becomes important.

If someone has three abnormal discs on an MRI, which one matters?

Where is the herniation located?

Is there narrowing around the nerve?

Does the side of the MRI finding match the side of the patient's symptoms?

Does the neurological pattern make sense?

That's a much better starting point than simply saying, “You have sciatica. Let's decompress your back.”

So What Is Non-Surgical Spinal Decompression Trying to Do?

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

The office has seven DRX9000 systems—four lumbar and three cervical.

During lumbar treatment, the patient is positioned on the table and the system applies controlled decompression and relaxation cycles.

The treatment isn't painful for most patients, and many find the sessions relaxing.

But the machine itself isn't the whole treatment.

This is one of the biggest misconceptions Dr. Boelk sees with spinal decompression.

Someone can buy a decompression machine. That doesn't mean every patient with sciatica gets the same treatment.

Dr. Boelk considers things such as the disc level being treated, angle, patient positioning, starting force, body size, symptoms, tolerance and how the patient responds.

There isn't a universal “sciatica setting.”

How Do You Know if It's Working?

Pain matters, obviously. If someone comes in miserable, they want to hurt less.

But Dr. Boelk also looks at function.

Can you sit longer?

Can you drive without constantly shifting around?

Are you sleeping through the night?

Is the pain still traveling all the way into your foot?

Can you walk farther?

Are you taking less medication?

Are you getting back to normal activities?

Those are meaningful changes.

A patient who says, “My pain is still there, but I drove 45 minutes this weekend and realized afterward that my leg didn't bother me,” may be describing real progress even if they aren't completely pain-free yet.

Some Patients Have Already Tried a Lot Before They Get Here

That isn't unusual.

Physical therapy, chiropractic treatment, anti-inflammatory medication, injections, acupuncture and exercise can all be part of conservative management depending on the patient and diagnosis. Conservative treatment is commonly used first for lumbar disc herniation, and many patients with herniated discs improve without surgery.

If something helped you, tell Dr. Boelk.

Even if it only helped temporarily.

If an epidural gave you six weeks of relief before the leg pain returned, that's worth knowing.

If physical therapy improved your back but never changed the numbness in your foot, that's worth knowing too.

The point isn't to criticize what you've already tried. It's to understand how your condition has responded.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Lisa S. — United Kingdom

“I travel from the UK to see Dr Boelk and his wonderful team . I have 3 bulging disc and one is touching the nerve. I have the spinal decompression treatment and it really helps keep me in my active life . I will not go to anyone else for back treatment, this place is number one and they genuinely care about their patients.”

— Lisa S., United Kingdom

What Can You Do at Home While Dealing With Sciatica?

This is where Dr. Boelk would rather have someone pay attention to their own symptoms than blindly follow a list of “best sciatica exercises.”

If walking feels good, short comfortable walks may be helpful.

If sitting clearly aggravates your leg, break up long periods of sitting when possible.

If you're driving and that's one of your worst positions, experiment with your seat position rather than staying slouched low in the seat for an hour.

And be careful with aggressive stretching.

The back of the leg can feel incredibly tight when the sciatic nerve is irritated. If a hamstring stretch produces burning, tingling, electrical pain or sends symptoms farther toward your foot, don't assume pulling harder is what you need.

For sleep, some patients prefer lying on their side with a pillow between the knees. Others are more comfortable on their back with support underneath the knees.

Most importantly, notice what's changing.

Where does the pain go today compared with two weeks ago?

How long can you sit?

Is the numbness constant?

Has your strength changed?

Those observations can be useful when you come in for an evaluation.

What if the Sciatica Is Coming From Stenosis?

This is where patient selection becomes even more important.

Not all sciatica is caused by a soft disc herniation.

Degenerative changes can contribute to narrowing around the nerves. Lumbar spinal stenosis, for example, can cause pain, weakness or numbness in the buttocks and legs and can produce symptoms similar to sciatica.

A patient with disc-related narrowing may be very different from someone whose nerve compression is primarily related to advanced bony changes.

That is why Dr. Boelk doesn't make a recommendation from the word “stenosis” alone.

He wants to see what is actually creating the narrowing and whether the patient's condition is appropriate for decompression.

Who Is a Good Candidate?

There isn't a single checklist that makes everyone with sciatica a candidate.

Dr. Boelk is looking at the entire picture.

A patient with a lumbar disc bulge or herniation, leg pain that follows a neurological pattern, and imaging that corresponds with the symptoms may be worth evaluating for decompression.

The same can be true for selected patients with degenerative disc disease, foraminal narrowing, stable spondylolisthesis or certain forms of stenosis.

But not every patient with those diagnoses should have spinal decompression.

An unhealed fracture, unstable spondylolisthesis, significant osteoporosis, abdominal aortic aneurysm, pregnancy for lumbar decompression, certain malignancies and certain spinal hardware at the treatment level can change the recommendation.

Previous spinal surgery also needs to be evaluated individually.

Sometimes the answer is simply no.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Jeff J. — Tucson, AZ

“I found this terrific practice on social media. I followed up and did my own research so I decided to pay them a visit. The place is clean, well organized and run by a very efficient receptionist. I met with the doctor and after a honest and forthright conversation, we both determined that surgery was my only option to correct my back issues. I will return as a customer when the time is right.”

— Jeff J., Tucson, AZ

Dr. Boelk would rather tell a patient that decompression isn't appropriate than treat someone he doesn't believe is a good candidate.

Weakness Changes the Conversation

Pain gets people's attention, but Dr. Boelk also wants to know whether the nerve appears to be losing function.

Is your foot starting to slap when you walk?

Can you walk normally on your heels and toes?

Does one leg feel noticeably weaker?

Are you suddenly having difficulty lifting the front of your foot?

Progressive neurological weakness deserves medical evaluation and shouldn't simply be treated as ordinary sciatica. Herniated-disc guidance likewise identifies progressive neurological deficits as a reason for earlier evaluation and imaging.

There are also symptoms that shouldn't wait for a decompression consultation.

New difficulty urinating, loss of bladder or bowel control, numbness around the groin or saddle area, or significant rapidly progressing weakness can be warning signs of cauda equina syndrome and require immediate medical attention.

Why Dr. Boelk Has Focused on Spinal Decompression for More Than Two Decades

Dr. Boelk suffered an L5 compression fracture at age 16 and later experienced disc injuries and sciatica himself.

That eventually became a major part of his professional focus.

Today his background includes:

• Doctor of Chiropractic

• Certified Spinal Decompression Doctor

• Certified Pain-Free Performance Specialist

• More than 22 years of Non-Surgical Spinal Decompression experience

• More than 100,000 decompression treatments performed

• Founder, Non-Surgical Spinal Decompression Training Academy

• Trains other doctors in decompression protocols and techniques

• Founding Member, American Spinal Decompression Society

• Member, International Disc Education Association

• California X-ray radiography credentials

But experience doesn't mean assuming decompression is the answer for everybody.

The evaluation comes first.

Could Spinal Decompression Help Your Sciatica?

If you're dealing with sciatica in San Diego and want to know whether Non-Surgical Spinal Decompression may be an option, bring your MRI images and report if you already have them.

Dr. Boelk can review what you're feeling, look at your imaging and explain whether he believes your condition is appropriate for decompression.

If you haven't had an MRI, that's okay. You can still schedule a consultation.

Not every patient is a candidate. If Dr. Boelk doesn't believe Non-Surgical Spinal Decompression is appropriate for you, he'll tell you.

No-Charge, No-Obligation Consultation

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.