Can Spinal Decompression Help Sciatica? – Scripps Ranch, CA

When Sciatica Does Not Respond to the Usual Treatments

Many people with sciatica begin with the same basic approach: rest, medication, stretching, chiropractic adjustments, or physical therapy.

Sometimes that is enough. Other times, the pain continues returning because the sciatic nerve is still being irritated by a damaged or compressed spinal disc.

The symptoms can affect much more than the lower back. Patients may experience:

• Sharp or burning pain through the buttock and leg

• Numbness or tingling in the calf, foot, or toes

• Difficulty sitting or driving

• Pain when bending or getting out of a chair

• Weakness in the leg or foot

• Interrupted sleep

• Difficulty exercising or walking normally

When these symptoms persist, the next step should not be another random stretch or temporary pain reliever. The first priority is determining what is causing the nerve irritation.

If sciatica is coming from a bulging, herniated, protruding, or extruded lumbar disc, non-surgical spinal decompression may be able to help.

After Other Treatments Failed, His Sciatica Finally Improved

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“My name is Ira Smith. I live in Las Vegas and found out about Dr. Boelk’s program here in San Diego and decided to start treatments with him. I’ve had lower back problems since I was very young.

I had aggravated my lower back pretty bad again, and usually I could do exercises, chiropractic treatment and rest. This time, those things would no longer relieve my pain. I would get the sciatic pain shooting down into my leg and foot, and it would be pretty bad.

I found out through my MRIs that Dr. Boelk went over with me that I had five protruding discs. I did not want to get surgery, as I have heard and seen that they don’t always work very well at all.

I am two-thirds of the way done with Dr. Boelk’s program, and I have zero pain. I pretty much go through my activities with no pain. As I follow the program, it has been absolutely fantastic!

I have been through physical therapy and chiropractic programs. I went to the hospital, and they told me I had one bad disc, but I found out I had four more bad discs as well.

The treatment has relieved the pain and is not painful at all. This can be the starting point for anyone with back pain to get their life back.

If you’re skeptical, what’s your health worth? The cost of this has been way less than the cost of all my other therapies that I have gone through. This is less money than all those things, less pain and gives you a great quality of life.

Use Dr. Boelk’s program to change your life, and it will change your life! This is the place to start. Thank you.”

— Ira Smith, Age 49, Las Vegas, Nevada

Ira’s experience is his own, and no treatment produces the same result for every patient. His story shows why it may be worthwhile to take another look at the diagnosis when sciatica continues despite other forms of treatment.

Find Out What Is Irritating Your Sciatic Nerve

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 located in Kearny Mesa, a convenient drive from Scripps Ranch. Spanish-speaking assistance is available, and calls are answered 24 hours a day.

Why Sciatica Is Not a Complete Diagnosis

Sciatica describes symptoms involving the sciatic nerve. It does not explain why the nerve is irritated.

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 or muscular problem

• A peripheral nerve condition that imitates sciatica

This distinction is important because different causes require different treatment.

A person with a lumbar disc herniation pressing against a spinal nerve should not automatically receive the same treatment as someone whose leg pain is coming from the hip or another condition outside the spine.

Why Sciatica Can Reach the Foot and Toes

The sciatic nerve is formed by nerve roots originating in the lower spine. Those nerves continue through the buttock and leg and communicate with different areas of the thigh, calf, foot, and toes.

When a lumbar nerve becomes compressed or inflamed, symptoms may appear anywhere along that pathway.

Some patients have significant leg pain with very little back pain. Others experience back pain first and develop numbness or tingling later.

The location and pattern of the symptoms can provide valuable information, especially when compared with muscle strength, reflexes, examination findings, and the MRI.

How Non-Surgical Spinal Decompression May Help

When a lumbar disc becomes damaged or compressed, it may begin to bulge or herniate toward a nearby spinal nerve. This can create a combination of pressure and inflammation.

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

The treatment is not intended to forcefully stretch the entire back. The settings are selected according to the patient’s diagnosis, body type, symptoms, imaging, and response.

For an appropriate patient, spinal decompression may help:

• Reduce pressure affecting the spinal nerve

• Decrease pain traveling into the buttock or leg

• Improve the movement of fluid and nutrients within the disc

• Reduce protective muscle tightness

• Improve tolerance for sitting, standing, and walking

• Help the patient progress into appropriate stabilization exercises

The equipment is only one part of the process. Patient selection, treatment frequency, proper targeting, table settings, and rehabilitation all matter.

Why Some Patients Feel Better and Then Flare Up Again

Temporary improvement does not always mean the underlying problem has fully recovered.

Sciatica may return when a patient:

• Resumes heavy lifting too soon

• Sits for long periods without changing position

• Repeatedly bends or twists through the lower back

• Performs exercises that continue irritating the nerve

• Stops treatment as soon as the pain decreases

• Does not rebuild adequate core and spinal stability

• Returns to sports or work before the spine is ready

Reducing the leg pain is important, but it is not always the end of the process. The patient may also need a progressive rehabilitation program and changes to the activities that contributed to the problem.

Why Dr. Boelk Reviews the MRI Personally

An MRI report may identify several disc findings, but not every abnormality is responsible for the symptoms.

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

• The exact location of the pain

• Numbness, tingling, or weakness

• Reflex and muscle-strength changes

• Orthopedic and neurological examination findings

• Previous treatment and surgical history

• Weight-bearing spinal alignment

• Signs of instability

• Activities that worsen or relieve the symptoms

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

Not Every Patient Is a Candidate

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“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 an 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 did not recommend a decompression program simply because Jeff wanted a non-surgical option. After reviewing his condition, they agreed that surgery was the appropriate direction.

That is the purpose of the consultation: to determine whether treatment makes sense before the patient commits time and money to a program.

A patient may not qualify 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 evaluation

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

What Can You Do During a Sciatica Flare-Up?

While waiting to be evaluated, pay attention to which activities cause the pain to travel farther down the leg.

A few basic steps may help prevent repeated aggravation:

• Change positions throughout the day

• Limit prolonged sitting when it increases symptoms

• Take short walks if walking is comfortable

• Avoid aggressive hamstring stretching

• Stop exercises that increase numbness or tingling

• Avoid repeated bending, twisting, and heavy lifting

• Use a sleeping position that reduces pressure on the lower back

The right exercise depends on the cause of the sciatica. A movement that helps one patient may make another patient worse.

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 Scripps Ranch 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 decompression, rehabilitation, and spinal-stability 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 the Next Step Before Sciatica Becomes Your New Normal

Living with sciatica for months does not mean you should simply accept it. It does mean that the source of the nerve irritation needs to be properly identified before another treatment is selected.

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

Start with a complimentary consultation. Dr. Boelk will review your situation, look at your available imaging, 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.