How Do I Know If My Sciatica Is Getting Better? – San Diego, CA

If you've been dealing with sciatica for several weeks or months, it isn't always easy to tell whether you're actually getting better.

Pain can change from one day to the next. You may have several good days, wake up hurting again and immediately wonder if you've lost all the progress you made.

After more than 22 years of treating patients with disc injuries and sciatica, I don't look only at how much pain someone has on a particular day.

I want to know three things:

• Is the pain traveling as far down the leg as it used to?

• Can you sit, stand or walk longer?

• When you have a flare-up, does it settle down faster?

Those changes can tell us quite a bit about the direction you're heading.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ “My Sciatica Is Gone, and I No Longer Have Back Pain”

“For the first time in 10 years, I am completely pain-free. My sciatca is gone, and I no longer have back pain.

Before finding Dr. Boelk, I tried chiropractic care, acupuncture, pain medications, and several other therapies that simply didn't work. I was one step away from back surgery when I discovered spinal decompression treatment at The Spinal Decompression & Chiropractic Center of San Diego.

The results have been incredible. Every visit was comfortable, relaxing, and completely pain-free. Dr. Boelk and Patty always took the time to explain everything and made me feel genuinely cared for throughout the process.

They are warm, welcoming, and truly dedicated to helping their patients.

Thank you, Dr. Boelk and Patty!”

— Toni H., San Diego, CA

Toni had been dealing with sciatica for 10 years and had already tried several different forms of treatment before coming to our office.

Not everyone with sciatica has a problem that severe. But whether you've had symptoms for a few weeks or several years, I still want to know whether things are actually moving in the right direction.

1. Look at How Far Down the Leg the Pain Is Going

This is one of the first things I pay attention to.

Let's say your sciatica originally traveled from your lower back or buttock all the way down your leg into your calf, foot or toes.

Now it doesn't reach your foot anymore.

Maybe it stops at the calf. Later, perhaps you're mainly feeling it in the hamstring or buttock.

That can be an encouraging change.

We refer to this as centralization. The symptoms are retreating from farther down the leg and moving closer toward the spine.

In general, I would rather see:

• Foot → calf

• Calf → hamstring

• Hamstring → buttock

than see the symptoms moving in the opposite direction.

This is why I don't want patients judging everything by a pain number.

Your pain may still be a 5 out of 10, but if that pain was traveling into your foot three weeks ago and now stops around your buttock, that's an important change.

On the other hand, if symptoms that previously stayed around the buttock are now consistently traveling into the calf or foot, that's something I would want evaluated.

2. Pay Attention to What You Can Actually Do

The second thing I look at is function.

Pick the activity your sciatica affects the most and measure it.

For example:

• How long can you sit before your leg starts hurting?

• How long can you stand comfortably?

• How far can you walk before the symptoms begin?

• Can you drive longer than you could a few weeks ago?

• Are you starting to get back to normal activities?

If you could only walk for five minutes three weeks ago and now you're consistently walking for 15 minutes, that's meaningful.

You may still have sciatica, but your tolerance is improving.

The same applies to sitting. Going from 10 minutes of comfortable sitting to 30 minutes tells me something different than being stuck at 10 minutes month after month.

Don't only ask whether you still hurt.

Look at what you're able to do again.

3. See How Quickly a Flare-Up Settles Down

Sciatica doesn't always improve in a perfectly straight line.

You may have several good days and then sit too long, take a long drive, exercise, lift something or simply do more than your back was ready for.

The symptoms flare up again.

That doesn't automatically mean you're back where you started.

Look at how long it takes to recover.

If a flare-up used to take a week to settle down and now takes two or three days, that's progress.

If it previously took several days and now you're close to your previous baseline the following morning, that's another improvement.

I'm interested in the overall trend, not whether you can avoid every bad day.

Keep Track for a Few Weeks

You don't need anything complicated.

Once or twice a week, write down:

• Where is the lowest point in the leg where you feel pain, numbness, tingling or burning?

• How long can you sit?

• How long can you stand?

• How long can you walk?

• How long does a flare-up take to settle?

Then compare those answers over several weeks.

If the symptoms are moving back up the leg, you're able to do more and flare-ups are settling faster, those are generally encouraging signs.

If you're staying exactly the same or gradually losing function, that's different.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ “I Can Walk, Run and Exercise Without Any Pain”

“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.”

— Paul C

What stands out about Paul's experience is the change in what he was able to do.

His disc problem had reached the point where simply putting on his shoes was difficult. He later described being able to walk, run, exercise and return to the gym.

That's the type of functional improvement I want patients to pay attention to.

What If Your Sciatica Isn't Getting Better?

If everything is steadily moving in the right direction, you may not need treatment.

I don't believe someone should start spinal decompression simply because an MRI says they have a disc bulge or herniation.

But if several weeks have passed and you're not improving, you've plateaued or you're gradually losing the ability to do things, then it may be time to find out why.

Sciatica describes symptoms involving the sciatic nerve. It doesn't tell us what's causing the nerve to be irritated.

In our office, I commonly evaluate patients with:

• Lumbar disc bulges

• Lumbar disc herniations

• L4-L5 and L5-S1 disc injuries

• Degenerative disc disease

• Disc-related sciatica

• Foraminal narrowing

• Selected cases of spinal stenosis

The symptoms can be very different from one patient to another.

Some patients have severe leg pain with almost no back pain. Others primarily have numbness or tingling in the foot. Some can sit comfortably but develop leg pain every time they stand or walk.

Those differences matter.

I want to understand how the problem started, where the symptoms travel, what makes them better or worse and what you've already tried.

If you have an MRI, I also want to see the actual images and compare what's happening anatomically with what you're experiencing.

Could Non-Surgical Spinal Decompression Be an Option?

For the right patient, yes.

At The Spinal Decompression & Chiropractic Center of San Diego, we use the DRX9000 exclusively for Non-Surgical Spinal Decompression and have seven spinal decompression systems in our clinic.

I commonly evaluate patients who have already tried things such as:

• Physical therapy

• Chiropractic care

• Medications

• Home exercises

• Epidural injections

• Activity modification

Some are good candidates for Non-Surgical Spinal Decompression.

Some aren't.

Sciatica alone doesn't determine candidacy. I also consider the history, examination findings, neurological symptoms, spinal stability, imaging when available, previous surgery, bone health and other factors before making that recommendation.

More Than 22 Years Working With Disc Injuries and Sciatica

I'm Dr. Cassidy James Boelk, DC, Clinic Director of The Spinal Decompression & Chiropractic Center of San Diego.

For more than 22 years, a major focus of my practice has been helping patients with disc injuries, sciatica and chronic neck and lower-back problems using non-surgical approaches when appropriate.

My professional background includes:

• Doctor of Chiropractic

• Certified Spinal Decompression Doctor

• Certified Pain-Free Performance Specialist (PPSC)

• More than 100,000 spinal decompression treatments performed

• Founder of the Non-Surgical Spinal Decompression Training Academy

• Trainer of other doctors in Non-Surgical Spinal Decompression protocols and techniques

• Founding Member, American Spinal Decompression Society

• Member, International Disc Education Association

• California X-Ray Radiation Supervisor & Operator

I also understand spinal injuries personally.

I suffered an L5 compression fracture at age 16 and later dealt with disc injuries and sciatica myself. I've spent thousands of hours rehabilitating my own neck and lower-back injuries in addition to treating patients dealing with many of the same problems.

That experience is also one of the reasons I'm careful about determining who should—and who should not—be treated with spinal decompression.

★ Sometimes the Right Answer Is Not to Start Treatment

“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

Jeff traveled from Tucson looking for another option.

After reviewing his situation together, we determined that spinal decompression wasn't the right direction and that surgery was the appropriate option for his condition.

I think that's an important part of choosing someone to evaluate your sciatica.

The goal shouldn't be to put everyone on a spinal decompression table.

The goal is to determine whether you're an appropriate candidate in the first place.

No-Charge Consultation With Dr. Cassidy James Boelk, DC

If your sciatica isn't improving, you've stopped making progress or you're simply not sure which direction things are going, we offer a limited number of No-Charge Consultations at The Spinal Decompression & Chiropractic Center of San Diego.

I personally perform these consultations.

During the consultation, we'll discuss:

• How and when your sciatica started

• Where the symptoms travel

• Whether they're moving farther down or back up the leg

• How long you can sit, stand and walk

• What makes your symptoms better or worse

• Any weakness or other neurological changes you've noticed

• What treatment you've already tried

• How you responded to those treatments

• Your MRI images and report if you have them

• Whether Non-Surgical Spinal Decompression may be an option

No MRI yet? That's okay. You can still schedule the consultation.

There is no charge and no obligation to begin treatment.

If I believe you may be a candidate for Non-Surgical Spinal Decompression, I'll explain why.

If I don't believe you're a candidate, I'll tell you.

Because I personally perform these consultations while continuing to treat our existing patients, only a limited number can be accommodated in the schedule each week.

Call 619-298-0800 and ask about the next available No-Charge Consultation with Dr. Cassidy James Boelk, DC.

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

619-298-0800
SanDiegoBackCare.com

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