L5 Sciatica Symptoms In Chula Vista, CA

Sciatica can be straightforward when someone has lower back pain that clearly travels into the leg. It becomes more difficult to understand when the back starts feeling better but the leg still hurts, the top of the foot remains numb, or one foot begins to feel weaker than the other.

Those symptoms can sometimes be associated with the L5 nerve.

Dr. Cassidy James Boelk, DC has spent more than 22 years treating patients with lumbar disc injuries, sciatica and related spinal conditions and has performed more than 100,000 spinal decompression treatments. Over the years, he has seen many patients who initially assumed they had a problem with their hip, hamstring, calf or foot because that was where they felt the symptoms.

With nerve irritation, the location of the symptoms and the source of the problem are not always the same.

An irritated or compressed L5 nerve can produce pain along the outside of the leg, numbness or tingling across the top of the foot and symptoms extending toward the big toe. In some cases, patients also notice weakness when lifting the foot or big toe.

Determining whether those symptoms are actually coming from the lumbar spine requires more than simply identifying where it hurts.

From Severe Sciatica to Getting Back to an Active Life

Jayson Yavorsky came to Dr. Boelk after dealing with severe sciatica for more than a year. His pain traveled from his hip all the way into his foot and had begun interfering with hockey, golf, surfing and sleep.

This is how he described his experience:

“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

Individual results vary, and one patient's experience does not predict how another patient will respond.

Start With a No-Charge Consultation

Patients from Chula Vista who are dealing with persistent sciatica, leg pain, numbness, tingling or weakness can begin with a No-Charge, No-Obligation Consultation with Dr. Cassidy James Boelk, DC.

There is no requirement to sign up for treatment.

The consultation is an opportunity for Dr. Boelk to understand what has been happening, review any imaging you already have and determine whether your condition appears appropriate for the type of care provided in the office.

During the consultation, Dr. Boelk may review:

• When the problem began and what was happening at the time

• Where the pain starts and where it travels

• The location of numbness, tingling or burning

• Any changes in strength or walking

• How sitting, standing, walking, bending and sleeping affect the symptoms

• Activities you can no longer do comfortably

• Previous treatments and how you responded to them

• Existing MRI images, X-rays and radiology reports

• Whether the imaging findings correspond with your symptoms

• Whether additional examination or imaging may be appropriate

• Whether Non-Surgical Spinal Decompression may be an option

• Questions you have about your condition or treatment choices

• What Dr. Boelk believes would be an appropriate next step

If you already have an MRI, bring the actual images in addition to the written radiology report. Dr. Boelk prefers to look at the images himself and compare what he sees with the symptoms you are experiencing.

If you do not have an MRI, that does not prevent you from scheduling a consultation.

There is no obligation to begin care afterward. If Dr. Boelk does not believe you are an appropriate candidate for spinal decompression, he will tell you.

Dr. Boelk personally conducts these consultations and reviews the available imaging. Because of the time involved, a limited number of No-Charge Consultation appointments are reserved for new patients within the weekly clinic schedule.

To ask about the next available consultation, call 619-298-0800.

How L5 Nerve Irritation Can Present

There is no single symptom that proves the L5 nerve is involved. Dr. Boelk looks for a pattern.

Pain may travel along the outside of the thigh or lower leg. Some patients describe burning rather than pain. Others have tingling or numbness across the top of the foot or extending toward the big toe.

When motor function is affected, there may be weakness lifting the foot or extending the big toe.

A patient might notice the weakness while exercising, climbing stairs or walking. Sometimes it is subtle enough that the person simply describes the foot as feeling different. With more significant involvement, the toes may begin catching the ground or the front of the foot may not lift normally during walking.

Not every patient follows the same pattern. There can be considerable overlap between lumbar nerve roots, which is why symptoms need to be considered along with the history, examination and imaging.

Why L4-L5 Often Comes Up When Discussing the L5 Nerve

One of the questions patients frequently have after reading an MRI report is why an L4-L5 disc problem is being discussed in connection with the L5 nerve.

The answer comes down to anatomy.

Depending on its location, a disc bulge, herniation or extrusion at L4-L5 can affect the L5 nerve root.

The location of the disc material matters. So does the amount of space available around the nerve.

This is one of the reasons Dr. Boelk prefers reviewing the MRI images rather than relying exclusively on the radiologist's written impression.

It is common for an MRI report to contain several findings. A patient may have degeneration at multiple levels, more than one disc bulge, facet changes and varying degrees of narrowing.

Some of those findings may be clinically important. Others may have little relationship to the symptoms bringing the patient into the office.

The MRI needs context.

If a patient has an L4-L5 disc abnormality and a pattern of symptoms consistent with L5 nerve irritation, the pieces may fit together. If the imaging shows something that does not correspond with the patient's complaints, Dr. Boelk needs to consider that as well.

Numbness and Weakness Should Not Be Treated Exactly Like Pain

Pain tends to get the most attention because it is difficult to ignore. With sciatica, however, Dr. Boelk also wants to know what is happening neurologically.

Numbness may persist even as pain begins to improve. Strength may also recover at a different rate.

A patient who reports that the leg pain has decreased substantially but the top of the foot remains numb has not necessarily reached the end of the problem.

Weakness is particularly important.

If one foot is becoming progressively more difficult to lift, the toes are catching the ground, or there has been a noticeable loss of strength compared with the opposite side, that deserves evaluation.

Rapidly progressing neurological weakness, new bowel or bladder dysfunction, difficulty urinating, or numbness involving the groin or saddle region requires prompt medical attention rather than waiting for a routine decompression consultation.

Everyday Activities Can Provide Useful Information

Many of the clues Dr. Boelk uses during a consultation come from ordinary activities rather than complicated tests.

How long can you sit before the leg begins hurting?

What happens during a drive from Chula Vista to central San Diego?

Can you walk for 30 minutes comfortably, or does the foot become increasingly numb?

Is standing in one place worse than moving?

Does bending forward consistently aggravate the leg?

Can you sleep through the night?

Does changing position relieve the symptoms?

Those details help describe how the condition behaves under normal circumstances.

Patients should also pay attention to stretching.

A leg affected by nerve irritation may feel extremely tight. This often leads people to repeatedly stretch the hamstring or calf, assuming the muscle needs to be loosened.

If stretching consistently causes burning, tingling, numbness or radiating pain to travel farther down the leg, continuing to force the stretch may not be the right approach.

Where Non-Surgical Spinal Decompression May Fit

Non-Surgical Spinal Decompression may be considered when L5 nerve irritation is associated with an appropriate lumbar disc or degenerative condition.

The Spinal Decompression & Chiropractic Center of San Diego uses the DRX9000 exclusively, with four lumbar and three cervical systems.

Treatment is not determined simply by seeing “L4-L5 herniation” on an MRI report.

Dr. Boelk considers the location of the disc problem, the patient's symptoms, the treatment level, positioning, treatment angle, starting force, body size, tolerance and response to care.

Just as importantly, he determines whether the patient is an appropriate candidate before recommending treatment.

There are conditions in which spinal decompression may not be appropriate, including an unhealed fracture, significant osteoporosis, unstable spondylolisthesis, abdominal aortic aneurysm, pregnancy for lumbar decompression, certain malignancies and other conditions. Previous spinal surgery also requires careful evaluation, particularly when fusion or metal hardware is present at the level being considered for treatment.

There are patients Dr. Boelk evaluates and does not accept for decompression.

In some cases another conservative approach makes more sense. In others, additional diagnostic evaluation is necessary. There are also situations in which a surgical consultation is appropriate.

The purpose of determining candidacy is to make that distinction before beginning treatment.

Experience With Disc Injuries and Sciatica

Dr. Cassidy James Boelk, DC has more than 22 years of experience with Non-Surgical Spinal Decompression and has performed more than 100,000 spinal decompression treatments.

His professional background includes:

• Doctor of Chiropractic (DC)

• Certified Spinal Decompression Doctor

• Certified Pain-Free Performance Specialist (PPSC)

• Founder, Non-Surgical Spinal Decompression Training Academy

• Trains other doctors in spinal decompression protocols and techniques

• Founding Member, American Spinal Decompression Society

• Member, International Disc Education Association

• California X-Ray Radiation Supervisor & Operator

Dr. Boelk also has personal experience with significant spinal injuries. He suffered an L5 compression fracture at age 16 and later experienced disc injuries and sciatica. His own recovery and years of rehabilitation have influenced the way he approaches patients who want to remain active and avoid unnecessary procedures when possible.

L5 Sciatica Consultation for Chula Vista Patients

Persistent pain down the outside of the leg, numbness across the top of the foot, symptoms involving the big toe or changes in foot strength can indicate irritation of the L5 nerve, but the symptoms need to be evaluated in the context of the entire condition.

Patients from Chula Vista can begin with a No-Charge, No-Obligation Consultation with Dr. Cassidy James Boelk, DC.

If you already have an MRI, bring the images and the report. If you do not have imaging, you can still begin with the consultation.

There is no commitment to begin treatment. The first objective is to determine what appears to be causing the symptoms and whether Non-Surgical Spinal Decompression is an appropriate consideration.

Because Dr. Boelk personally conducts these consultations and reviews each patient's available imaging, the number of new-patient consultation appointments available each week is limited.

Call 619-298-0800 to ask about the next available No-Charge Consultation.

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

619-298-0800

www.SanDiegoBackCare.com

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