What Can I Try Before Surgery for Sciatica? | Kearny Mesa, CA

If you've been dealing with sciatica for weeks or months and surgery is starting to enter the conversation, you may be wondering whether there is anything else reasonable to try first.

For some patients, there is.

Sciatica can come from a disc herniation, disc bulge, foraminal narrowing, spinal stenosis or another problem affecting a nerve in the lower back. That's why Dr. Cassidy James Boelk, DC doesn't believe the first question should simply be, “What treatment haven't I tried yet?”

The better question is: Why is the nerve still irritated, and does your particular problem still have a reasonable non-surgical option?

Dr. Boelk has spent more than 22 years working with disc injuries, sciatica and Non-Surgical Spinal Decompression and has performed more than 100,000 spinal decompression treatments. His San Diego clinic has seven DRX9000 systems and is the largest known Non-Surgical Spinal Decompression clinic in Southern California.

Many patients who come to the office have already tried several things. They aren't necessarily looking for another temporary fix. They're trying to figure out what makes sense before taking the much bigger step of surgery.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ “Spinal Decompression Is the Only Way That Gives Me Relief All the Way to My Feet”

“Dr Boelk is highly knowledgeable and has made a difference in my life.”

“Dr Boelk is highly knowledgeable and has made a difference in my life.
I have a degenerative bone issue in my lower back. Spinal decompression is the only way that gives me relief all the way to my feet. I highly recommend
the Spinal Decompression center.”

— Dee M., Peoria, AZ

Dee's symptoms extended all the way into her feet, which is an important detail when evaluating sciatica and other nerve-related symptoms. Her experience also demonstrates why patients sometimes travel a considerable distance to have Dr. Boelk evaluate whether spinal decompression may be appropriate for their condition.

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

If you're trying to avoid surgery for sciatica, this is where Dr. Boelk recommends starting.

You are not coming in to sign up for treatment.

You are coming in to find out whether Dr. Boelk believes he may be able to help you—and whether Non-Surgical Spinal Decompression even makes sense for your particular condition.

Dr. Boelk personally performs the consultation.

He will:

• Listen to how your sciatica started and how it has changed.

• Go over exactly where the pain, numbness, tingling or burning travels.

• Discuss how long you can sit, stand or walk before symptoms increase.

• Ask about weakness or other neurological changes.

• Review what makes the symptoms better or worse.

• Go over physical therapy, chiropractic care, medications, injections and other treatments you've already tried.

• Review your actual MRI images and report if you have them.

• Compare what appears on the MRI with what you're actually experiencing.

• Discuss whether additional examination or imaging may be appropriate.

• Determine whether Non-Surgical Spinal Decompression may be an option.

• Tell you if he doesn't believe you're an appropriate candidate.

• Answer your questions and explain what he believes makes sense as the next step.

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

There is no charge. There is no obligation to start treatment.

The purpose is to give you enough information to make a better decision about what to do next.

Dr. Boelk personally performs these consultations while also treating the patients already under his care. Because he sets aside time to do these himself, the office can only accommodate a limited number of No-Charge Consultation appointments during the clinic schedule.

When those appointments are taken, new patients are offered the next available openings.

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

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Why Is Your Sciatica Still There?

This is where Dr. Boelk starts digging deeper.

If you've had sciatica for several months, the fact that your leg still hurts isn't the only important information.

Where does it hurt?

Does the pain stop at the buttock or travel through the thigh, calf and into the foot? Is there numbness? Tingling? Burning? Weakness?

Does sitting make it worse? Standing? Walking? Bending forward? Does lying down relieve it?

Those patterns can provide clues about what's irritating the nerve.

If you already have an MRI, Dr. Boelk wants to see whether the findings make sense when compared with those symptoms.

What If You've Already Tried Physical Therapy?

This is very common.

Dr. Boelk doesn't automatically consider physical therapy a “failure” just because you're still having symptoms. He wants to know exactly what happened.

Maybe your core and legs became stronger, but the nerve pain never changed.

Maybe you improved for the first month and then plateaued.

Maybe certain movements consistently increased the symptoms farther down the leg.

Or maybe physical therapy helped significantly, but the symptoms returned several months later.

All of those are different clinical situations.

The same applies to chiropractic care, medications, acupuncture, injections and home exercise programs.

What you've already tried matters. Your response to it matters even more.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ “I Can Do Things Now With Little to No Limitations”

“My husband and I have returned to enjoying life.”

“Hi my name is Rosa Algravez. I have suffered from leg numbness and low back pain for 4 years. I haven’t been able to do groceries or even take baths without pain. I looked for relief with various doctors with no luck. I have done treatments ranging from chiropractic to acupuncture. My husband found Dr. Boelk in the newspaper and we decided since we had tried everything else that we were going to give this a try. After my first few treatments, I feel as though I have returned to 100%. Life for me is completely different.

My husband and I have returned to enjoying life. We travel 300+ miles everyday from Calexico. I can do things now with little to no limitations. The staff makes you feel welcomed and it’s a very family environment. The payments are easy and I would recommend this to anyone suffering with low back pain. Thank You”

— Rosa Algravez, Age 58, Calexico, CA

Rosa had dealt with leg numbness and low-back pain for four years and had already tried different doctors, chiropractic care and acupuncture before coming to the office. She also traveled more than 300 miles from Calexico for care.

Her story is a good reminder that the impact of sciatica isn't always best measured by a pain scale. When grocery shopping or taking a bath becomes difficult, the condition is affecting everyday life.

What If an Epidural Injection Didn't Fix the Problem?

Some patients get substantial relief from an epidural injection. Others get temporary relief, and some notice very little change.

Dr. Boelk wants to know which one happened to you.

If an injection helped dramatically for several weeks but the symptoms returned, that's different from an injection that did absolutely nothing.

If the leg pain improved but numbness or weakness remained, that's important too.

The point isn't that injections are good or bad. It's that your response gives additional information about the problem and should be part of deciding what happens next.

Could Non-Surgical Spinal Decompression Be an Option?

Possibly—but sciatica alone isn't enough to answer that question.

Dr. Boelk commonly evaluates 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 clinic uses the DRX9000 exclusively for Non-Surgical Spinal Decompression.

Before recommending treatment, Dr. Boelk considers your history, neurological symptoms, MRI when available, spinal stability, bone health, previous surgeries and how you've responded to other treatment.

Some patients are good candidates.

Some aren't.

Look at What Has Changed Over the Last Six Months

One of the easiest ways to lose perspective with chronic sciatica is to slowly adjust your life around it.

Six months ago you could walk for 30 minutes. Now your leg starts bothering you after 10.

You used to go to the gym three times a week. Now you avoid it because you're afraid of another flare-up.

You used to drive without thinking about it. Now anything longer than 30 minutes becomes a problem.

You may still be going to work and getting through the day, but you're doing less and planning more of your life around the nerve pain.

That matters.

If you're improving, Dr. Boelk wants to see that trend.

If you're gradually losing function despite months of treatment, that's important information too.

When Trying Another Non-Surgical Treatment May Not Be Appropriate

There are situations where the priority shouldn't be finding another way to avoid surgery.

Rapidly progressing weakness, significant neurological loss, new bowel or bladder dysfunction, difficulty initiating or controlling urination, or numbness around the groin, inner thighs or saddle region requires prompt medical evaluation.

There are also patients whose imaging, examination or structural condition makes a surgical opinion appropriate.

Dr. Boelk doesn't believe surgery should be avoided simply for the sake of avoiding surgery.

★ Sometimes the Consultation Ends Without Treatment

“But I'm glad I took the time to meet with him.”

“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

Toni hoped spinal decompression might be an option, but the hardware in her back meant she wasn't an appropriate candidate for Dr. Boelk's treatment. She still described the consultation as informative and worthwhile.

That's an important part of the No-Charge Consultation. The purpose isn't to convince everyone who walks through the door to start treatment.

It's to determine whether Dr. Boelk believes he can actually help.

More Than 22 Years Focused on Non-Surgical Spinal Decompression

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

• 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 understands spinal injury personally. He suffered an L5 compression fracture at age 16 and later dealt with disc injuries and sciatica himself.

Before You Decide on Surgery for Sciatica

If you've already tried several treatments and surgery is beginning to look like the next step, you don't need to commit to another treatment just to get another opinion.

That's why Dr. Boelk offers the No-Charge Consultation.

Bring your MRI images and report if you have them. Tell him what you've tried, what helped, what didn't and what the sciatica is preventing you from doing.

The question you're trying to answer is fairly simple:

Is there still a reasonable non-surgical option for me?

If Dr. Boelk believes you're a candidate for Non-Surgical Spinal Decompression, he'll explain why.

If he doesn't believe he can help, he'll tell you.

There is no charge and no obligation to start treatment.

Because Dr. Boelk personally performs these consultations, only a limited number can be worked into the clinic schedule while he continues caring for his existing patients.

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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