What If Physical Therapy Hasn’t Helped My Sciatica? | Kearny Mesa, CA

You've done the stretches. You've worked on your core. Maybe you've strengthened your hips and legs and followed the home exercises exactly as you were told.

But the pain, numbness, tingling or burning is still going down your leg.

Dr. Cassidy James Boelk, DC sees this frequently in patients with persistent sciatica. Some tell him physical therapy helped their back but never really changed the leg symptoms. Others got stronger and moved better, yet sitting, standing or walking still brings on the same sciatica.

That doesn't necessarily mean physical therapy was a mistake. It may mean it's time to take another look at what's irritating the nerve.

After more than 22 years treating disc injuries and sciatica, Dr. Boelk has performed more than 100,000 spinal decompression treatments. The Spinal Decompression & Chiropractic Center of San Diego has seven DRX9000 systems and is the largest known Non-Surgical Spinal Decompression clinic in Southern California.

One of the things Dr. Boelk looks at closely is how you responded to what you've already tried. That information can be just as important as the name of the treatment itself.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ “By March I Am Now Able to Bend Without Any Pain”

“I came in early January not able to bend and walking with a limp.”

“Dr. Boelk and his team are the best in the business! I have had lower back problems for over 5 years and been to 6 other doctors seeking options other than surgery. I came in early January not able to bend and walking with a limp. By February I was able to bend again with minimal pain and by March I am now able to bend without any pain and am able to walk normally.

I am EXTREMELY happy I did not have surgery and found Dr. Boelk. Trust him and the process and he will get you feeling better. He also said from the beginning that if at any stage in the process he felt like progress wasn't happening he would let me know which was not the case with other specialist I have seen in the past so I appreciate that.”

— Calder Pearce, San Diego, CA

Calder had dealt with lower-back problems for more than five years and had already seen six other doctors while looking for options other than surgery. When he came to the office, he was walking with a limp and couldn't bend normally.

Something else in his review is important: Dr. Boelk told him from the beginning that if he wasn't progressing, he would tell him. That's how treatment decisions should be made.

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Still Having Sciatica After PT? Start Here.

Before signing up for another treatment, find out why you're still having symptoms.

Dr. Boelk offers a No-Charge Consultation specifically so patients can sit down with him, go through what's been happening and find out whether he believes he may be able to help.

You are not committing to spinal decompression by scheduling the consultation.

You're getting an experienced opinion about what may be causing the persistent sciatica and what makes sense to do next.

During the consultation, Dr. Boelk personally will:

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

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

• Discuss what happened during physical therapy.

• Review which exercises helped and whether any consistently aggravated the leg symptoms.

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

• Discuss weakness or other neurological changes.

• Review medications, injections, chiropractic care or other treatments you've tried.

• Review your actual MRI images and report if available.

• Compare the MRI findings with your symptoms.

• Discuss whether further 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 next.

No MRI yet? That's okay.

There is no charge and no obligation to begin treatment.

Dr. Boelk personally performs these consultations while continuing to care for his existing patients throughout the week. Because of the time involved, the office can only set aside a limited number of No-Charge Consultation appointments in the clinic schedule.

Once 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 Can You Be Stronger but Still Have Sciatica?

This is something patients sometimes find confusing.

They've spent several weeks strengthening their core, glutes and legs. They're moving better. They may even be noticeably stronger.

So why is their leg still hurting?

Strength and nerve irritation aren't necessarily the same problem.

If a disc herniation, disc bulge or narrowing around a spinal nerve is contributing to the sciatica, strengthening the muscles around the area may be useful without necessarily resolving everything that's irritating the nerve.

That's why Dr. Boelk doesn't assume that persistent symptoms mean you simply need to work harder at your exercises.

The source of the nerve symptoms needs to make sense.

What Happened to the Leg Symptoms During PT?

Dr. Boelk wants specifics.

If the pain used to travel all the way into your foot and now stops at your thigh, that's different from pain that has moved farther down the leg.

If you can walk 30 minutes now instead of 10, that's meaningful even if you're not pain-free.

If your back feels much better but the foot remains numb, that's also important.

And if a particular exercise repeatedly causes burning or tingling to travel farther down the leg, Dr. Boelk wants to know that too.

Those details help show whether you're progressing, plateauing or possibly aggravating the problem.

Your MRI Is Only Part of the Picture

Many patients arrive with an MRI report containing several findings.

It may mention degeneration, a disc bulge, a herniation, foraminal narrowing or stenosis at more than one spinal level.

That doesn't automatically tell you which finding is responsible for the symptoms.

Dr. Boelk prefers to look at the actual MRI images when they're available and compare them with what the patient is experiencing.

Where does the pain travel? Which part of the foot is numb? Does sitting aggravate it? Does walking bring it on? Is there weakness? What positions relieve it?

The imaging and the clinical picture should make sense together.

What If You've Also Tried an Epidural Injection?

A lot of patients don't come to Dr. Boelk immediately after physical therapy.

They may have tried medications next. Then an injection.

An epidural may provide substantial relief for some patients. Others get relief that lasts several weeks or months before the symptoms return. Some notice little change.

Dr. Boelk doesn't just ask whether you've had an injection. He wants to know what happened afterward.

Did the leg pain improve?

Did the numbness change?

Could you walk farther?

How long did the improvement last?

Again, your response provides useful information.

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

“I have suffered from leg numbness and low back pain for 4 years.”

“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's symptoms had been present for four years and affected ordinary things such as grocery shopping and taking a bath. She had already seen different doctors and tried chiropractic care and acupuncture before traveling from Calexico for care.

That's why Dr. Boelk asks patients what the problem is preventing them from doing. Function often tells more of the story than a pain score.

Could Spinal Decompression Be the Next Step After Physical Therapy?

It may be worth evaluating, but it isn't automatically the answer.

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 the patient's history, symptoms, neurological findings, imaging when available, spinal stability, bone health, previous surgery and response to prior treatment.

The fact that PT hasn't eliminated your symptoms does not by itself make you a spinal decompression candidate.

Compare Yourself With Three or Six Months Ago

This is a simple way to look at whether your current approach is working.

Don't just ask, “How bad is my pain today?”

Ask:

Can you walk farther than you could three months ago?

Can you sit longer?

Are you sleeping better?

Is the pain traveling less distance down the leg?

Is numbness becoming less frequent?

Have you returned to exercising?

Are you doing more—or are you gradually giving up more?

A bad day doesn't necessarily mean you're getting worse, and a good day doesn't necessarily mean the underlying problem is resolved.

Look at the trend.

If months of treatment have passed and your world is still becoming smaller because of the sciatica, it may be time to reassess the problem.

There Are Times When Another Conservative Treatment Isn't Appropriate

Dr. Boelk does not believe every patient with persistent sciatica should simply keep trying non-surgical treatments.

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

There are also structural problems where a surgical opinion may be appropriate.

A good evaluation isn't about finding a way to treat every patient.

Sometimes it's about recognizing when not to.

★ An Honest Consultation Matters Too

“He could not treat me as I have to wait until the fracture in my neck heals.”

“I decided to see Dr. Boelk after a pretty gnarly motocoss neck injury. At the Hospital I was at, I felt I was getting pressured into a surgery which I refused. A friend of a friend referred him after Dr. Boelk successfully treated his broken back.

Dr. Boelk is a compassionate individual who truly cares about his patients. He looked at my MRI images, explained what he saw and potential routes for recovery. He could not treat me as I have to wait until the fracture in my neck heals, but the level of professionalism, compassion, caring and knowledge displayed by him was exceptional.

He also recommended to seek an additional opinion form another neurosurgeon. My experience was that he really cares and he's not someone who would take advantage of the situation someone's in (unlike some other doctors). I will definitely be back and already recommended him to others as well! Thank you Dr. Boelk!”

— Jan H., San Marcos, CA

Jan came to Dr. Boelk looking for another opinion, but an unhealed fracture meant treatment wasn't appropriate. Dr. Boelk recommended waiting for the fracture to heal and getting another neurosurgical opinion.

That's part of the value of getting evaluated before assuming another treatment is right for you.

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.

If PT Hasn't Helped, Don't Just Keep Repeating the Same Thing

Physical therapy can be extremely valuable, but if you've given it a reasonable amount of time and the sciatica isn't changing, the next step should be figuring out why.

Bring your MRI images and report if you have them. Tell Dr. Boelk what you did in PT, which exercises helped, which aggravated the symptoms and what you're still unable to do.

Then find out whether he believes another non-surgical option makes sense.

The consultation is personally performed by Dr. Boelk. There is no charge and no obligation to begin treatment.

Only a limited number can be accommodated because Dr. Boelk sets aside the time himself while continuing to care 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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