Why Does My Sciatica Get Worse at Night? | Mira Mesa, CA
“I actually feel pretty good when I'm moving around. It's when I go to bed that my leg starts killing me.”
Dr. Cassidy James Boelk, DC hears this more often than people might expect.
Sometimes the patient can work most of the day without much trouble. They can walk, drive, go to dinner and feel reasonably normal. Then they lie down and the sciatica starts building.
First it's the buttock.
Then the back of the thigh.
Then the calf starts aching or burning.
Maybe the foot starts tingling.
Now they're rolling from side to side, putting a pillow between their knees, taking it back out, trying to lie on their back and eventually getting out of bed because walking around actually feels better.
If you're doing this night after night, there may be more going on than simply having the wrong mattress.
Changing position changes what is happening around the lower back, pelvis and legs. When a lumbar nerve root is already irritated, some positions may be much easier to tolerate than others.
Dr. Boelk wants to know exactly what those positions are.
He also wants to know what happened during the rest of your day.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ “I Was Able to Sleep Mostly Pain-Free for the First Time in Months”
“Honestly, I wasn't sure I would ever heal.”
“I have had an outstanding experience with Dr. Boelk and his staff at The Spinal Decompression & Chiropractic Center of San Diego.
They follow a very structured treatment protocol and utilize the best spinal decompression equipment available. I've been treated elsewhere using lower-quality decompression systems and never experienced meaningful improvement.
Dr. Boelk is attentive, professional, and genuinely cares about every patient. You can see it in the way he interacts with everyone who walks through the door.
After about 12 treatments, my sciatica was gone and I was nearly back to normal. Honestly, I wasn't sure I would ever heal. What surprised me most was that after my very first treatment, I experienced significant relief and was able to sleep mostly pain-free for the first time in months.
The improvement has allowed me to get back to hiking, traveling, and enjoying life again.
This treatment was one of the best investments I've ever made.
Thank you, Dr. Boelk and your entire team.”
— Michael Langsdale, San Diego, CA
When someone tells Dr. Boelk they're waking up every hour or two because of their leg, he doesn't consider that a minor symptom.
Losing sleep changes the next day.
You're tired at work. You're less interested in exercising. You're more likely to sit around because you're exhausted. You may start declining things you'd normally do because you're already thinking about how the leg is going to feel that night.
The sciatica may have started as pain, but eventually it starts changing how you live.
That's usually when people decide they need some answers.
If You're Losing Sleep, You Can Start With a No-Charge Consultation
You don't have to decide whether you want spinal decompression before coming to see Dr. Boelk.
That's getting ahead of things.
The first decision is much simpler:
Is this bothering you enough that you'd like an experienced doctor to look at what's going on?
Dr. Boelk personally performs a limited number of No-Charge Consultations for people with disc injuries and sciatica.
If you're coming from Mira Mesa, the office is in Kearny Mesa on Murphy Canyon Road.
During the consultation, you can sit down with Dr. Boelk and go through:
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How and when the problem started.
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Exactly where the pain travels.
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Which sleeping positions make it better or worse.
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What happens when you sit, stand or walk.
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Whether you're experiencing numbness, tingling, burning or weakness.
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Treatments you've already tried and what happened.
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Your actual MRI images and report, if you have them.
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Whether the MRI findings fit the symptoms you're describing.
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Whether further examination or imaging may be appropriate.
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Whether Non-Surgical Spinal Decompression may be an option for you.
If you don't have an MRI, you can still come in.
If Dr. Boelk doesn't think you're an appropriate candidate for his care, he'll tell you.
There is no charge and no obligation to start treatment.
The appointments are limited for a straightforward reason: Dr. Boelk does these consultations himself. He doesn't hand them off to a salesperson, and he continues to treat his existing patients throughout the week.
There are only so many places in the schedule where he can set aside that time.
Once those appointments are taken, the office schedules new consultations into the next available openings.
Call 619-298-0800 and ask whether a No-Charge Consultation with Dr. Boelk is currently available.
The Way Your Sciatica Behaves at Night Can Be Helpful
Suppose you tell Dr. Boelk:
“I can lie on my right side, but the minute I roll onto my left side my calf starts burning.”
That's useful.
So is:
“If I put a pillow under my knees, it settles down.”
Or:
“Lying down makes it worse, but if I get up and walk around for five minutes it feels better.”
Those patterns don't automatically give you a diagnosis, but they help Dr. Boelk understand how your symptoms respond to changes in position and load.
Now compare that with another patient who says walking is the worst thing they can do. Their leg starts hurting after five minutes on their feet, and sitting or lying down is what gives them relief.
Both patients may call what they're experiencing “sciatica.”
They may not have the same problem.
That's why Dr. Boelk doesn't want to hear only that your leg hurts. He wants to know what changes it.
Your Mattress May Not Be the Real Problem
Patients sometimes go down the mattress rabbit hole.
They buy a mattress topper.
Then a wedge.
Then a different pillow.
Then they start looking at a $4,000 mattress because somebody told them a firmer or softer bed will fix their back.
If your mattress is old, sagging and uncomfortable, obviously replacing it may help you sleep better.
But if the problem is an irritated lumbar nerve root, the mattress may not be the main issue.
A patient who has already tried five different sleeping positions and still wakes up with burning down the leg probably needs more than another pillow recommendation.
Dr. Boelk would rather find out why the leg is doing it.
What About Sleeping With Your Knees Bent?
Some patients are more comfortable that way.
If you sleep on your back, putting support under the knees can be worth trying.
If you're on your side, a pillow between the knees may help.
There isn't one sleeping position that Dr. Boelk recommends to every patient with sciatica because patients don't all respond the same way.
Pay attention to your symptoms.
If the leg settles down, that's a better position for you.
If pain or tingling starts moving farther down the leg, don't keep forcing that position because someone online told you it was good for sciatica.
And don't turn bedtime into a stretching session.
Some people feel “tight” in the hamstring or calf because the nerve is irritated and then repeatedly stretch the leg trying to loosen it up. If that consistently makes the leg symptoms worse, that's a pretty good reason to stop doing it until you understand what you're dealing with.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ “My Pain Is Completely Gone”
“As a firefighter who depends on his body every day to help others, being pain-free has made a tremendous difference.”
“Dr. Boelk has been a lifesaver.
I suffered from constant low back pain and sciatica for more than eight months. Pain medications didn't help, and I was headed toward multiple injections in hopes of finding relief.
After beginning treatment with Dr. Boelk, everything changed.
Today, my pain is completely gone.
As a firefighter who depends on his body every day to help others, being pain-free has made a tremendous difference in both my career and quality of life.
The results I experienced were absolutely worth it, and I highly recommend looking into what Dr. Boelk and his team can do for you.”
— Joshua T., San Diego, CA
For Joshua, being able to use his body normally was essential to his career.
Another person may just want to take a walk, get back to the gym or sleep through the night.
That's one reason Dr. Boelk asks patients what the problem is preventing them from doing.
Pain is one measurement.
What you're losing because of the pain is another.
Could a Herniated Disc Cause This Even if Your Back Doesn't Hurt?
Yes.
This is one of the things that confuses people most.
They'll tell Dr. Boelk, “It can't be my back because my back doesn't hurt.”
But a lumbar nerve root can be irritated and produce symptoms farther down the nerve pathway.
The buttock may hurt.
The calf may burn.
The foot may tingle.
You can have those symptoms without severe lower-back pain.
That doesn't mean every person with leg pain has a disc herniation. Hip problems, peripheral nerve problems and other conditions can produce symptoms in the leg too.
That's why Dr. Boelk doesn't diagnose the problem from one symptom or from an MRI report alone.
If you've already had an MRI, he wants to see whether what's on the images actually makes sense with what you're feeling.
What Happened During the Day Matters Too
This is easy to miss.
Maybe you sit most of the day at work.
Maybe you spend a lot of time driving.
Maybe you're bending and lifting.
Maybe you went to the gym because your back felt pretty good.
By the time you get into bed, the symptoms you're feeling may reflect more than the position you're sleeping in.
That's why Dr. Boelk may ask what you did six hours before the pain became severe.
The answer sometimes explains more than the mattress does.
And during the day, you have distractions. At night you're lying in a quiet room with nothing else competing for your attention.
Pain that's relatively easy to ignore at 2:00 in the afternoon can feel very different at 2:00 in the morning.
There Are Some Symptoms Dr. Boelk Doesn't Want You to Wait On
Nighttime sciatica by itself doesn't mean you're dealing with an emergency.
But pay attention if things are changing neurologically.
If one leg is getting progressively weaker, you're having difficulty lifting the front of the foot, you're stumbling more frequently or the foot begins slapping the ground, that needs to be evaluated.
Rapidly progressing weakness, new bowel or bladder dysfunction, difficulty urinating, or numbness around the groin or saddle area requires prompt medical evaluation.
Severe, unrelenting nighttime pain associated with unexplained fever, significant unexplained weight loss, a history of cancer or other concerning medical symptoms should also be medically evaluated rather than assuming it's ordinary sciatica.
Where Does Non-Surgical Spinal Decompression Fit?
Dr. Boelk has spent more than 22 years working with disc injuries, sciatica and Non-Surgical Spinal Decompression.
The Spinal Decompression & Chiropractic Center of San Diego uses the DRX9000 exclusively.
Dr. Boelk evaluates patients with disc bulges, disc herniations, degenerative disc disease, disc-related sciatica, foraminal narrowing and selected cases of spinal stenosis.
But he doesn't accept everyone for treatment.
A patient may have sciatica and still not be a good candidate for decompression.
Dr. Boelk considers the history, neurological findings, examination, imaging when available, spinal stability, bone health, previous surgery and medical history.
Significant osteoporosis, an unhealed fracture, unstable spondylolisthesis, abdominal aortic aneurysm, pregnancy for lumbar decompression, certain malignancies and other medical or structural conditions may make decompression inappropriate.
Previous spinal surgery has to be considered carefully too, particularly when fusion or metal hardware is present at the level that would need treatment.
★ Getting an Opinion Doesn't Mean You'll Be Accepted for Treatment
“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 wasn't a candidate because of her surgical history and hardware.
She still felt the consultation was worth having.
That's an important distinction.
The purpose of the No-Charge Consultation isn't to find a reason to treat everyone who walks through the door.
It's to find out whether Dr. Boelk believes you're an appropriate candidate.
Dr. Cassidy James Boelk, DC
Dr. Boelk has worked with disc injuries and Non-Surgical Spinal Decompression for more than 22 years and has performed more than 100,000 spinal decompression treatments.
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Doctor of Chiropractic
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Certified Spinal Decompression Doctor
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Certified Pain-Free Performance Specialist (PPSC)
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Founder, Non-Surgical Spinal Decompression Training Academy
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Trains other doctors in spinal decompression protocols and techniques
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Founding Member, American Spinal Decompression Society
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Member, International Disc Education Association
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California X-Ray Radiation Supervisor & Operator
His experience with spinal injuries is personal too. Dr. Boelk suffered an L5 compression fracture at 16 and later dealt with disc injuries and sciatica himself.
You Don't Have to Wait Until the Sciatica Takes More Away From You
If the leg bothered you once last night and feels fine today, see how you do.
But if you've reached the point where this is happening over and over again, that's different.
Maybe you're getting four hours of broken sleep.
Maybe you've stopped working out because you're exhausted.
Maybe you're avoiding trips because you don't know how you'll sleep in another bed.
Maybe your spouse is getting woken up too.
Or maybe the symptoms that used to stay in your buttock are now reaching the calf or foot.
You don't need to scare yourself about what it means.
But continuing to lose sleep while trying another pillow every few days isn't giving you much information either.
The No-Charge Consultation gives you an opportunity to find out what Dr. Boelk thinks without making a treatment decision first.
That's all you're deciding.
Whether it's worth sitting down with someone who has spent more than two decades evaluating these problems and asking:
“What do you think is going on, and do you think you can help me?”
There is no charge for that conversation.
There is no obligation to start treatment.
If Dr. Boelk doesn't believe you're a candidate, he'll tell you.
The only thing the office can't make unlimited is Dr. Boelk's time.
He personally performs these consultations while continuing to treat the patients already under his care. A limited number are placed into the schedule, and when those are taken, the next callers are offered the next available openings.
If sciatica is already taking your sleep away, it may be worth finding out what's going on before it starts taking more of the things you enjoy doing too.
Call 619-298-0800
Ask whether a No-Charge Consultation with Dr. Cassidy James Boelk, DC is currently available.
The Spinal Decompression & Chiropractic Center of San Diego
5095 Murphy Canyon Road, Suite 300
San Diego, CA 92123
619-298-0800
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