As a chiropractor in Freehold, NJ I have seen many patients from the Monmouth County area who suffer needlessly with low back pain and sciatica. Around 80% of the population complains of low back pain but ignore the pain, think they have to learn to live with it, or go to their medical doctors that just prescribe them one pain medication or anti-inflammatory one after another. At best, these medications just provide a temporary relief of symptoms, but many times the pain persists and the side effects are numerous. Also, even if the pain is covered up, the patient falsely feels they are better and start doing their normal activities once again which can further damage the underlying condition.
You have to realize daily stresses accumulate in the spine and the joints get misaligned, making it more difficult to move, therefor straining the muscles, putting pressure on nerves and the discs. Some research even shows that arthritis or spinal degeneration starts forming after just 2 weeks of the joints being misaligned.
Most chiropractors will analyze the spine for subluxations and perform adjustments to correct them. But this is just part of the cause. I have seen many patients over the years who have gone to chiropractors who only adjust and report to me the low back pain and sciatica were reduced in intensity, but they still experienced it. The problem being missed is that many of these imbalances occur due to muscle tightness and spasms in the spinal regions but also the muscles of the legs, as well as the joints of the ankle, feet, knees and hips.
Imagine driving your car and noticing the tires are wearing unevenly. You bring in the car to be checked and the mechanic tells you that you need new tires. If you just put new tires on and the mechanic doesn’t balance out the wheels, you will notice the car still pulls more to one side and the tires will wear out more quickly. Same holds for if you just realign the wheels, but not put on new tires too. You would want the mechanic to take care of the cause by realigning the wheels first, then put on the new tires.
I bring this up as I recently had a new patient, who was a professional athlete, that found my practice online and when he came in he reported low back pain, sciatica and disc herniations which he had micro-discectomy surgery performed 5 years ago while in his mid 20’s. He told me he’s been to many chiropractors but adjusting didn’t help, physical therapy provided no relief and he also visited one of the biggest sports orthopedic practices in all of NJ with no change.
I explained our course of action is probably different than any other chiropractor he has been to and after performing a full chiropractic, orthopedic and sport evaluation, we address all the contributing factors to the pain: we not only adjust the spine, but therapeutically stretch the muscles that support the spine, including the hamstrings, quadriceps and piriformis, and adjust the joints of the ankle, foot, knee and hips. By addressing these instabilities, we can further balance the foundation that keeps causing the spine to misalign. Upon his first evaluation and treatment, he got up off the table and shockingly said it was the first time he was able to sit up with out low back pain.
Going one step further, we will analyze the arches of the feet. If the arches are dropping, it will cause the joints of the ankles, feet, knees and hips to keep misaligning, which will make the spine unstable again.
Another thing to consider is most chiropractors and medical doctors attribute sciatica as pressure on the nerves from the lower back into the leg by misalignments or bulging discs. A condition called piriformis syndrome is missed many times. This is where the piriformis muscle is actually what is causing the numbness and tingling associated with sciatica. When properly assessed, the right treatment can also correct this.
Chiropractors are the only health professionals that specialize in the spine and nervous system. Finding the cause of the pain and dysfunction is the start of correcting the problem once and for all so you can start living a pain free, health lifestyle once again. No more complaining of pain while bending over, picking up your children, going out and enjoying the evening with a significant other, etc. It is important to find a chiropractor that not only adjusts the spine, but helps balance the supporting muscles, joints in the legs and feet, and make sure your arches are properly supported.
We have helped many patients that suffer with low back pain and sciatica in Freehold, Marlboro, Manalapan, Howell, Jackson, Morganville and Colts Neck, NJ as well as many neighboring towns. Many have driven up to an hour away, passing by 1000 other chiropractors as they want to experience a full body treatment that addresses all the causes with the multiple pronged approach no other doctor in our area takes. If you are ready to gain your pain free, active lifestyle once again, contact our office, Hometown Family Wellness Center at 9 Broadway in Freehold, NJ at 732-780-0044