Sciatica is almost always caused by a disc compressing the sciatic nerve roots in the lower spine. The burning, shooting pain down the leg, hip, or foot is the nerve's response to that pressure. Removing the pressure is what gets lasting relief, and that's exactly what Spinal Decompression Therapy targets. We treat sciatica patients in Edmond and throughout the Oklahoma City metro.
The sciatic nerve is the longest nerve in the body, running from the lower back through the hip and all the way down each leg. When a disc, most often at L4-L5 or L5-S1, protrudes or herniates into the space where the nerve roots exit the spine, the pressure causes the sharp, radiating pain most people describe as sciatica.
Anti-inflammatory medications and muscle relaxants reduce pain temporarily, but they don't remove the disc pressure. Physical therapy can help strengthen supporting muscles, but it can't decompress a compressed disc. Epidural steroid injections reduce inflammation around the nerve but leave the mechanical cause untouched.
Spinal decompression pulls negative pressure at the exact disc level, L4-L5 or L5-S1 in most sciatica, so the disc can ease back off the nerve root. Class IV laser calms the inflamed tissue wrapped around that nerve. One frees the nerve. The other settles it down. Sciatica almost always traces to a disc, which is why a herniated or bulging disc on your imaging changes the protocol. Individual results vary.
Sciatica that causes rapid weakness in both legs or bowel/bladder changes requires immediate emergency evaluation, not chiropractic care.
Decompression therapy targets the L4-L5 or L5-S1 disc level where sciatic nerve compression most commonly originates. The controlled traction cycle is calibrated specifically to create negative pressure at that segment, which may allow the disc to retract off the nerve root.
Learn MoreClass IV laser therapy applied to the lumbar spine and sciatic nerve pathway targets the inflammatory response around the compressed nerve. Photobiomodulation has been studied specifically for nerve pain and may calm the firing patterns of the irritated sciatic nerve.
Learn MoreWhen sciatica has a soft-tissue component, such as deep gluteal or piriformis muscle tension compressing the sciatic nerve outside the spine, shockwave therapy targets that surrounding tissue directly. It's used alongside decompression and laser when the muscle and connective tissue are contributing to nerve irritation. Individual results vary.
Learn MoreA free consultation lets our doctors confirm the disc level involved and tell you whether decompression therapy is likely to help your specific presentation.
Individual results vary. Treatment is recommended only after clinical evaluation.