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[RC] Sciatica - SOWrightTo Mary: A good chiropractor doe NOT create dependencies. I will only go to a chiropractor who practices Applied Kinesology throughout. They have extra training and really look at the entire body as a system, instead of just trying to crack your back. My L4 and L5 joints sometimes get out of adjustment, as I am a distance runner, in addition to spending a lot of miles on my horse. Of course, my Arabian gelding often "adjusts" me, when he takes my lower body to the left, while my upper body stays suspended in the air. Gotta love those darty Arabians! That said, sciatica can be caused by a lot of factors. Weak abdominal muscles, belly fat, a leg length difference, hard tissue getting out of alignment, or even internal swelling of soft tissues, can cause it. A good chiropractor can really help with fixing the problem for good, but soft tissue has to be considered, as well as identifying the root cause of the problem. If an icepack relieves the pain, you probably have some soft tissue issues going on. One of my fellow runners had it for years due to a leg length difference. He found some relief from sleeping on the floor! I've heard that a very firm sleep surface may alleviate the pain. Also, if you have a "sit at your desk" job, you might want to get something to support your back and pelvis in your chair. For soft tissue problems, physical therapy (PT) can be a big help. A competent, athlete-oriented PT will always teach you strength and stretching exercises. If you have some structural imbalances (most of us do!), the PT may also make custom orthotics for your shoes, to correct the imbalance. This sort of treatment is usually covered by your health insurance. It is essential you find a PT who works with athletes, not sedentary folk. The latter type of PT treats your visits more like a spa treatment, and you never learn how to heal yourself. I suffered 3 different running injuries on my left side over the years. During PT for injury #3, I looked at the exercises he gave me, and the ones I had for injuries #1 and #2, and determined that there were about 8 exercises common to those PT routines. I do those 8 exercises once every week (plus yoga once per week) and I run, ride and do all sorts of other active things with no recurrance of injury. I still see a chiropractor once or twice a month, to keep me tuned up. But I'm pretty hard on my body with all that activity, so it is no surprise! Good luck to you! Sandra Wright =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Ridecamp is a service of Endurance Net, http://www.endurance.net. Information, Policy, Disclaimer: http://www.endurance.net/Ridecamp Subscribe/Unsubscribe http://www.endurance.net/ridecamp/logon.asp Ride Long and Ride Safe!! =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
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