Sciatica: Sciatica refers to pain, weakness, numbness, or tingling in the leg. It is caused by injury to or pressure on the sciatic nerve. Sciatica is a symptom of another medical problem, not a medical condition on its own.

So can you find relief for your sciatica at a chiropractor's office?

(Here's an excerpt from a great blog from Dr. Eben Davis in San Francisco. We think it's a blog entry worth sharing.)

YES...sometimes. Actually, most of the time in my experience...especially if the chiropractor has a nonsurgical spinal decompression machine and uses Class IV deep tissue laser.

Unfortunately...most of the time when a patient presents with sciatica, the underlying problem has been around for a long time and the sciatica symptoms are the "red siren" something needs attention.

Other times, the sciatic nerve becomes irritated early in the disease process and is easier to treat.

Either way, chiropractic adjustments can help, as well as massage, exercise, deep tissue laser therapy, and spinal decompression.

A patients diet can actually influence the healing process. The Typical American Diet is "pro inflammatory"...meaning it causes inflammation...which is the last thing you want with sciatica. A Plant-based diet is "anti-inflammatory" which means it reduces inflammation which is exactly what you want.