Dealing With Sciatica in Clive?
That shooting, burning, or aching pain that starts in your low back or hip and runs down your leg can make sitting, driving, and sleeping miserable. The good news: sciatica usually has a specific, treatable cause.
At Shaw Spine & Sport in Clive, Iowa, our chiropractors look for what is irritating the nerve instead of only calming symptoms for a few days. This page explains what sciatica is, how chiropractic care for sciatica works, and what to expect at your first visit.
What Is Sciatica?
Sciatica is pain, numbness, tingling, or weakness caused by irritation of the sciatic nerve, the largest nerve in the body. It forms from nerve roots in your lower spine and travels through the buttock and hip, down the back of the thigh and calf, and into the foot. Symptoms usually show up on one side.
Many people assume a herniated disc is to blame. Discs can be the cause, but they are not the only one. Often the problem sits in the muscles of the hip, buttock, and leg. For the nerve to stay healthy, it has to glide smoothly through the tissue around it. When that tissue is tight, overworked, or scarred, the nerve gets stretched or compressed and symptoms follow.
Common contributors include:
- Repetitive movements from certain sports or jobs
- Muscle imbalances in the hips, glutes, and core
- Past injuries that left soft tissue adhesions
- Long hours of sitting or driving
- Disc or joint problems in the lower back
Who Can Benefit From Sciatica Care?
Chiropractic care for sciatica may be a good fit if any of these sound familiar:
- Pain, tingling, or numbness runs from your low back or buttock down one leg.
- Sitting, driving, bending, or getting out of a chair makes it worse.
- You are active, lift for work, or play sports, and a flare-up keeps coming back.
- You want to try conservative, non-surgical care first.
It may not be the right first step in every case. Go to the emergency room or urgent care right away if you have loss of bladder or bowel control, numbness in the groin or inner thighs, sudden severe leg weakness, or sciatica after a major fall or accident. Fever with back pain also needs medical attention first.
Signs and Symptoms of Sciatica
Sciatica does not feel the same for everyone. You may notice:
- A sharp, burning, or electric pain from the low back or buttock down the leg
- Aching or cramping deep in the buttock or hip
- Tingling or "pins and needles" in the leg or foot
- Numbness along the back of the leg or in the foot
- Leg or foot weakness, or a foot that feels like it catches when you walk
- Pain that flares with sitting, bending, sneezing, or coughing
Symptoms can come and go, and they can range from a dull nuisance to pain that stops you in your tracks. These signs are worth having examined. A hands-on exam is how we tell sciatica apart from other sources of leg and back pain.
How We Treat Sciatica Without Surgery
Lasting relief means addressing what is irritating the nerve. Your plan is built around your exam findings and may combine several of these tools:
Chiropractic Adjusting and Mobilization
Gentle, targeted chiropractic adjustments and joint mobilization help restore motion in the low back and pelvis and take pressure off irritated tissue.
Active Release Technique (ART)
ART is a hands-on soft tissue method that works on tight muscles and scar tissue in the hip, glutes, and leg so the sciatic nerve can glide again.
Trigger Point Dry Needling
Dry needling may be used to release stubborn muscle knots in the deep hip and buttock muscles that contribute to nerve irritation.
Exercise and Rehabilitation
Targeted rehab exercises strengthen the hips and core and improve mobility, so the problem is less likely to come back.
Therapies When They Fit
Depending on your injury, we may also recommend cold laser therapy or shockwave therapy. Not everyone needs every option, and results vary from person to person.
What to Expect at Your Visits
Your first visit: a thorough exam
Your treatment plan
Progress you can track
Our Approach to Sciatica Care
There is no one-size-fits-all plan for sciatica. A runner with tight hip muscles, a desk worker with a stiff low back, and a lifter with a disc problem can all feel the same leg pain for very different reasons, so we treat what your exam shows.
For most people, chiropractic care and rehab exercises form the core of the plan. Soft tissue work such as ART, and therapies like shockwave, are added when your injury calls for them. We explain your options in plain language, so you know what is happening and why each step is there.
If your exam suggests something that needs a different kind of care, we will tell you and point you to the right provider.
Meet Dr. Abel Shaw, DC
Dr. Abel Shaw, DC, earned his Doctor of Chiropractic degree at Logan College of Chiropractic in St. Louis, Missouri. He is a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist (CSCS) through the National Strength and Conditioning Association and a Certified Provider of Active Release Technique.
Dr. Shaw has worked with track and field athletes at Missouri Baptist University and served as team chiropractor for Mary Washington University Athletics. He is an Army veteran who ran cross-country and track and field at Shippensburg University, so he understands how pain gets in the way of an active life.
He practices alongside Dr. Ryan Donahue, DC, a Certified ART Provider with post-graduate training in McKenzie Mechanical Diagnosis and Therapy, and Dr. Brady Thompson, DC, a Certified ART Provider for the spine and upper extremity with a movement-based approach to care. Meet the whole team.
Sciatica Treatment in Clive and the Des Moines Metro
Shaw Spine & Sport is located at 2555 Berkshire Pkwy, Clive, IA 50325. We welcome patients with sciatica from Clive, West Des Moines, Urbandale, Waukee, and nearby Des Moines metro communities.
- Phone: (515) 987-6332
- Book online: schedule through our online booking page anytime.
- Insurance: we work with Blue Cross Blue Shield (PPO, POS, HMO), United Healthcare, Medica, Surest, UMR, Aetna, Cigna, Midlands Choice, Health Partners, and Medicare. Coverage varies by plan, so call us and we will help you check your benefits.
Related Services and Conditions
- Low back pain care is the next step if your pain stays in the back and does not travel down the leg.
- Active Release Technique targets the muscles and scar tissue that can trap the sciatic nerve.
- Trigger point dry needling helps release deep hip and buttock muscle knots.
- Exercise and rehabilitation builds the strength that keeps flare-ups from returning.
- Soft tissue injuries covers strains and overuse problems that can contribute to leg pain.
Sciatica Chiropractor FAQs
Yes, for many people. Chiropractic adjustments, hands-on soft tissue work, and a guided exercise plan can ease the irritation behind sciatica, especially when care starts early. We start with an exam to find the cause, and if your symptoms point to something that needs medical care, we will tell you.
Sciatica happens when the sciatic nerve is irritated or compressed. A disc problem can be the cause, but tight hip and buttock muscles, muscle imbalances, scar tissue from old injuries, and long hours of sitting are common too.
Care should be matched to your exam findings, which is why we examine you before we treat. Your plan is adjusted to what your body tolerates, and we ask you to tell us how you feel after each visit. If we find signs that call for medical care first, we will refer you instead.
It depends on what is causing your sciatica and how long you have had it. Recent flare-ups often respond sooner than long-standing ones. After your exam, we will give you a realistic outline for your situation.
Not necessarily. We examine you first and decide together whether imaging would help. If you already have imaging or past records, bring them to your visit.
Seek emergency care if you lose control of your bladder or bowels, feel numbness in your groin or inner thighs, have sudden severe leg weakness, or develop sciatica after a major fall or accident. Fever with back pain also needs prompt medical attention.
We work with Blue Cross Blue Shield, United Healthcare, Medica, Surest, UMR, Aetna, Cigna, Midlands Choice, Health Partners, and Medicare. Coverage varies by plan, so call (515) 987-6332 and we will help you check your benefits.
Ready for Sciatica Relief in Clive?
You do not have to keep working around leg and back pain. Book a first visit with the team at Shaw Spine & Sport in Clive. We will find what is driving your sciatica and build a plan to get you back to sitting, driving, training, and sleeping comfortably.
This information is for educational purposes and is not a substitute for medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Results vary from person to person.
