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TexStar Chiropractic

Sciatica Treatment

Sciatica is pain that starts in the buttock or low back and runs down the leg. TexStar looks for the source, because several tissues can imitate that pattern. The name alone does not pick the treatment.

AustinBee CaveBudaDripping Springs / Belterra
Book your visitCall (512) 899-2228
Dr. John E. Jacobson adjusting a patient's lower back

What it feels like

What the Leg Is Usually Doing

Note which of these match. The combination tells the chiropractor more than the word sciatica does.
  • A line of pain from the buttock into the back of the thigh or calf
  • Burning or electric sensations rather than a dull ache
  • Pins and needles in the foot or along the outside of the shin
  • Symptoms that spike when you sit, drive, or sneeze

How Texstar Sorts the Leg Pain

The exam checks whether the pain follows a nerve, a joint, or a tight muscle such as the piriformis. Reflexes, a straight-leg test, and a strength check matter more than the word sciatica on an old note.

The Impostors Worth Ruling Out

A hip joint, the sacroiliac joint, and the gluteal muscles can all refer pain into the thigh convincingly. So can a nerve irritated further down the leg rather than at the spine. Each of those responds to something different, which is why a treatment plan built on the label alone tends to stall.

Treatments That May Be Used

If the pattern fits a disc irritating the nerve, spinal decompression is often the first machine considered. An adjustment or rehab may be added to change how the back is loaded. Medication is not part of this visit.

What Improvement Tends to Look Like

Useful progress often shows up as the pain retreating up the leg before it gets less intense, so calf symptoms fade and the buttock is the last to quiet down. That direction matters more than the daily pain score, and it is what the chiropractor asks about between sessions.

Sitting, Driving, and the Commute

Sitting loads the lower discs more than standing does, which is why a stretch on MoPac or I-35 can undo a good morning. Expect practical instructions about seat position, breaks, and how to get in and out of the car, because for many people that is the difference between progress and a rerun.

When Leg Pain Should Not Wait for a Chiropractic Slot

A foot that is dragging more each hour, or numbness with loss of bladder control, needs an emergency department. Call the clinic only after that has been ruled out.

Leg Symptoms That Are an Emergency

Do not wait for an appointment. These need assessment the same day.

  • A foot that is dragging or catching more as the hours pass
  • Numbness between the legs or around the saddle area
  • Losing control of your bladder or bowels
  • Severe leg pain in both legs at once, arriving suddenly
  • Calf swelling, warmth, and tenderness, which needs a clot ruled out

Where

Available at all four clinics

Same offer and same phone number at every office. Name the clinic you want when you book.

First visit

What the First Visit Includes

One appointment covers the consultation, exam, one trial treatment, and a findings review.
See what the first visit includesBook your visit

Questions

Common Questions

Answers from the chiropractors. Anything specific to you is for your doctor, not a web page.
Does decompression fix a pinched sciatic nerve?

It may reduce pain and improve walking for some disc-related cases. It does not guarantee the nerve irritation will disappear.

Is sciatica a diagnosis?

It is a description of a pattern, not a cause. The useful question is which structure is irritating the nerve, and that is what the exam is for.

Why does sitting make it so much worse?

Sitting increases the load on the lower discs and shortens the muscles at the back of the hip. If a disc is part of your picture, a long drive is one of the harder things you can ask of it.

Should I stretch my hamstring?

Be careful. If the nerve itself is irritated, aggressive hamstring stretching can pull on the thing that already hurts. Ask the chiropractor which stretches apply to your exam findings.

How long until I notice anything?

Some people feel a change within a couple of sessions, others take weeks, and some need a referral instead. The chiropractor retests rather than asking you to keep booking on faith.

Can I be seen at any TexStar clinic?

Yes. All four offices examine sciatica-type leg pain and all four have the spinal decompression table.

Keep reading

Related Pages

The treatments the chiropractor may reach for, and the conditions that overlap with this one.

Founder

Dr. Michael P. Henry

Dr. Henry founded TexStar Chiropractic in 2011. He grew up in Manchaca, studied kinesiology at The University of Texas, and was appointed to the Texas Board of Chiropractic Examiners. Your visit is with the chiropractor at the clinic you choose.

Get to the Root of Your Pain

The consultation, the exam, one trial treatment, and a review of what your doctor found, in a single appointment.

Book your visitCall (512) 899-2228