Sciatica Treatment
Sciatica usually means pain that starts in the buttock or low back and runs down the leg along the sciatic nerve. Several tissues can imitate that pattern, so the name alone does not pick the treatment.
What it feels like
What the Leg Is Usually Doing
- 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.
Step by step
What the First Sciatica Visit Covers
The goal of visit one is a clear answer on which tissue is producing the leg pain.
- 1A history of where the pain travels and what reliably sets it off
- 2Straight-leg testing, reflexes, and strength to test nerve involvement
- 3One trial treatment, often decompression when a disc pattern fits
- 4A findings review with instructions for sitting and driving
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
Austin
4601 Southwest Pkwy, Suite 101, Austin, TX 78735
Mon–Thu 8am–6pm · Fri 8am–12pm
Austin clinicBee Cave
11614 Bee Caves Rd, Suite 110, Bee Cave, TX 78738
Mon–Thu 8am–6pm · Fri 8am–12pm
Bee Cave clinicBuda
181 Cimarron Park Loop, Suite D, Buda, TX 78610
Mon–Thu 9am–6pm · Fri 8am–12pm
Buda clinicDripping Springs / Belterra
13341 W US-290, Suite 102, Austin, TX 78737
Mon–Thu 8am–6pm · Fri 8am–12pm
Dripping Springs / Belterra clinic
First visit
What the $98 New-Patient Visit Includes
- 1
Consultation
You tell the chiropractor what hurts, what you want to get back to, and which clinic you are visiting.
- 2
Exam
A neuro-musculo-skeletal exam looks for the source: the joint, the muscle, and the nerve.
- 3
Trial Treatment
One session of spinal decompression, cold laser, or spot cryotherapy, chosen from the exam. That session is included in the visit.
- 4
Findings Review
Your Chiropractor will go over the results of the exam and discuss a plan of care.
Questions
Common Questions
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
Herniated Disc
The disc picture that most often sits behind true sciatica.
Lower Back Pain
When the pain stays in the back rather than the leg.
Spinal Decompression
The traction table used for fitting disc cases.
Sciatica in South Austin
Leg pain exams at 4601 Southwest Parkway, Suite 101.
Sciatica in Bee Cave
Decompression is in Suite 110 on Bee Caves Road.
Sciatica in Buda
Suite D on Cimarron Park Loop, for Kyle and Manchaca.
Sciatica in Dripping Springs
Suite 102 on US-290, on the Belterra side of the highway.
Founder
Dr. Michael P. Henry, DC
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 an exam, not a guess
The consultation, the exam, one trial treatment, and a review of the findings, in a single appointment. Mention the $98 offer when you book. Restrictions may apply.