It usually starts in the lower back. A sharp, burning sensation that shoots down through your hip and into your leg. Sometimes it runs all the way to your foot. Some days it is a constant, aching burn. Other days it flares without warning when you bend over, stand up from a chair, or even just cough. If this sounds familiar, there is a very good chance you are dealing with sciatica.
Sciatica is one of the most common and most disruptive pain conditions that brings patients to our office at Keystone Chiropractic. It affects how you sit, how you sleep, how you drive, and how you move through everyday life. And while it can feel overwhelming, especially when the pain is at its worst, the good news is that sciatica responds exceptionally well to the right type of care. Understanding what is causing it is the first step toward getting rid of it.
What Sciatica Actually Is
Sciatica is not a diagnosis in itself. It is a symptom, a description of pain that follows the path of the sciatic nerve. The sciatic nerve is the longest and thickest nerve in the body, running from the lower spine through the buttock and down the back of each leg. When something puts pressure on or irritates this nerve near where it exits the spine, the result is the radiating pain, numbness, tingling, or weakness that defines sciatica.
The pain typically affects one side of the body, though the severity and specific pattern can vary widely from person to person. Some people experience a dull, constant ache. Others describe sharp, electric jolts that stop them in their tracks. Some notice numbness or a pins-and-needles sensation in the leg or foot. And in more advanced cases, the affected leg may feel weak, making it difficult to walk, climb stairs, or maintain balance.
The Most Common Causes
Sciatica is almost always caused by a structural issue in the lower spine that is compressing or irritating the sciatic nerve. The most common culprits include herniated discs, bulging discs, degenerative disc disease, spinal stenosis, and spinal misalignment.
A herniated disc is the most frequent cause. When the soft, gel-like center of a spinal disc pushes through a tear in the tougher outer layer, it can press directly on the nerve root that feeds into the sciatic nerve. A bulging disc creates a similar effect, though the disc material has not fully ruptured. In both cases, the result is nerve compression that sends pain signals radiating down the leg.
Degenerative disc disease occurs when the discs between the vertebrae gradually lose height and hydration over time, narrowing the space where nerves exit the spine. Spinal stenosis involves a narrowing of the spinal canal itself, which can compress the nerve roots at multiple levels. And spinal misalignment, or subluxation, can shift vertebrae out of position in a way that places pressure on the sciatic nerve even when the discs appear relatively healthy.
What many people do not realize is that sciatica often builds gradually before it becomes noticeable. The disc may have been deteriorating for months or years before the pain finally surfaces. A sudden flare, triggered by something as simple as bending to pick up a grocery bag, is usually the last straw in a long chain of structural decline, not the beginning of the problem.
Why Medication and Rest Are Not Enough
When sciatica strikes, the instinct is to take pain medication and rest until it passes. And sometimes the acute pain does settle down after a few days or weeks. But if the underlying structural cause is still there, the sciatica will return. It might be triggered by a different movement next time, or it might come back worse than before, but the pattern will repeat until the root cause is addressed.
Pain medication masks the signal. It does not change what is happening at the disc or vertebral level. Anti-inflammatory drugs can temporarily reduce swelling around the nerve, which provides relief, but they do not retract a herniated disc or correct a spinal misalignment. Muscle relaxers ease the protective tension in the surrounding muscles, but they do nothing for the structural issue that caused the tension in the first place.
This is the cycle that so many sciatica sufferers get trapped in: flare, medicate, feel better, stop medication, flare again. Breaking that cycle requires getting to the source.
How We Diagnose Sciatica at Keystone Chiropractic
At Keystone Chiropractic, we do not guess. Before we recommend any treatment, we perform a comprehensive neuro-structural evaluation to identify exactly what is compressing the sciatic nerve and where the problem is occurring.
Your evaluation begins with an infrared thermography scan, which measures heat patterns along the spine. Areas of inflammation and nerve interference produce elevated temperatures, and the scan pinpoints precisely where those hotspots are located. For sciatica patients, we typically see significant findings in the lower lumbar region where the sciatic nerve originates.
Digital x-rays reveal the structural alignment of your lumbar spine, showing whether vertebrae have shifted, whether disc height has been lost, and whether degenerative changes are contributing to the compression. Motion x-rays take the analysis further by showing how the vertebrae move in real time, identifying segments that are stuck, unstable, or moving abnormally under load. This combination of tools gives us a level of diagnostic precision that allows us to build a targeted care plan rather than a generic one.
Treatment: Adjustments and Spinal Decompression
Once we understand the structural cause of your sciatica, treatment focuses on two complementary approaches: neuro-structural chiropractic adjustments and spinal decompression therapy.
Our adjustments target the specific vertebrae that are contributing to the nerve compression. Rather than adjusting the entire spine, we focus on the areas that our analysis identified as the most critical. This precision is what separates our approach from a general adjustment. For patients who prefer a gentler experience, our computerized adjusting instrument delivers controlled corrections without twisting or cracking.
Spinal decompression is often one of the most effective treatments for sciatica because it directly addresses the disc component. Using a specialized table, we gently stretch the lumbar spine to create negative pressure within the affected disc space. This negative pressure encourages a herniated or bulging disc to retract back toward its normal position, pulling it away from the nerve it has been compressing. It also draws nutrient-rich fluid and oxygen into the disc, creating the conditions for actual healing rather than just symptom management.
Low back decompression sessions at Keystone last about 6 to 8 minutes. Most patients describe the sensation as a slow, comfortable stretch, and many feel noticeable relief during or immediately after their session. When decompression is paired with targeted adjustments that restore proper spinal alignment, the results tend to be more complete and longer lasting than either treatment alone.
Supporting Your Recovery
Structural correction is the foundation of sciatica treatment, but supporting your body’s healing process from the inside out makes a real difference in how quickly you improve. Inflammation around the compressed nerve is often a major factor in sciatica pain, and reducing that inflammation helps calm the nerve and accelerate recovery.
At Keystone Chiropractic, we may recommend professional-grade supplements like curcumin and astaxanthin for their natural anti-inflammatory properties. These supplements work at the cellular level to help your body manage inflammation without the side effects that come with long-term medication use. They are available through our online Fullscript portal at 20 to 25 percent off retail pricing, making them accessible alongside your in-office care.
Being mindful of your daily habits also matters. Avoiding prolonged sitting, using proper lifting mechanics, and choosing supportive sleeping positions can all help prevent re-irritation of the sciatic nerve between visits. Your chiropractor can offer specific guidance based on your condition and the activities you engage in day to day.
Stop Living Around Your Sciatica
Sciatica has a way of shrinking your world. You stop bending, stop lifting, stop sitting for long stretches, stop doing the things that trigger the pain. But avoiding the triggers is not the same as fixing the problem. The nerve is still compressed. The disc is still displaced. And every time you adjust your life to work around the pain, the underlying condition is quietly getting worse.
If you are in Plano, Frisco, or the greater DFW area and you are ready to address the structural cause of your sciatica rather than just managing the symptoms, your Plano chiropractor and the Keystone Chiropractic team are here to help. Book your appointment with us today.
