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An Alternative Look at Sciatica Relief in Yarmouth Maine
Sciatica is a term that most of us have heard of at one time or another. It is not a medical diagnosis but, rather, it’s a group of symptoms that can include lower back pain, leg pain, burning and/or tingling sensation in the legs and even leg weakness.
Sciatica received its name from the Sciatic Nerve. The Sciatic nerve is the largest single nerve in the body and originates in the lower back. From the lower back, it continues down through the buttocks and the back of each leg, until it splits off just behind the knee into 2 different nerves that ultimately end at the foot. Sciatica may occur when the Sciatic nerve becomes pinched or irritated, usually at its point of origin. This is typically due to muscle spasm (especially the piriformis muscle), disc herniation, lower back disc degeneration or excessive weight.
Sciatica Can Be Related to Atlas Misalignment
In our office, we’ve found that patients with sciatica respond quite well to upper cervical care. Upper cervical care looks to realign the top of the neck to the head. The very top bone in the neck is called the Atlas or C-1. The Atlas weighs a mere 2 ounces and supports a 10-15 lb head. Needless to say, the Atlas, much like the Greek god holding the earth on his shoulders, has a pretty important job! The junction between the head and Atlas is a very special joint that is characterized by a rather large range of motion and no disc. With this increased range of motion comes an inherent instability, which leaves the joint prone to misalignment. When the Atlas becomes misaligned relative to your skull, it sets off a cascade of events. The muscles on one side of the spine become tight and the body is forced to compensate by making the hips and shoulders uneven. This compensation can then lead to further problems down the line and serves to further aggravate the Sciatic Nerve.
The best way to address any health condition is to get to the root cause rather than masking the symptoms with short-term fixes. As stated previously, the root cause can often be traced back to the joint between the head and neck.
