Are you dealing with chronic pain radiating from your lower back to your extremities? If so, you may be showing signs of sciatica. You don't have to live with this lingering pain, as the Chiropractic Care & Rehabilitation Center provides sciatica care in Erie, PA. Dr. Brian Zimmer is your trusted chiropractor who will handle your back pain with care and compassion. He will assess the root of your condition to find the best treatment.
What Is Sciatica?
Sciatica is a painful condition that can develop over time. It affects the sciatic nerve, the longest nerve in your body. This nerve starts in your lower back, goes down your buttocks, and down the leg to the back of each heel. There is one on each side. When the sciatic nerve is compressed, the result could be burning or stinging pain starting at the lower back and traveling down the extremities. Sciatica usually comes from a bulging or herniated disc compressing one of the sciatic nerve’s roots. You may develop a disc injury from repetitive movements or an acute injury such as a slip and fall or car collision. Luckily, the trusted care of a chiropractor like Dr. Zimmer can get to the origin of this problem and start realigning your back so you can experience a life without pain and numbness.
How Can Dr. Zimmer Help?
When you go to Dr. Zimmer for sciatica care in Erie, PA, he may use Gonstead spinal adjustments, spinal decompression, or electric muscle stimulation. During an adjustment, he gently applies pressure to your spinal joints. Over a series of sessions, your bulging or herniated disc can eventually move back into place and off the sciatic nerve. Gonstead adjustments are only done with the minimal amount of force necessary, and only after the chiropractor conducts a careful analysis of exactly where they are needed.
Another option may be spinal decompression. This treatment stretches the spine. You will lie on a computerized table with a harness around your waist. The computer gradually stretches you, producing a vacuum-like effect within the discs. It helps the disc center move back into place, freeing the sciatic nerve.
During electric muscle stimulation, electrodes are placed on your skin. Electrical pulses are sent through your soft tissue and help relieve muscle tension built up near the nerve. This can reduce muscle inflammation, reducing pressure in the area.
When you need sciatica care in Erie, PA, schedule a consultation at the Chiropractic Care & Rehabilitation Center. Dr. Zimmer has helped several people in the community with back pain, and he’s eager to help you too. Call us at 814-825-2196 to learn more.