That shooting pain down your leg? Let's figure out what's actually causing it.
If you've got pain running from your lower back or buttock down the back of your leg — sometimes all the way into your foot — there's a good chance the sciatic nerve is involved. It's one of the most common reasons people come to see us, and it's also one of the most misunderstood. A lot of folks assume it's just something they have to live with. Most of the time, that's not true — most cases get better with conservative care, though a few need more.
What sciatica can feel like:
- Sharp, shooting, or burning pain down one leg
- Numbness or tingling in the leg, calf, or foot
- Pain that gets worse when you sit too long, cough, or sneeze
- Weakness or that "leg might give out" feeling
- Aching in the lower back or buttock, sometimes dull, sometimes intense
Here's the thing most people don't realize: sciatica describes a set of symptoms, not a single diagnosis. Something is irritating the nerve — most often a herniated disc or bone spur pressing on a nerve root in the low back, or sometimes a tight muscle in the buttock (piriformis) pressing on the nerve itself. That's why the first visit matters so much. We do a full evaluation to find out what's actually driving your symptoms instead of guessing.
From there, treatment is built around what we find. That might mean chiropractic adjustments to restore motion, soft tissue work to calm down irritated muscles, rehab exercises to help keep the problem from coming back, or — in certain disc-related cases — spinal decompression. No two cases get the exact same plan, and not every option fits every case.
If any of that sounds familiar, come in and let us take a look. We'll evaluate you thoroughly, tell you straight what we find, and be honest about whether we think we
Sciatica is a set of symptoms, not a single diagnosis — something is irritating the sciatic nerve. Most often it’s a herniated disc or bone spur pressing a nerve root in the low back, sometimes a tight piriformis muscle in the buttock. Your evaluation identifies which one is driving yours.
If leg pain, numbness, or tingling persists more than a few days or keeps returning, get evaluated. Come sooner with weakness or severe pain.
Many cases turn a corner within a few weeks of consistent conservative care. Nerve symptoms like numbness usually fade last. We’ll track your progress honestly — and refer you out if you’re not trending the right way.
We map your symptoms, test nerve function and reflexes, check how your low back moves, and determine what’s irritating the nerve. You leave with a straight explanation of the cause and a treatment plan built around it.
Sometimes mild cases settle down with time and movement. But sciatica that lingers, worsens, or comes with weakness deserves evaluation — waiting on a compressed nerve can let it get worse. When in doubt, get checked.