How do you get rid of sciatica?
Sciatica
Sciatica is pressure on the sciatic nerve, usually from a disc or a tight joint in the low back. Taking the pressure off is what makes it stop. Dr. Frank uses decompression and flexion-distraction to open the space around the nerve, which is why sciatica responds to chiropractic so well.
What it usually looks like
- Pain running down the back of one leg
- Numbness or tingling in the foot
- Worse when sitting
- Sharp pain when you cough or sneeze
How Dr. Frank treats it
Spinal decompression and flexion-distraction, plus adjustments to the pelvis and low back.
Why it happens
What causes sciatica
A disc pressing on the nerve root
The sciatic nerve is made of roots that leave the low back between the vertebrae. A bulging disc that touches one of those roots sends pain, tingling, or numbness down the path of the nerve, into the buttock, the back of the thigh, and sometimes the foot.
A stuck joint or a tight piriformis
Not every sciatica is a disc. A locked sacroiliac joint or a tight piriformis muscle in the hip can irritate the nerve where it passes. These respond fast to the right treatment and poorly to the wrong one, which is why the exam matters.
Sitting and driving
Sitting compresses the low back and puts the hip muscles in a shortened position. Long commutes on I-4 are one of the most common stories Dr. Frank hears from sciatica patients.
What to expect
Visit one, and how long it takes
Your first visit
The first visit sorts out where your sciatica is coming from: disc, joint, or muscle. Dr. Frank tests each one. Then he treats the actual cause, usually flexion-distraction or decompression for a disc, an adjustment for a joint, and specific work on the hip for a muscle. You leave with a straight answer about what it is and how long it should take.
How many visits
Joint and muscle sciatica often turns a corner in 1 to 3 visits. Disc-related sciatica takes longer, typically 4 to 8 weeks, and leg pain usually fades before the back pain does. If nothing has changed by visit six, the plan changes or you get referred.
When it is not a chiropractic problem
See a medical doctor first if you have
- Numbness in the groin or inner thighs, or loss of bladder or bowel control (go to the ER)
- Weakness that is getting worse day by day, or a foot that drags
- Sciatica in both legs at once
Dr. Frank screens for every one of these on visit one and refers out when he finds them. If any of them is happening right now, call 911 or go to the nearest emergency room.
Questions
About sciatica
How long does sciatica last?
Untreated it can drag on for months. With decompression most people notice real change inside a few weeks.
Do I need surgery for sciatica?
Most people do not. Decompression is the non-surgical option and it is worth trying first. Dr. Frank tells you honestly if he thinks you need a surgical opinion.
Is it sciatica or piriformis syndrome?
They feel similar. Sciatica from a disc is worse sitting and bending forward; piriformis pain is worse with the hip flexed and rotated, and there is no numbness in the foot. The exam sorts it out in a few minutes.
Should I stretch or rest?
Neither alone. Bed rest makes sciatica worse after a day or two, and the wrong stretch can flare a disc. Dr. Frank gives you the two or three movements that help your kind of sciatica, and tells you which ones to skip.
Can a chiropractor fix sciatica permanently?
If the cause is a stuck joint or a tight hip, often yes, with a few visits and the right home work. If the cause is a disc, care gets you out of pain and the plan you leave with keeps it from coming back; a disc that is abused again can flare again.
The patient and any other person responsible for payment has a right to refuse to pay, cancel payment, or be reimbursed for payment for any other service, examination, or treatment that is performed as a result of and within 72 hours of responding to the advertisement for the free, discounted fee, or reduced fee service, examination, or treatment.
Reviewed by Dr. Frank Comparetti, D.C. Last updated September 28, 2026.
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