Get Relief From Sciatica With Chiropractic Care & Spinal Decompression in houston, tx
Sciatica (Sciatica neuritis) is the name for any irritation to the sciatic nerve. Some patients believe all low back pain is sciatica, but the term is actually very specific to that nerve. The sciatic nerve is the biggest nerve in the entire body and controls the function of several muscles in the lower legs and supplies nerve sensation to most of the lower leg.
Sciatica is a symptom, not the problem itself. Saying you have sciatica is much like saying you have low back pain or shoulder pain. Whatever is causing the irritation of the nerve is the condition that must be addressed, and that's were professional help is needed.
If you're experiencing low back pain, that can be bad enough to ruin your day and affect your ability to do even the most basic activities. Add in pain that shoots into your buttock and down the back of your thigh and it can become absolutely miserable. Finding the cause of the nerve irritation is critical if you hope to get pain relief. Patients that come to us with this type of pain find walking, running, bending and lifting unbearable.
Back pain is not a symptom that should be ignored, but once the nerve is involved, you absolutely cannot ignore it. Nerve pressure over a long period of time can become worse, then lead to permanent changes. Usually, the further down the leg the radiating pain is going , the worse the condition is becoming. When a patient starts chiropractic care, the radiating pain that went all the way down to the foot will improve by just going to the knee, then the hip, then no radiating symptoms at all before the pain goes away. Other patients experience a reduction in the intensity and frequency of the symptoms before the pain goes away all at once. This type of treatment only works if we're able to get pressure off the irritated nerve.
$97 New Patient Special Offer
Step 1 Includes Consultation, Examination & Any Necessary X-rays. Step 2 Includes Doctor's Report Of Findings, First Chiropractic Adjustment & First Additional Therapy (decompression or PEMF)
How Our Care Plan Works
See Exactly What Is Wrong
You won’t be left guessing about your health. We start with a detailed consultation & physical exam, but the real difference is in our comprehensive digital X-rays. You'll see exactly what’s going on: where the spine is misaligned, how severe it is, and why you feel the way you do. Instead of vague explanations or guesswork, you’ll get clear answers that finally make sense of your symptoms & show the best path moving forward.
Achievable & Lasting Results
Your care shouldn’t feel overwhelming or impossible to follow. That’s why we build a personalized plan that works in the real world. We combine chiropractic adjustments, modern therapies, & simple at-home recommendations to help you correct posture, restore movement, & keep your results long after your visit. It’s a straightforward, achievable plan designed to create sustainable improvement—not quick fixes that fade a week later.
Be Able To Do Everything You Want To Do
Our goal goes beyond getting you out of pain—we want to help you get your life back. By addressing the root causes of your discomfort and giving your spine the long-term support it needs, we help you return to the activities that matter most: working without distraction, exercising with confidence, or simply moving through your day without hesitation. We’ll guide you through lasting changes so you can be free to do everything you love.
Services That Work Best For This Condition
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What is Causing Your Nerve Irritation?
When patients come to our office seeking relief from sciatica, we start with an examination. We test your ranges of motion and then perform orthopedic tests that will narrow down the source of your pain. We want to find out specifically what is causing the nerve irritation, leading to the sciatic nerve pain. Very commonly, the source of the pain is a bulging or herniated disc. Patients suffering with a disc problem may notice more pain when they sit or bend forward. Another indication of disc involvement is an increase in pain when coughing, sneezing, or bearing down while using the restroom.
Disc problems need immediate attention, even if that just means support with a back brace and frequent use of ice. Patients that apply heat for a disc problem report their pain goes away when the heat is applied, but becomes much worse once the heat is taken away. Bottom line: don't use heat for disc problems. Disc problems, unlike other back pain causes, can get worse to the point surgery is required. Avoiding movements that require bending, lifting, and twisting (especially while holding anything with weight) is helpful in keeping things from getting worse. If symptoms don't go away or improve within the first couple weeks of chiropractic care, an MRI is needed to get more information.
Other areas that can be irritating the sciatic nerve include your sacroiliac joints (SI joints) and your hip rotator muscles (most commonly the piriformis). The SI joint includes your sacrum and the ilium and you may notice more pain when you lean back instead of bending forward. Patients also report more difficulty when walking or lunging. There's an orthopedic test we perform during the examination that will help us see how this joint is moving and how it may be affecting your sciatic nerve. We can also test your hip rotator muscles for areas of tightness or lack of flexibility. Patients with this problem report increased pain when putting on their shoes or socks.
Degenerative disc disease is a related but different problem — instead of a disc bulging or rupturing, it's the gradual breakdown of the disc as it loses height and hydration over time. As the disc thins, the space between the vertebrae narrows and can put pressure on the nerve roots. This tends to develop slowly, so patients often mistake the early stiffness for normal aging rather than something we can actually treat.
Spinal stenosis is another cause we check for. It's a narrowing of the spaces in the spine that the nerve roots pass through, often from bone spurs, thickened ligaments, or arthritis. Patients with stenosis usually notice their pain gets worse with standing or walking and eases up when they sit or lean forward — the opposite pattern from most disc problems. Spinal decompression and specific adjustments can help open that space back up.
Occasionally the source is spondylolisthesis, where one vertebra has slipped forward over the one below it, narrowing the space where the nerve root exits. This is something we can only confirm on x-ray, since it doesn't always show up clearly on exam alone. If we find it, care is usually more conservative and gradual — gentle, specific adjustments along with decompression and core work to stabilize the area.
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How Do We Know Which Area Is The Problem?
We often find that it's not just one thing that's causing the sciatica. Your disc may be irritated while your hip rotators are tight and your sacroiliac joint is not functioning normally. Our approach is to take massive action and work on all areas that are affecting the nerve. Following your physical examination, we will take any necessary x-rays and assess the areas of potential disc issues and spinal misalignment.
While we can't see discs on x-ray, we can get hints as to how well they're doing. The discs show up on x-ray as a space between the vertebrae. If the spaces between all the vertebrae are consistent, you either don't have a disc problem or you may just have irritation as opposed to bulging or herniation. If one disc height is significantly less than the other discs, you are likely having a problem at that spinal level. We may also see signs of spinal degeneration, like signs of early bone spurs forming or significant degenerative changes. Spinal degeneration will give us a good idea how long the problem has been there, not just the symptom.
We take measurements of the pelvis and each vertebra in your spine to specifically determine how your spine has moved out of place. This allows all of your chiropractic adjustments to help you get the fastest improvement possible. Later in your treatment we will take follow up x-rays to see what's changed and give us information as to what to do next. Your symptoms should start to improve in a few weeks but making lasting changes takes more time. We know your goal is to get out of pain quickly, but you also want to keep it from coming back again.
What Type of Treatment Do WE USE For Sciatica Relief?
Since the problem is what's causing the irritation, not the irritation itself, we utilize multiple therapies and approaches to help you get fast relief and then lasting results.
Chiropractic Care
We have several chiropractic techniques available to address the spinal alignment and function and provide personalized chiropractic care. Most often, we use our hands to feel along your spine and determine which area to adjust. We combine what we find on the evaluation with the information we learned from your x-ray examination to determine which vertebra needs to be adjusted and which direction to adjust it. The adjustments are comfortable and are the foundation of your care plan.
Spinal Decompression in houston, tx
Non-surgical spinal decompression therapy is particularly helpful to alleviate the compression on the discs and the pressure being put on the nerve root because of it. Our spinal decompression unit not only pulls the spine straight down, but has the ability to pull to the side. This allows us to open up the spinal joint on the side that is putting the most pressure on your nerve root. This is an option not available on other spinal decompression units, but one we've found to be particularly helpful with sciatic nerve pain.
PEMF Therapy
PEMF (Pulsed Electromagnetic Field) therapy is another option we use to support sciatica recovery, especially when there's a lot of inflammation around the irritated nerve. It works by sending gentle electromagnetic pulses into the tissue, which helps calm inflammation, improve circulation, and support the body's natural healing process. Patients typically find it relaxing and completely painless. We often pair it with decompression and adjustments to work on the area from multiple angles at once.
Electric Stimulation
Muscle stimulation using our machine is different than a TENS unit you may have used in the past. While TENS units are helpful for providing temporary pain relief, interferential electric stimulation helps reduce pain, inflammation, and spasm. The electric stimulation will be placed over the source of your pain to reduce the symptoms at the disc and nerve root level. We will place ice on your back while you're doing this therapy to further reduce the inflammation during your treatment time.
Mechanical Traction
Once your pain has begun to subside, we will move you to the mechanical traction table. This therapy helps restore blood flow between the vertebrae. Many patients call this therapy their "favorite part" of coming in for treatment, but it's not a therapy we can do at the beginning of your care when you're still in pain. This treatment is helpful in reducing stiffness and improving range of motion in your spine.
Muscle Work & Stretching
Your muscles are an integral part of making sure your spine works like it should and is supported. We utilize the Hypervolt to reduce muscle tension and stiffness prior to your adjustment. Then post-adjustment, we will work on stretching your hip rotator muscles to reduce the pressure on your nerve root as well as help your adjustment stay in place a little longer.
Home Recommendations
Finally, we will give you home recommendations to improve the speed of your results. At the beginning of your care, you'll be coming into the office frequently. As you improve, you'll come in less and less often. The less often we see you, the more important it is to have things you can do at home to keep this problem from returning. Home recommendations may include ice, stretching, exercises, and mobility work (including foam rolling).
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What Can I Do At Home To Help My Sciatica?
While neck pain, back pain, and headaches are the most obvious side effects of working at a desk job, spending your day sitting also increases your risk for developing several other diseases. The most important thing you can do to get better is be consistent with your treatment. We've seen good treatment programs go bad simply because the patient was inconsistent with their care. Spinal adjustments build on each other and the more consistent you are, the better your results.
The same consistency goes for your home care recommendations. The more consistently you add these to your daily routine, the better you'll feel.
- Ice - Your spine has a lot of inflammation at the beginning of care. Using an ice pack 2 - 3x per day will provide a lot of relief and reduce swelling.
- Relief - This cream also reduces inflammation. Icing may not always be a convenient option. Using Relief cream is helpful, especially at night.
- Stretching - Your doctor will provide specific stretches for your hip rotator muscles. The recommended stretches will be based on your current flexibility levels and how comfortable the stretch is to perform.
- Strengthening - It's not enough to just stretch, you'll need to get stronger if you want to keep the pain from coming back. Exercises will be recommended based on your current activity levels, access to gym equipment, and ability to perform the exercises without pain.
- Mobility - In addition to muscles, ligaments, and tendons, your body is filled with fascia. Problems with your fascia can severely limit your ability to get better. Your doctor will show you simple techniques that use a foam roller and a ball (lacrosse ball, baseball, or softball) to break up the fascia and get you feeling better for long periods.
Chiropractic Care & Spinal Decompression in houston, tx
Chiropractic care is designed to locate the areas of your spine that are stuck, misaligned, or both. Finding these misalignments and restoring function is key to better health, pain relief, and a better functioning nervous system. When dealing with sciatica, I don't think you can attain true changes without making sure your spine is working as it should. Covering up the symptoms of sciatic nerve pain with medications won't change how you feel long-term. You have to work on the structure in order to make a lasting change.
At CORE Chiropractic, we utilize several adjusting techniques to help you get the best, most comfortable results possible. We take spinal x-rays to make sure you don't have any underlying conditions that will stop us from working on you, but also to establish a baseline as to where you are at the beginning of care. Later we can do follow up x-rays to show you how much has improved. We love helping our patients get great results in a professional and friendly atmosphere.
Spinal decompression takes pressure off the nerve that causes your sciatic pain. Regular spinal decompression treatments can improve the health of the disc and the space between your vertebrae. This treatment is specifically designed to help with bulging or herniated discs, which can be a major factor in your ongoing sciatica.
$97 New Patient Special Offer
Step 1 Includes Consultation, Examination & Any Necessary X-rays. Step 2 Includes Doctor's Report Of Findings, First Chiropractic Adjustment & First Additional Therapy (decompression or PEMF)
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS ABOUT SCIATICA
Yes, and chiropractic is one of the most effective non-surgical options for sciatica because it treats the cause rather than masking the pain. Sciatica isn't a diagnosis on its own, it's a symptom of something pressing on the sciatic nerve, usually a herniated or bulging disc, a sacroiliac joint problem, or a tight piriformis muscle. At CORE we run orthopedic tests and on-site X-rays to pinpoint exactly which of those is irritating your nerve, then use precise adjustments and non-surgical spinal decompression to take the pressure off. Covering up nerve pain with medication doesn't change the structure causing it, so lasting relief comes from correcting the source.
Most patients start noticing improvement within the first few weeks of care, though the exact timeline depends on what's causing the nerve irritation and how long it's been there. A good early sign is when the radiating pain begins to retreat: pain that ran all the way to your foot pulls back to the knee, then the hip, then disappears. That's the nerve pressure releasing. Making lasting changes so it doesn't return takes longer than just calming the symptoms, which is why we build a full care plan rather than chasing quick relief. At your first visit we take X-rays and give you a specific timeline based on what we actually see.
Sciatica is pain that starts in your lower back or buttock and shoots down the back of your thigh, sometimes all the way to your foot, following the path of the sciatic nerve. It often comes with numbness, tingling, or weakness in the leg, and it's usually on one side. A telling clue about the cause: if it hurts more when you sit, bend forward, cough, or sneeze, that points to a disc problem, while pain that's worse when you lean back or put on your shoes points more toward the SI joint or hip muscles. The further down your leg the pain travels, the more the condition needs attention, since prolonged nerve pressure can lead to permanent changes.
Lying on your back with a pillow under your knees, or on your side with a pillow between your knees, takes pressure off the sciatic nerve and keeps your spine in a more neutral position. Sleeping on your stomach tends to make sciatica worse, since it arches the low back and can increase nerve irritation.
Acupuncture can help take the edge off the pain, but it doesn't address what's mechanically pressing on the nerve. Chiropractic care works directly on the structural cause — the disc, joint, or muscle involvement — which is why it tends to produce more lasting results for sciatica specifically.
Light, controlled movement is usually fine and can even help, but heavy lifting or high-impact training can aggravate the nerve further. It's worth checking with your chiropractor before continuing your regular routine so we can tell you what's safe to keep doing and what to hold off on.
Mild sciatica from simple irritation can settle on its own, but pain that involves the nerve should not be ignored, especially if it's lasting more than a couple of weeks or traveling further down your leg. Unlike ordinary muscle strain, a disc problem pressing on the nerve can get progressively worse to the point where surgery becomes the only option. The safer path is to find out what's causing it early. If your symptoms don't improve within the first couple weeks of conservative care, that's when we'd recommend an MRI for a closer look. Getting evaluated doesn't commit you to anything, but ignoring nerve pain can cost you options later.
Yes, non-surgical spinal decompression is one of the most effective treatments for sciatica caused by a bulging or herniated disc, which is the most common cause. It gently relieves the pressure on the disc and the nerve root, which lets blood and oxygen flow back in to help the disc heal. What makes our approach different is that our decompression unit can pull to the side, not just straight down, so we can open the specific spinal joint that's pressing on your nerve. Most units can't do that, and we've found it particularly helpful for sciatic pain that's coming from one side.
Usually, yes. We're in-network with most major plans including Blue Cross Blue Shield, Aetna, UnitedHealthcare, and Cigna, and sciatica is one of the most commonly covered chiropractic conditions. If you're not sure whether we take your plan, we'll verify your benefits before your first visit so you know your costs up front. We also see cash-pay patients and offer our $97 new patient special, which covers the consultation, exam, any necessary X-rays, your first adjustment, and your first therapy session (decompression or PEMF).
It can, if it's the wrong stretch or you push too far. Overstretching an already irritated nerve can aggravate it rather than help it, which is why we give patients specific stretches based on what's actually causing their sciatica rather than a generic routine.
The most common triggers are prolonged sitting, poor posture, sudden or awkward movements, heavy lifting, and stress, all of which can put extra pressure back on an already irritated nerve. Staying consistent with your adjustments and home care is the best way to keep flare-ups from happening.
I was one of those chiropractor skeptics and have suffered from neck, sciatica, and knee pain for many years. I finally decided to come here through a friend referral and I'm so glad I did! I have only been here a couple of visits of many more to come but can already FEEL the huge difference. I have almost full range of motion in my neck for the 1st time in about a year And not to mention that I can finally sleep through the night pain free. Thank you Dr. Brown and the rest of the office personnel for your excellent care and professionalism.
sara s.
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