Nerve root
Disc pressing on a root
A bulging lumbar disc irritating the nerve where it leaves the spine. Typically follows a clear dermatome down the leg.
Great Totham · Maldon · Essex CM9 8DG
Call 01621 731671
ELARIS CHIROPRACTIC& WELLBEING CENTRE
Sciatica & leg pain · Great Totham, near Maldon & Tiptree
Sciatica: find out which nerve, and why, before treating it.
Pain that runs from the back into the buttock, thigh or calf is one of the most misdiagnosed complaints we see. It gets called sciatica whether or not the sciatic nerve is actually involved — and the treatment for those two situations is not the same.
So we test properly: reflexes, muscle power, sensation and the specific movements that provoke and relieve it. That tells us where the irritation is coming from before anyone lays a hand on you.
What patients describe
- A line of pain from the buttock down the back of the leg
- Pins and needles, or numbness, in the calf or foot
- Worse sitting, driving, or coughing and sneezing
- A leg that feels weak, heavy or unreliable
- Little or no back pain — just the leg
Numbness around the saddle area, both legs affected, or loss of bladder or bowel control needs urgent medical attention — go to A&E.
Why it happens
Four sources of the same leg pain.
Sciatica is a description of where you feel it, not a diagnosis of what is causing it. Getting that distinction right is most of the job.
Canal
Narrowing of the exit
Age-related narrowing around the nerve's exit. Often eased by sitting or leaning forward, worse walking any distance.
Joint
Sacroiliac referral
The pelvic joint refers pain into the buttock and thigh convincingly, but stops short of true nerve signs.
Muscle
Gluteal entrapment
Deep hip muscles compressing the nerve after it leaves the spine. Common in runners, cyclists and long-distance drivers.
How we treat it
The Elaris Method™, applied to the nerve.
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01
Assess
Neurological testing to map which level is involved, and whether the nerve or the joint is generating the symptoms.
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02
Adjust
Restoring movement at the level involved and reducing the mechanical irritation around the nerve.
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03
Reset
Calming a sensitised nerve. Irritated nerves stay noisy after the cause has settled unless that is addressed directly.
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04
Sustain
Hip and trunk strength, plus sitting and driving changes, so the nerve is not re-irritated every day.
In their words
★★★★★
“I had been referred for x-rays, MRI and physio. All that was offered was exercises, and these didn’t help at all. I came across Steve at Elaris and had a couple of sessions with him. My pains left me and have never returned.”
★★★★★
“Currently training for a long distance event whilst trying to deal with lower back and knee pain. Discussing the problem with Steve and Jo — as well as identifying some more underlying elements I hadn’t considered — in a short period of time my mobility has improved.”
Reviews left by patients on Google. Read all fourteen. Individual results vary.
Questions
Sciatica, answered.
Is all leg pain sciatica?+
No, and this matters. True sciatica is irritation of the sciatic nerve or its roots. Pain in the same area can also come from the hip, the sacroiliac joint or the gluteal muscles — and those need different treatment. Neurological testing tells us which you have.
Can chiropractic help sciatica?+
Where the irritation comes from restricted or irritated structures in the lower spine, restoring movement and reducing that irritation often settles the leg symptoms. Where the cause is something else, we will tell you and refer you on.
What do pins and needles mean?+
It suggests the nerve itself is involved rather than just the joint. Not necessarily serious, but it changes how we assess and monitor you — and it is a reason to be seen sooner rather than later.
Scans and physio didn’t help. Is there any point?+
Imaging shows structure, not always the source of the pain, and generic exercise sheets often miss the mechanics driving it. A fresh hands-on assessment frequently finds something earlier care did not address.
Leg pain that nobody has explained to you properly is worth a second opinion.
Book your appointment