Question:
What is the best treatment for sciatic pain? Is it exercise, medication, vodoo?

Answer:

Manipulative treatment for sciatica is not a good idea because it causes trauma in the area around the nerve sleeve, which then has to heal a second time, further exacerbating the condition. If elasticty of the soft tissues is diminshed, localised or referred pain will be more readily produced. Chronic sufferers should therefore not be manipulated.

As a general guide relating to sciatic pain, the hip and groin are supplied by nerves from the L1 level, the thigh by L1 and L2, the knee by L3, the hamstring by L4, and the calf, ankle and foot by L5 and S1 (affected in 85% of cases).

The treatment of sciatia is easily carried out by decompressing the sciatic nerve at the affected joint level in order to remove the source of friction against the nerve. Results are felt after only a few sessions when neuro-muscular and skeletal functions are restored. The straight-leg raising test (Lasague Test) can give a good indication of the level of compression required and which section of the spine is causing the problem, but too few practitioners and even fewer doctors know how to effectively treat sciatica.

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