Gonstead-specific chiropractic care that identifies what's actually irritating the nerve before recommending care.
Sciatica describes pain, numbness, tingling, or weakness that radiates from the low back down through the buttock and leg, following the path of the sciatic nerve. It's a symptom, not a diagnosis on its own — the Gonstead approach is built around finding what's actually irritating the nerve before recommending care.
Sciatica refers to pain traveling down the leg from an inflamed nerve in the low back — but there are several different nerves that can travel down the leg from the lumbar spine and pelvis, so radicular leg pain is never a one-size-fits-all condition. The cause can be as specific as a single misalignment anywhere across the lumbar spine and pelvis, which together are made up of eight individual bones. Two people with the same "sciatica" symptoms can have entirely different underlying causes, which is why treating it as a single generic condition doesn't hold up.
Because disc involvement is common with sciatic symptoms, x-ray analysis is a key part of the exam for these cases — it lets us see disc spacing and alignment directly rather than inferring it, combined with motion/static palpation and Nervoscope readings to locate the exact level of nerve irritation. Your first visit includes a full history, exam, and x-rays if clinically indicated.
If you have sudden loss of bladder or bowel control, progressive leg weakness, or numbness in the groin or saddle area along with your leg pain, seek emergency medical care immediately — these can indicate a condition requiring urgent attention, not a routine chiropractic visit.