Key Treatable Conditions

Sciatica is pain, weakness, and or loss of sensation down the leg that is caused by irritation of the sciatic nerve root. Common causes of sciatica are:

• Slipped/herniated disc
• Spinal Stenosis
• Piriformis syndrome
• Pelvis injury or fracture
• Tumors

(Penn Medicine, 2022)

Healthline suggests that using spinal manipulation techniques and other natural practices, chiropractors can help relieve the pressure on your sciatic nerve. (Sciatica Pain: Can a Chiropractor Provide Relief?, 2021)

A herniated disc is when one of the rubbery cushions that separate two vertebrae in the spine are injured in a way that causes its soft jellylike centre to push out or to the exterior of the harder casing of the disc (Mayo Clinic, 2018). This most commonly happens in the lower back but can happen anywhere in the spine (Mayo Clinic, 2018). When this occurs it can press on the nerves nearby which may cause radicular pain. This is pain that shoots to other parts of the body such as the arms and legs.

To best treat your herniated disc your chiropractor will develop a treatment plan to help ease the pain and other symptoms caused by the herniated disc and help your body to heal as quickly as possible.

Neck pain is extremely common; around 30% of adults will experience neck pain each year and 20%-70% of adults will experience neck pain severe enough to interfere with their daily activities in their lifetime (PPM, 2019).

The one of the most common causes of neck pain is muscle spasms. They are usually caused by:

• having your head or neck in an unusual position for some time
• repeated or extensive movements
• stress or anxiety
• arthritis in the bones of your spine (vertebrae)
• muscle strain from injury
• sleeping with a pillow that is too big or too small.

Other causes of neck pain can be:

• pinched nerves
• inflamed lymph nodes
• arthritis
• bone disorders
• tumours
• thyroid inflammation (Ministry of Health NZ, 2018).

Your chiropractor can help you get to the root cause of your neck pain and devise a care plan to help your body improve how your neck moves and functions.

There are many types of headaches people can experience, some of the causes are:

• Nerves
• Blood vessels
• Muscles
• Brain tumors
• Aneurysm
• Meningitis, a bacterial or viral infection causing inflammation of the brain
• Neck or brain injury (Stanford Healthcare 2022).

Your chiropractor can assess, diagnose, and manage headaches. Evidence suggests that chiropractic care, including manual therapy, can be effective in treating many types of headaches including cervicogenic and tension headaches (CCA, 2022). Studies have also shown that chiropractic care can help decrease the intensity and frequency of migraines (CCA, 2022).

There are many types of headaches people can experience, some of the causes are:

• Nerves
• Blood vessels
• Muscles
• Brain tumors
• Aneurysm
• Meningitis, a bacterial or viral infection causing inflammation of the brain
• Neck or brain injury (Stanford Healthcare 2022).

Your chiropractor can assess, diagnose, and manage headaches. Evidence suggests that chiropractic care, including manual therapy, can be effective in treating many types of headaches including cervicogenic and tension headaches (CCA, 2022). Studies have also shown that chiropractic care can help decrease the intensity and frequency of migraines (CCA, 2022)