Dr. Victoria E. Malchar

I am so sorry you are experiencing this. Sciatic pain is not fun and can be very disabling. There are many contributing factors that can cause these type of symptoms of chronic leg pain.Sciatica is a nerve that is pinched. Most of the time it is from vertebral subluxation in the lower lumbar spine. This responds very well to Chiropractic Care. If there is a bulging disc the muscles in the spine will go into a protective spasm to prevent further irritation of the sciatic nerve. In this case you do not want to have a massage to release the spasm. The pressure must be removed from the disc by correcting the subluxations in the spine and pelvis first. Once this is done massage can be utilized. I often prescribe massage therapy and/or physical therapy once the subluxation is stabilized.
Another cause to leg pain may be a piriformis spasm which often traps the nerve in the lower buttock area. Massage therapy is very helpful with reducing the spasms and giving temporary relief however the misalignment of the pelvis needs to be addressed by a Chiropractor so that the problem does not repeat itself. Chiropractors are specialists trained in restoring the functioning of your nervous system. I would always do the chiropractic first and let them decide what is the correct treatment for your condition.
Here is a quick question for you.
If you had a tight rubber band on your finger what would it do to the finger?.....( it would hurt, get swollen, cut off circulation)
Then would massaging the finger fix the problem? (No)
Would exercising fix the problem? (No)
Would taking medication fix the problem? (No)
All these methods only treat the symptoms what needs to be done is to remove the rubber band. This is what Chiropractors do for your nervous system. We remove the subluxations caused by misaligned vertebrae and free the nerve thereby removing pain and restoring function. I hope this will help you in making your decision.

I love that term real doctors!
If you base what a real doctor is by finding and treating the cause of your health problem then Chiropractors are the only real doctors. Chiropractors get to the cause not by treating symptoms.
We need all the healing professions!
Chiropractors and Medical Doctors are different methods of treatment. Medical Doctors are the specialist in treating diseases and broken bones. Chiropractors find the cause and help with prevention of disease in the first place.
Here is our prerequisite and courses as compared with Medical Doctors.
Certification, Licensure and Education

Chiropractic is a regulated health care profession in the United States–and has been for more than 100 years. Before being granted a license to practice, doctors of chiropractic (DCs) must meet stringent educational and competency standards.1

Along with completing pre-professional college education and graduating from an accredited chiropractic college, DCs who wish to attain a license to practice in the U.S. must first pass rigorous national board exams to verify that they have the knowledge and skills necessary to effectively and safely treat patients.1 Individual state chiropractic boards, which approve and manage licensure, have additional requisites that must be met.

National Testing
The national board exam system for the chiropractic profession is managed by the National Board of Chiropractic Examiners (NBCE). NBCE develops, administers and scores standardized exams that assess chiropractic college graduates’ knowledge, higher-level cognitive abilities and problem-solving in various basic science and clinical science subjects. NBCE’s exam is divided into four parts: basic sciences (Part I), clinical sciences (Part II), clinical competency (Part III), and practical skills (Part IV).

State Licensure
Each state has its own requirements for chiropractic licenses, based in part on the scope of practice determined by the state for DCs within its borders. In some states, chiropractors may provide a wide variety of treatments; in others, their services are more focused. In addition to meeting established educational requirements and passing national board exams, licensure in a state might include testing to verify a doctor’s knowledge of the state scope of practice, a background check, providing personal references, and proof of malpractice insurance.

Most states have their own chiropractic regulatory board that not only administers licensing for chiropractors but also takes action in cases where consumer complaints are reported. In some states where there is no chiropractic-specific board, this role is administered through a state medical board or a board that represents multiple healthcare professions.

Like their medical colleagues, chiropractors must renew their licenses on a regular basis. As a requirement for renewal, most states mandate that chiropractors take continuing education (CE) courses and earn a specific number of CE credits each year.

The Federation of Chiropractic Licensing Boards (FCLB) provides a forum in which state chiropractic licensing board members meet to address common areas of interest and concern with respect to chiropractic regulatory law. Among its activities, FCLB compiles and publishes regulatory board contact information (see list here) and summaries of the requirements to obtain and maintain licensed status in the United States and its territories, Canada, and Australia. FCLB also maintains a database of public actions taken with regard to individual chiropractic licenses, provides certification of chiropractic continuing education courses through its PACE program and provides a certification course for chiropractic assistants.

Education
DCs are educated in nationally accredited, four-year doctoral graduate school programs through a curriculum that includes a minimum of 4,200 hours of classroom, laboratory and clinical internship, with the average DC program equivalent in classroom hours to allopathic (MD) and osteopathic (DO) medical schools.

Chiropractors are designated as physician-level providers in the vast majority of states and the federal Medicare program. The essential services provided by DCs are also available in federal health delivery systems, including those administered by Medicaid, the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, the U.S. Department of Defense, the Federal Employees Health Benefits Program, Federal Workers’ Compensation, and all state workers’ compensation programs.

The typical applicant at a chiropractic college has already acquired nearly a pre-medical undergraduate college education, including courses in biology, inorganic and organic chemistry, physics, psychology and related lab work. Once accepted into an accredited chiropractic college, the requirements become even more demanding — four to five academic years of professional study are the standard. Because of the hands-on nature of chiropractic, and the intricate adjusting techniques, a significant portion of time is spent in clinical training.

In some areas, such as anatomy, physiology, rehabilitation, nutrition and public health, they receive more intensive education than their MD counterparts. Like other primary health care doctors, chiropractic students spend a significant portion of their curriculum studying clinical subjects related to evaluating and caring for patients. Typically, as part of their professional training, they must complete a minimum of a one-year clinical-based program dealing with actual patient care.

This extensive education prepares doctors of chiropractic to diagnose health care conditions, treat those that are within their scope of practice and refer patients to other healthcare practitioners when appropriate.

This course of study is approved by an accrediting agency, the Council on Chiropractic Education, that is recognized by the U.S. Department of Education.

Reference

Practice Analysis of Chiropractic 2015, National Board of Chiropractic Examiners, www.nbce.org. Accessed 2019.
I hope this was helpful to you. Yes we are real doctors.

They do not have to hurt. Gentle joint balancing of your back and pelvis is attainable with non force chiropractic adjustments. Soft tissue work to reduce muscle spasms in and around the painful areas can release lactic acid that may cause temporary achiness like doing sit ups for the first time. Most patients get some relief just from the first treatment with continued benefits with continued care.

Chiropractic adjustments help restore function to the body. By restoring function your body can begin to repair which requires more rest. Also the improved nerve function, oxygenation and circulation releases relaxing endorphins to help you relax.

It’s impossible for a chiropractor to break your neck. We return the vertebra in your neck back into its proper alignment releasing nerve pressure, restoring mobility and eliminating pain.

After adjustments function is restored so now your body works better. Your body can start releasing toxins and you need water to move the toxins out of your body.

Most knee arthritis comes from postural misalignments of your back, pelvis and feet. Chiropractors not only align the neck and back but also restore motion to your knees, hips, feet and all joints. We also use special spinal pelvic stabilization orthotics to help create daily postural support.

Children need Chiropractic care as well especially if they are having any of the signs of subluxations such as neck pain, headaches or back pain. We will perform a structural and comprehensive chiropractic and orthopedic examination to determine what is the cause of his back pain. Muscle testing and postural analysis will also be performed to see where there might be muscle weakness or imbalance leading to structural changes. It is very important to address these structural changes as early as possible and while the child is growing so they don’t become permanent. If needed we can also order xrays, mri or blood work to help with diagnosing your sons issues.

You should always see your chiropractor after any injuries or falls as soon as possible. If you needed to go to the emergency room be sure to let your chiropractor know so you can be treated as soon as you are able. Restoring spinal alignment will ensure you can avoid chronic pain and return to sports safely. Chiropractic restores proper alignment and improves all sports performance as well. You’ll enjoy greater range of motion and enhanced structural performance as a result of being aligned.

The major side effects of chiropractic is feeling better, greater mobility and improved function. There can be slight ache the first few times if the subluxation has been there a long time but usually he will just feel better. Children are adjusted as soon as they are born so they can be free of any misalignments and subluxations created from the delivery process. So there is no age limit when you need to be adjusted

Chiropractors are specialist with treating people with chronic pain. Pain is a signal that something is wrong. We evaluate structure, posture, muscle strength and vertebral alignment to get to what is cause of the pain. With specific chiropractic corrective treatments we eliminate pain and restore function.

Often neck pain is caused by improper sleeping positions and / or not using the correct pillow. If your head is too high or too low this could lead to chronic muscle pain and spasms, especially of the sub-occipitals which are located at the base of your skull. Try sleeping on your side with your head level. Be sure to get a chiropractic evaluation to see if your cervical curve has been altered which leads to chronic neck instability, pain, headaches and spasms. Buy a chiropractic approved pillow and have your chiropractor evaluate it for your size..

There are many causes to headaches but the majority are caused by the cervical spine being out of alignment leading to the nerve pain. The joint restriction, nerve pain and muscle spasms can be relieved with regular chiropractic corrections.