“What is better for sciatica acupuncture or chiropractor?”
I am a 32 year old female. I want to know what is better for sciatica acupuncture or chiropractor?
36 Answers
Every patient responds differently to chiropractic and acupuncture. Some may feel more relief from one treatment in comparison to the other. I always try to treat my patients with both chiropractic adjustments and acupuncture therapy to combat the symptoms of sciatica.
There are multiple causes for sciatica: lumbar disc lesions, sacroiliac misalignments, peripheral entrapment at the piriformis, popliteus, or tarsal tunnel, adhesions along the course of the nerve, muscle imbalances that drive skeletal misalignments, the list goes on. So, whether your case of sciatica will do better with acupuncture or chiropractic or other methods depends on what the underlying cause is. Sometimes you need both.
For treatment of sciatica for myself, my first thought is I need to see my Chiropractor because most of the time there are bones out of alignment causing the nerve to have improper pressure on it. If there is muscle spasm in the low back or pelvic area then acupuncture may help speed the recovery.
Both chiropractic and acupuncture can be great for sciatica. What works best for one may not work for the next person. We all react to different treatments differently. I would begin with chiropractic care and get the bones in proper alignment first and get them to be stable. If the sciatic continued to persist, then I would work at more of a soft tissue level.
Chiropractic care and acupuncture are both effective methods to treat sciatica. In fact quite a number of my patients receive both chiropractic and acupuncture as they treat different things. Chiropractic adjustments can help alleviate pressure on the spiinal nerves that connect to the sciatic nerve. Some chiropractors are also certified in soft tissue techniques that can alleviate muscle tension on the sciatic nerve directly.
Acupuncture on the other hand utilizes needles and cupping to decrease pain and inflammation in the lower back and sciatic nerve.
Acupuncture on the other hand utilizes needles and cupping to decrease pain and inflammation in the lower back and sciatic nerve.
Sciatica is increased pressure of the lumbar spine nerves due to increased pressure placed on it by disc and spine bones. If you are able to examine the bio-mechanics of spine alignment that is putting pressure on the nerves that contribute to sciatica then you are correcting the cause of your sciatica in addition to the symptoms of sciatica. Neither traditional chiro nor acupuncture does this. You can check our idealspine.com to find a CBP doctor that can truly help you understand why you are having pain and how to correct the causes.
Acupuncture and chiropractic work well together to treat sciatica.
Since sciatica is cause by a disc bulge and the disc bulge is caused by improper mechanics, having a mechanical solution makes sense. Chiropractic care with core exercises and directional preference helps sciatica the best! Hope this helps
Both are beneficial however you may want to seek out a chiropractor who can also needle you if it is necessary. Try finding a sports chiropractor.
Depends on what’s going on! I would say (as a chiropractor) that chiropractic would be your best bet! :)
Dr. Josh Barton
Dr. Josh Barton
Sciatica can be caused by a disc problem, a joint problem, a nerve problem or a muscular problem. I would suggest a thorough examination of your condition to determine the cause of the sciatica so it can be treated properly. Most types of sciatic pain respond well to chiropractic treatment.
Steve Lipschutz, DC, CCSP
Steve Lipschutz, DC, CCSP
Chiropractic will help you to align your back. Acupuncture is more related to pain control.
A combination of both will provide the fastest relief...first an adjustment and then acupuncture.
Dr. Jane Bye
Chiropractor
Chiropractic adjustments help realign the spinal segments taking the stress off spinal nerves, and acupuncture helps to control the pain and increases circulation. In our office, we often do both in the same visit.
My opinion is that I feel both are good treatment options and I believe teamwork effort is always better.
A chiropractor will directly address the issues and neurological causes of nerve root compression, which is the cause of sciatica. There are two types of acupuncture, the American type and Asian. Asian acupuncture works differently, accessing energy meridians. Chiropractic has excellent success with sciatica. I cannot comment on the success rate for acupunture.
Acupuncture gives you a temporary relief but chiropractic fix the cause of your pain.
A chiropractor would be a good place to start to determine if there is a malalignment of the lumbar spine or pelvis putting pressure on the sciatic nerve.
Chiropractic is a better option. Chiropractic care work directly on the nervous system. We use the newest technology available to find the nerves involved in the disfunction and then create a plan of care individually for you to help you correct this problem within the nervous system and result YOUR function.
Both methods of treatment have significant benefits. As a chiropractor I've successfully treated sciatica hundreds of times. One thing to consider is that a Chiropractor can order testing and perform examinations to determine the specific CAUSE of the sciatica pain as many conditions can result in the same symptoms, but they need to be treated differently.
Sciatica can be functional or pathological. This is were a chiropractor can make that determination via X-ray/MRI and provide the proper treatment protocol. Diagnosis is key in treating sciatica. I also have a Fellow in acupuncture and found it to be very supportive. However chiropractic would be the better option provided the chiropractor does the above mentioned tests.
I WOULD SUGGEST CHIROPRACTIC AS THE FIRST CHOICE IN ORDER TO ALLEVIATE WHATEVER IS AGGRAVATING THE SCIATIC NERVE. IN THE UNLIKELY EVENT THAT CHIROPRACTIC DOESN'T PROVIDE RELIEF, ACUPUNCTURE HAS ALSO BEEN SUCCESSFUL IN PROVIDING RELIEF FROM SCIATICA. A COMBINATION OF THE TWO MIGHT BE A GOOD IDEA IF YOU WANT TO MAKE SURE TO GET THE PROBLEM TAKEN CARE OF AS SOON AS POSSIBLE.
I can usually take care of sciatica with a series of treatments, but if I don't make any headway, I send my patients to a chiropractor for a few adjustments. Then I can usually get rid of the sciatica fairly quickly.
Acupuncture is better for sciatica.
First of all, I'm a chiropractor, so my opinion is biased. If you think your sciatic is caused by an energy imbalance in your meridian system, go with the acupuncture. If you think the problem is musculoskeletal in nature go to the chiropractor. If you think it's a little of both, go to a chiropractor that does acupuncture or meridian therapy (I do meridian therapy in my office).
Chiropractor.
You can try both at the same time.
Mr. Anthony James Lorenzo
Acupuncturist
Honestly, both at the same time are best.
In my experience, acupuncture works better if you receive it several times in a week, as I have found that it has a cumulative effect that way (the treatments tend to work more effectively). I myself have found great benefit in being treated several times in one day and loved it. I have, however, rarely seen acupuncture stop working or aggravate after lots of treatment (in about 5 out of about 1000 clients), so yes, I would say it is possible. Also, I don’t insert needles into areas of pain, but some techniques do, and then I would say yes, you can definitely have too much acupuncture, as you wouldn’t want to cause too much irritation to the area.
That's entirely up to you! Every body is different and treatment options are subjective. Try them both and see how you feel. You may also find that a combination of the two is the most effective treatment strategy for you.
Both would be good for different reasons. Both would be good at the same time even.
Chiropractic is more suited to diagnose and treat sciatica.
Both are very good for sciatica pain, acupuncture might be better suited to people who can’t take a lot of pressure on their bodies or those with pain in muscles and tissues that can’t be adjusted through chiropractic,
Acupuncture is better.
It depends on why you have sciatica. There are a variety of reasons why a person might experience radiating pain in the low back/hips/legs, some of those reasons are better addressed with acupuncture, some are better addressed with chiropractic, sometimes your best bet is to use both acupuncture and chiropractic, and occasionally neither one is going to help.
if you're experiencing sciatic pain due to pinched nerves in the low back as a result of misaligned vertebrae or discs, then sometimes chiropractic alone and sometimes acupuncture plus chiropractic will help to resolve the issue.
If the pain is due to imbalanced muscle tension in the low back/hips/low limbs or if it's the result of piriformis syndrome, then acupuncture is probably your best bet. Sometimes acupuncture alone is better for problems that arise due to stenosis (narrowing of the spinal canal).
If you're experiencing radiating pain with lower limb weakness, loss of control over the bowels or urination, or saddle anesthesia (numbness in genito-anal area), then neither one is going to help and you need to get an othospinal/neurology consult immediately.
I suggest you start with your primary care physician and get some x-rays of your low back. If it the cause can be determined from the image, you'll have a better idea how you want to proceed with treatment.
if you're experiencing sciatic pain due to pinched nerves in the low back as a result of misaligned vertebrae or discs, then sometimes chiropractic alone and sometimes acupuncture plus chiropractic will help to resolve the issue.
If the pain is due to imbalanced muscle tension in the low back/hips/low limbs or if it's the result of piriformis syndrome, then acupuncture is probably your best bet. Sometimes acupuncture alone is better for problems that arise due to stenosis (narrowing of the spinal canal).
If you're experiencing radiating pain with lower limb weakness, loss of control over the bowels or urination, or saddle anesthesia (numbness in genito-anal area), then neither one is going to help and you need to get an othospinal/neurology consult immediately.
I suggest you start with your primary care physician and get some x-rays of your low back. If it the cause can be determined from the image, you'll have a better idea how you want to proceed with treatment.
Diagnosis is the first place to start and that is done by the Doctor of Chiropractic and/or the Medical Doctor. An MRI many times is needed. Just because you have leg pain doesn't mean you have sciatica. As for treatment medication, Acupuncture, Physical Therapy, Exercise therapy and Chiropractic should not be competitive. They should be used in complementary programs. With Sciatica the diagnosis is the most important place to start.
