Sciatica Treatments NYC - Dr. Alicia Armitstead

If left untreated, sciatica may lead to chronic pain and discomfort. In some cases, the condition can even become debilitating, leading to difficulty moving around or performing daily activities. Untreated sciatica can also result in nerve damage, which often leads to weakness or numbness in the affected area. 

-Dr. Alicia Armitstead

Sciatica Pain Relief at the Healing Arts NYC Health and Wellness Center in Manhattan NY 10017 and Connecticut

What is Sciatica?

Sciatica is a severe pain radiating along the sciatic nerve, which runs down each leg and from the low back to the hips and buttocks. It's usually caused by a herniated disc, bone spur, or narrowing of the spinal canal, which compresses or irritates the nerve. Symptoms of sciatica may include shooting pain, numbness, tingling, or weakness in the affected leg, as well as lower back pain. Treatment options include rest, pain relief medications, physical therapy, and in severe cases, surgery.

Many people have come to me for sciatica, pain that starts in the butt or lower back and travels down the leg. It is a common pain that can start after an injury, but sometimes people just wake up with it. The pain can be sharp, shooting nerve pain, or it can be dull and achy. Sciatica pain can be constant or come and go. There are four main causes of such pain.

1. Pinch the sciatic nerve in the low back
2. Pinch the sciatic nerve at the piriformis muscle
3. Toxic load 
4. Poor nutrition

The first two reasons are caused by the sciatic nerve being physically compromised. The third and fourth reason is due to the environment of the nerve being compromised. All reasons cause inflammation that irritates the nerve to send pain signals. It is my job at that initial visit to figure out which of the four reasons is why you have sciatica, and it actually could be all four reasons. 

If you have sciatica due to poor nutrition or toxic load, then our goal would be to help you detox, and with the right nutrition, the body can reduce inflammation. We analyze what toxins are in the body with muscle testing. We look for heavy metals, heavy chemicals, and immune challenges as toxins. Then we muscle test what supplements are going to support the body to detox. 

Guided Supplementation for Sciatica

Our supplements come from an organic farm called Standard Process. We believe in using food to help the body heal. The body recognizes food and uses it as real replacement parts to help the body truly heal. With fewer toxins in the body, the inflammation will go down. 

Besides taking organic food supplements, eating healthy is part of getting inflammation down. We will muscle test you for what foods are making you inflamed and which ones are safe to eat. With a personalized dietary plan, you can heal faster than the average person that has sciatica. The most inflammatory foods are sugar, wheat/white flour, and alcohol. We also muscle test to see if eggs, nuts, seeds, beans, corn, oats, fruit, rice, milk, cheese, coffee or meat are causing inflammation. 

Any food, even healthy food, can cause inflammation if, for some reason, the gut has a hard time digesting it. The gut has a hard time digesting what you eat if it's poor quality food and also if you eat the same foods over and over again. Variety is important. I recommend rotating your food once every fourth day. 

If inflammation continues to build up in the gut, then the gut lining can become so inflamed that it starts to break down, having holes where food can leave the digestive tract and enter the bloodstream, which causes further inflammation in the body. What is interesting to me is once a leaky gut develops why some people get sciatica while others get arthritic pain, headaches, eczema, or more. The list of leaky gut symptoms is long because once the food gets into the bloodstream, then, it can travel anywhere and cause a symptom. This is how poor nutrition can cause more than just digestive symptoms. 

What Happens If You Leave Sciatica Untreated?

If left untreated, sciatica may lead to chronic pain and discomfort. In some cases, the condition can even become debilitating, leading to difficulty moving around or performing daily activities. Untreated sciatica can also result in nerve damage, which often leads to weakness or numbness in the affected area. This can result in difficulty standing or walking and may even interfere with work or other activities.

It's important to seek treatment for sciatica in order to manage the symptoms and prevent further complications from arising. Traditional medical treatment includes physical therapy, medication, and even surgery, depending on the severity and underlying cause of the condition.

Additional References

• Sciatica Symptoms and Causes - Penn Medicine