For many individuals, taking the best possible care of their bodies is the top priority. With so many available resources today on relevant health subjects like proper diets, ideal exercise routines, and preventative measures for a wide range of health conditions, keeping oneself in shape, free from common illnesses, and protected from possible accidents and injuries is, theoretically, easier today.

As such, it can be confusing and difficult to understand when you find yourself experiencing all kinds of aches and pains when you know you’ve always aimed to take good care of your body. It can be daunting when you realise that you will have to step into a professional’s office to get help with your health condition.

The important thing to keep in mind, is the fact that they have the training, knowledge, and years of experience in addressing all kinds of health issues, so you would be in good hands when you pay that important visit.

Consulting the appropriate professional

Say, for example, that a persistent pain in your lower back down to your lower leg has been nagging you for quite some time. It isn’t severe enough to prevent you from going through your regular routine, but it has been present for a while and seems to be gradually intensifying.

It wouldn’t be wise to dismiss this pain. Visiting a chiropractor, Northern Beaches health experts NeuroBalance Chiropractic say, would be advisable to help you determine if what you have is sciatica, a relatively common form of pain in the leg and low back which can occur as a result of general wear and tear.

What to expect from your chiropractor

To diagnose sciatica, a chiropractor would take you through the following steps:

1. Writing down your patient history
You will be asked certain details such as the time when the pain started, what it feels like (some report a dull ache, a mild tingling, a burning sensation, a pins-and-needles sensation, or even numbness and muscle weakness), and what activities seem to aggravate or lessen the pain.

2. Physical exam
Your spine and legs will be the primary focus of your chiropractor. You may be asked to perform some basic movements that can help test your muscle strength, your reflexes and your senses. An example would be asking you to lie down on an examination table and then lifting your legs straight up, one at a time.

3. Neurological exam
Depending on what the chiropractor assesses thus far, you may also need to undergo diagnostic imaging procedures. Imaging using an x-ray, MRI or CT scan can help determine or rule out specific conditions that may be leading to the pain.

Undergoing treatment

If you’re anxious about the possibility of needing surgery for your condition, especially if you haven’t undergone any such procedures before, keep in mind that chiropractic aims to deliver treatments that are drug-free and non-invasive, meaning surgery is not involved. Your

chiropractor may turn to practices like ice or heat therapy, spinal adjustments, rehabilitative exercises and others to improve your function and decrease the pain or existing inflammation.

Sciatica responds quite well to such conservative treatment options, and by combining these with preventative exercises that our chiropractors will recommend (such as maintaining a healthy diet and weight, devising a workout regimen, or observing proper posture throughout day), you can reasonably expect a much improved condition in the weeks following your first visit to the chiropractor.