Sciatica Wouldn't Go Away… Here's What Finally Helped | Towson Baltimore Chiropractor

[00:00:05]But >> [music] >> Hey everybody, this is Dr. Warren here at Kaizo Natural Health Project.

[00:00:17]I'm Michelle.

[00:00:18]>> Hi.

[00:00:19]>> She's a yoga instructor.

[00:00:21]>> Just started.

[00:00:22]>> Just started.

[00:00:23]>> I just started.

[00:00:23]>> Which is still pretty awesome. I like yoga. I'm a chiropractor here in Towson, but I also like yoga. I like lifting weights, I like running. I think there's a lot of good things that go towards creating >> [clears throat] >> health, overall health, right? And yoga is definitely one of those things.

[00:00:38]>> Absolutely.

[00:00:39]>> You love it.

[00:00:39]>> I do love it.

[00:00:40]>> hear how much you love it. Come on, tell me. You've been teaching for how long?

[00:00:44]>> I just started in July teaching.

[00:00:46]>> Nice.

[00:00:47]>> Practicing for a few years.

[00:00:49]>> Yeah.

[00:00:50]Um I've only gone maybe five times in the last month and a half, two months.

[00:00:54]I'm not as consistent as if you as you've been.

[00:00:57]Um but it it does me wonders for sure. I feel like sometimes people love to do the things that they love to do, and people don't do the things that they need to do sometimes relative to movement. So like I'll get a lot of guys in here and I'm like, you should probably go to like a yoga class or just do some Pilates and, you know, it's helpful to get adjusted. I really not not to sell myself short.

[00:01:15]Um but at the same time you got to like kind of build habits around healthy living. So they don't want to do that, they want to go lift heavy weights, right?

[00:01:22]>> Yeah.

[00:01:22]>> And then I get some other people on here, guys and girls that maybe um are much more flexible and they just, you know, they tend not to want to lift weights as much, right? And so finding that balance between stability and mobility is like a real thing. And uh I digress to talking about yoga because I think it's healthy for a lot of problems. And I think it's also helpful when you have sciatica in the right doses.

[00:01:46]Um And so uh Michelle, you've been dealing with some sciatica.

[00:01:50]>> Absolutely.

[00:01:51]>> Well, step back with me. Tell me tell me a little bit about your journey here here the office. You've had some help with other problems here before.

[00:01:57]>> Yeah, you've fixed all my problems.

[00:01:59]>> Well, appreciate you.

[00:02:00]>> I just got a new one and now I need that fixed.

[00:02:03]>> Let's do it.

[00:02:04]>> Okay.

[00:02:04]>> So, quit talking and get to work.

[00:02:05]>> No, >> [laughter] >> you can keep talking.

[00:02:08]>> I appreciate it. Um yeah, so we we've been working on this So, she had it started really increased ramped up biking and and how much she was doing and that might have been one of the leading causes to what presented this problem.

[00:02:22]>> Probably also I thought it would go away on its own.

[00:02:24]>> It just kind of and sometimes it does.

[00:02:26]>> Yeah.

[00:02:26]>> Sometimes it does. But when it lingers beyond like a month and you're still not getting that shift and if it's getting still getting there and you're doing some things and it's aggravating it. A lot of times with nerves they they are >> [clears throat] >> similar in our treatments for them. So, if you have sciatica or if you've got a pinched nerve in your neck or your low back and you're you're feeling things get exaggerated farther down the chain if you will way they travel.

[00:02:48]That activity is and it's probably doing more harm than good, right?

[00:02:53]And so, you got to be mindful of that and then vice versa when when I treat people with their leg symptoms or their arm symptoms, I really want to make sure even in the moment that what I do is creating less of that noxious stimuli that ischemia, the compression on a nerve. And so, that's a that's kind of a terminology that we like to use for here. So, you ramped it up.

[00:03:14]>> Yeah, my piriformis is now locked on it.

[00:03:17]>> Locked up.

[00:03:18]>> Yeah.

[00:03:19]>> And so, we've been treating it for the last like month and a half.

[00:03:22]>> That's Yeah.

[00:03:23]>> And we've had good moments, good moments.

[00:03:25]>> Yeah, but I haven't really stopped doing everything I probably should lay back on.

[00:03:30]>> Well, appreciate the you know that the insight if you will.

[00:03:34]>> Yeah.

[00:03:35]>> And and really try to get on top of this in a beneficial way. Sometimes these The reason I'm doing this video, right? It's cuz it's not all roses here at Kelowna Chiropractic all the time and sometimes we got to deal with the problem a little longer than just a month or two.

[00:03:49]Sometimes it takes some time to really work this stuff out.

[00:03:52]Um especially when it's gotten to a point where um it's really stubborn like this. So, there's a the couple things that I'm doing with Michelle here.

[00:04:01]What will you Why don't you tell us?

[00:04:04]>> Dry needling, massaging, the thing that feels like a tattoo. What is that?

[00:04:11]>> pulse.

[00:04:11]>> Yes.

[00:04:12]We did the traction table.

[00:04:16]So, I've done everything. [laughter] And then laser.

[00:04:20]>> It's five things.

[00:04:20]>> Which I've done laser for other things and that actually really works well.

[00:04:24]>> Yeah.

[00:04:24]>> And dry needling is amazing.

[00:04:26]>> How was the laser today with the on the head? Did it feel better? Okay. Got you.

[00:04:29]Got Um so, there's definitely been a lot of modalities. We use them quite often and even combination to treat different problems, especially when there's complex components like this. So, she's got, you know, disc bulge at that level in her lower back. And she's got a history of this problem before. She ramped up her activity and it was almost a little bit of the perfect storm and now sitting is really driving her leg crazy. And >> Terrible. It's torture, but I can't just keep moving.

[00:04:54]>> No.

[00:04:55]>> It's not an option.

[00:04:56]>> Do you have to sit every once in a while while this whole intro >> Right. Sitting here. So, when I get up, you'll see.

[00:05:01]>> Yes.

[00:05:02]>> [laughter] >> So, I'm going to show you and demonstrate how I do the soft tissue portion, the adjustment portion. And um you might be wondering, why is he demonstrating something that's, you know, she's getting all this stuff done.

[00:05:12]Is it helping her? Would you say it's helping?

[00:05:14]>> Yeah, it helps. But then sitting locks it up. And then I really probably should stop biking for a little bit.

[00:05:20]>> Okay.

[00:05:21]It's more of an intervention video than it was >> An intervention.

[00:05:24]>> [laughter] >> Just let them know. I think that a a lot of times we Like I had a conversation with patients today about this similar problem and it was about two, three weeks of care and I'm like, you just have to be patient over time. Sometimes these things can be four, five months.

[00:05:40]>> Hm.

[00:05:41]>> Hopefully not the case for you, I know.

[00:05:43]But, you know, sometimes we tend to jump away and say, "Okay, boom. I'm going to go get the discectomy. I'm going to go get the injection." And a lot of times these are based off the opinions that you get provided by your medical provider. So, there's a lot of things that go into that information. So, I will say that it does take time, right?

[00:06:01]And some of the best people I've seen in in medicine explain this to me that aren't in my profession have really urged me to be patient with some of these these problems as long as one, I'm maintaining function in the leg. She's still going to yoga daily. She's still biking. She's still active with work.

[00:06:20]She's hurting a lot in these situations, but she's still >> while I'm working out and doing all I'm fine, you know?

[00:06:26]>> which is good.

[00:06:26]>> Except for yoga when rounding my spine and certain like things, you know?

[00:06:30]>> Yeah, so there's no increase in deficit of motor loss or function. And she's not getting and we're monitoring the stuff and making sure that the sensory portion of it isn't getting worse.

[00:06:41]The sitting is an aggravating factor and it's making this feel very stubborn.

[00:06:45]But, you know, if you're dealing with a similar problem, be patient, be consistent, keep focusing on the things that bring you good health [clears throat] over time.

[00:06:54]And although it might feel like a struggle right now, it'll work out, okay? Body's pretty amazing that way.

[00:06:59]And you've felt this before in the past where it's gotten better. So, we're we're going to lean into that right now. And then I'm going to monitor and if I have to re-eval and refer out and use other providers, I'm definitely going to do that with Michelle, okay?

[00:07:12]But based off her goals, her needs, and her clinical history and presentation, we're sticking to the treatment plan.

[00:07:18]>> Deal.

[00:07:18]>> Deal, okay. Great for us to set up.

[00:07:21]Thanks, so Michael's helping me out with what's called ART. It's a technique.

[00:07:25]This is pin and stretch. It's like kind of the general form of the technique, but ART is active release technique. I'm working on the piriformis and the sciatic nerve kind of in one go.

[00:07:34]Um Thanks, Michael, for your help.

[00:07:38]>> My pleasure.

[00:07:41]>> Michael and I are going to be running this weekend. You going to join us? You You know You want to run on Sunday?

[00:07:45]>> I don't run.

[00:07:46]>> Saturday Saturday Saturday.

[00:07:47]>> anything but run.

[00:07:49]>> Can run?

[00:07:49]>> No.

[00:07:50]>> Long distance running?

[00:07:51]>> a terrible idea.

[00:07:52]>> A lot of people say that to me.

[00:07:54]>> I like biking long distance.

[00:07:57]But you got me into this situation.

[00:08:00]>> Maybe you Maybe you're right about that.

[00:08:05]There we go. So, I'm applying a fair amount of pressure with my hand down, thumb into the back of the piriformis in the glute. And then right there, she's creating a lot of tension um from Michael twisting her leg in that position. So, when we externally rotate the hip and then adduct it to bring the knee down towards the floor, it lengthens the piriformis muscle, but it also takes the sciatic nerve, which is slack right now, and starts to slowly lengthen it.

[00:08:33]So, this is a muscle technique, but for Michelle's case, I'm definitely more focused on her sciatic nerve.

[00:08:41]And so, if you have sciatica, just the position she's in right now, it's about a static opener in my world, but it's something that can be provide a lot of relief to some of the nerve pain that she's got. So, if she were just kind of swing her legs over in the morning, it can be at its worst, and just lay the leg over the side of the the bed and hang out there for 2 minutes, 3 minutes, and let it open up. It's a nice way to get going in the morning as well as some other stretches that we can show you later on.

[00:09:14]Good.

[00:09:15]Pressure?

[00:09:15]>> Yeah. You're great.

[00:09:17]>> Yeah. Appreciate you too.

[00:09:19]>> The pressure is torture, but you know, it works.

[00:09:33]>> Only two more just like that, and then we're going to start to lengthen the leg a little bit.

[00:09:42]So wait, they do Bikram and hot yoga?

[00:09:44]>> Bikram.

[00:09:45]>> It's all Bikram?

[00:09:47]>> No, we do yoga. Vinyasa.

[00:09:49]>> that's it.

[00:09:56]So you learned Bikram?

[00:09:58]>> Yeah.

[00:09:59]I learned Bikram.

[00:10:00]>> You did?

[00:10:00]>> Mhm.

[00:10:02]>> Have you taught the Bikram portion yet?

[00:10:04]Class?

[00:10:04]>> Yeah.

[00:10:06]That's all I teach.

[00:10:09]>> Go ahead and straighten that leg.

[00:10:26]Yeah.

[00:10:40]Two more and we'll be done. Thank you so much.

[00:10:42]Appreciate your help.

[00:10:44]My pleasure.

[00:10:45]>> Mhm.

[00:10:45]Because it >> [laughter] >> Now you're on my pleasure, right?

[00:10:52]>> Just breathe.

[00:10:56]>> Use your seven done.

[00:10:57]>> Mhm. Yeah.

[00:11:00]>> Mhm.

[00:11:06]So we'll go up and a lot of times with this problem there's an exam, right?

[00:11:10]That we we do in the beginning with her and there's an audit we'll we'll call when we do something we want to see it improve.

[00:11:17]For her it's a little bit of movement in her lower back when she's standing.

[00:11:21]So we'll see that.

[00:11:25]>> Okay.

[00:11:25]>> So I didn't do this service to take [music] you back up, so appreciate you.

[00:11:29]You're welcome.

[00:11:30]>> Thanks.

[00:11:32]For your >> Thank you.

[00:11:34]All right, let's do the exam portion of the non-Michelle.

[00:11:37]>> All right.

[00:11:38]>> So, go ahead and step off for me.

[00:11:39]>> Off?

[00:11:40]>> Yeah, face this way and I'm going to >> [snorts] >> All right, so I'm going to watch Michelle move from side to side now, okay? Bend to your left for me, Michelle. I'm looking at this line right here and I look back. And then and her general range of motion as well as how far that hand is goes down, how easy it is for her to move into that side relative to the other side. So, when she goes into the side of the complaint and when she goes towards that area where she has that pinched nerve, her body goes, "Oh." So, if you're dealing with that at home, you can kind of test it out. Oh, yeah, that's where my problem spot is. That's where the pain is referring. Sometimes it can be opposite. You have the pain going this way, but you can move really well into the pain, hard to move away, different issue, usually in the spine. But, for Michelle's purposes, you're going to be lying on your side facing that magnet.

[00:12:29]So, up upstate New York, was it fun?

[00:12:31]>> The armonk is not really upstate, but but yeah, it's nice.

[00:12:35]>> Plains?

[00:12:35]>> Yeah, it's near White Plains.

[00:12:38]>> It's a green bike?

[00:12:39]>> No, it was family time. I wasn't allowed to escape for a few hours.

[00:12:43]>> Why would you want to escape from all that family time, right?

[00:12:45]>> Right.

[00:12:46]>> Right.

[00:12:48]I'm sure your family >> And it was torrential downpours on Saturday.

[00:12:52]>> Yeah.

[00:12:57]>> So, it's easy compression. Shoulders are loose with your loose Good.

[00:13:01]Good.

[00:13:02]Lie on your back for me.

[00:13:08]Cool shoes.

[00:13:09]>> Okay.

[00:13:10]>> Were you a skater?

[00:13:11]>> No.

[00:13:11]>> No?

[00:13:12]>> Not at all.

[00:13:12]>> Never?

[00:13:13]>> Never.

[00:13:15]They're comfortable.

[00:13:25]>> Lie on your side here facing me.

[00:13:27]Massage, traction. We're dry So the the visits that Michelle gets massage therapy. She just gets adjusted when she comes in.

[00:13:36]There's other visits when she's coming in where she's getting dry needling and traction as well as getting adjusted and those are separate from today's visit.

[00:13:44]So we're combining those things together to create a little bit more of a full spectrum treatment plan for her to get her feeling as good as possible. And then every so often we're trying to convince her not to ride 100 miles in a week but >> a week >> Yeah, it's a little more than that but we won't talk about that.

[00:13:59]>> [laughter] >> Good. So you just saw how I treat the problem. Hopefully if you watched the beginning if you're not like Michelle where she just fast forwarded through it, you can get a general understanding if you have sciatica that it can sometimes be some [music] time and a multi-modal approach is one of the best approaches but the best thing she's got going for her she's headstrong and she's consistent with wanting to do healthy things for herself so that's why I'm very confident that we'll get on top of this problem for Michelle and she'll be feeling good in no time.

[00:14:26]>> I'm confident in you, Joe.

[00:14:28]>> I appreciate the confidence, honey.

[00:14:30]How's that all feel?

[00:14:31]>> Good.

[00:14:31]>> Good.

[00:14:32]>> stretches hurt but they work.

[00:14:34]>> They work?

[00:14:34]>> Yeah.

[00:14:35]>> Good. [clears throat] Awesome.

[00:14:36]>> Until I sit down in the car.

[00:14:38]>> No sitting. Just just run home, okay?

[00:14:40]Get on your bike.

[00:14:41]>> All right. It's on my car.

[00:14:44]>> Thank you for doing the video with me.

[00:14:46]You did it.

[00:14:46]>> Oh, you're welcome.

[00:14:47]>> Yeah, appreciate you guys watching. Hope you have a wonderful day. Feel better if you're hurting.

[00:14:52]>> [music]