When sciatica type symptoms get the better of you and nothing you do seems to make it better, here is something to consider from my checklist for corrective actions and treatments Part 1.

Use osteopathic or chiropractic correction of skeletal and joint misalignment up to 6 consecutive treatments. A chiropractor I respect told me if it takes more than that to correct a problem, you should probably be doing something else for treatment.

If nerves are being compressed or compromised at the spine or at the sacroiliac (SI) joint, it will effect the signals going to the muscles, increasing frequency or distorting them. When they are irritated at the nerve root, they can cause pain.

Spinal adjustments by an osteopathic physician (D.O. and fully qualified medically), or a good chiropractor (not registered medically) can correct a misalignment.

Be careful of two things.

First is that if the muscles are too tight around the joint in question, it can prevent a good adjustment or may just pull it back out after the adjustment has been made. Look for a practitioner who provides some kind of muscle treatment before the adjustment, or get a licensed massage therapist to treat you before you go in for your appointment.

Second is that continuous adjustments can cause “ligamentous laxity.” That means that the ligments that hold the bones together can get stretched by being adjusted too often. The result is that your muscles have to take up the slack and can get overworked trying to do the job of the ligaments. As I mentioned above, it shouldn’t take more than six adjustments to correct a problem.

If your spine is really misaligned, it is important to get straight!