What we help with
Sciatica is pain that travels from the low back down the leg. It can make sitting at a desk, driving or bending down hard work. In Ross Township, Dr. Steven K. LeGault, DC treats it with gentle adjustments and exercises for your back and leg. Your first visit starts with a careful history and examination, then a clear explanation of what he finds.
Sciatica is pain from an irritated or compressed sciatic nerve. It is most often felt in the buttock and down the back of one leg. The good news: it usually gets better in a few weeks to a few months.
Tell Dr. LeGault what matters most to you, from a full night’s sleep to a long walk. He shapes your care around those goals.
Clinicians also call sciatica lumbar radicular pain. “Radicular” means the pain comes from a nerve root in the lower back rather than from the leg itself. When your pain stays in your back without traveling down the leg, our low back pain care is the closer match.
Dr. LeGault starts with a detailed health history and a careful physical examination. His goal is to find where your leg pain comes from and explain it in plain words.
He asks how your leg pain started and what helps or aggravates it. He then examines your back and, when needed, checks the nerves to your legs with orthopedic and neurological tests. He explains what he finds and the care he recommends. When chiropractic care is right for you, treatment can start the same day.
You can book without a referral. When your exam shows a need for X-rays, they are taken at an off-site facility.
Before your visit, jot down when the leg pain began, what helps it and any numbness or weakness. Then read how your first visit works.
If you notice sudden numbness, weakness or loss of bladder or bowel control, see a medical doctor before your visit.
Ready to book your first visit?
Dr. LeGault treats sciatica with a combined plan of gentle adjustments, exercises and practical advice to keep you moving.
He gives adjustments as part of a combined plan, either by hand (the Diversified technique) or on a Thompson drop table. Sections of that table drop a short distance as the adjustment is given.
Alongside them come exercise and activity advice. You practice movements chosen for your back and leg with him in the office. At home, you follow them in the Physitrack app or on a printed handout. He steps them up from visit to visit.
He tracks your progress and shares it with you as your care goes on. When another specialist would help, he refers you.
Keeping up your normal activities and starting gentle exercise early can help sciatica. Moving is not harmful, even when it feels sore.
Mild soreness can occur, especially early in care, and typically settles within a day or so. Tell Dr. LeGault how you felt after each visit, and he will fit your care to you. Book online or call 412-364-4100 to start your care.
People often call it that. Sciatica happens when the sciatic nerve, which runs from your lower back to your feet, is irritated or compressed. Book online, and Dr. LeGault will check where your leg pain comes from.
Usually not. NICE, the UK’s national guideline body, advises against routine scans outside specialist care. Dr. LeGault will tell you at your exam whether you need X-rays. Call 412-364-4100 if you have a question before your visit.
Staying active is the better choice. Guidelines suggest keeping up your normal activities rather than resting in bed. Build up gradually, and Dr. LeGault will show you movements that suit your back and leg. Book online to get started.
You can book directly with Dr. LeGault, without a referral. Some insurance plans require one for coverage, so check your plan.
Find more answers in our FAQ, or call 412-364-4100 and we will help.
Who treats this
Chiropractic adjustments are gentle, well-studied care, and serious problems are rare. Dr. LeGault takes a careful history and examines you before your first adjustment.
Most patients find adjustments comfortable; you may feel pressure or movement. Mild soreness can occur, especially early in care, and typically settles within a day or so.
National guidelines include hands-on care such as spinal manipulation, combined with exercise, among the options for sciatica. Studies found spinal manipulation eased pain in the short and medium term.
Dr. LeGault works the same way, pairing hands-on adjustments with exercise you practice in the office and at home.
UK national guideline on low back pain and sciatica: hands-on care such as spinal manipulation as part of a treatment plan that includes exercise; clear information, self-management and keeping active; scans are not routinely offered outside specialist care.
Patient information on what sciatica feels like, that it usually gets better in a few weeks to a few months, and that keeping active can help.
Danish guideline for recent low back pain and sciatica: spinal manual therapy added to usual care, supervised exercise, and staying active rather than bed rest; trials in related patient groups found short-term improvements in leg pain, back pain and activity.
Review of 11 trials (991 people) with nerve-root pain from the neck or low back: spinal manipulation lowered pain compared with placebo, and added to a standard rehabilitation program it lowered pain more than the program alone, in the short and medium term.
Mild, short-lived reactions are common and serious complications are rare; a careful history and examination come first.