Sciatica and leg pain.

Sciatica is a symptom, not a diagnosis.

The sciatic nerve is the thickest nerve in your body. It is formed from nerve roots that leave the spine in your low back, then runs through the buttock and down the back of the thigh to the foot. When something presses on or irritates those roots, you feel it along the whole path.

That is why sciatica hurts where the problem is not. The pain shows up in the calf. The cause sits in the low back. Treating the calf does nothing.

People describe it as a hot line down the back of the leg, an electric jolt when they cough or sneeze, pins and needles in the foot, or a leg that feels heavy and slow. It is usually one leg. It often gets worse with sitting, driving down I-45, or standing in one place too long.

What is usually pressing on the nerve.

A bulging or herniated disc is the most common cause. Disc material pushes back toward the nerve root and takes up space the nerve needs.

Narrowing of the canal the nerve travels through, called spinal stenosis, is the next most common, and it shows up more with age. People with stenosis often feel better leaning on a shopping cart and worse standing straight.

Sometimes the nerve is irritated where it passes under a tight muscle deep in the buttock. Sometimes a low back joint has locked up and the surrounding inflammation is doing the irritating. These behave differently and respond to different care, which is the whole reason we examine before we treat.

How Dr. Boss works out the source.

The pattern of your pain tells us a great deal. Which toes are numb, where the line of pain stops, and what position gives you relief all point to a specific nerve root. Dr. Boss tests reflexes, muscle strength, and sensation down both legs and compares them. He moves your hip and your low back separately to see which one reproduces the symptom.

Then he shows you on the 3D spine model where that nerve root exits and what is likely crowding it. Once you can see it, the plan makes sense. If the exam points to something that needs imaging or a surgical opinion, he tells you that on day one rather than after six weeks of care.

What treatment looks like.

When a disc is the cause, non-surgical spinal decompression is usually the centerpiece. The table gently separates the vertebrae, which lowers pressure inside the disc and gives the nerve room. It is done over a series of visits. When it works, people usually notice the leg pain pulling back toward the hip first. That retreat is a good sign.

When a joint restriction is the cause, adjustments restore motion to the segment and the irritation settles. When tight muscle is involved, massage therapy and soft tissue work help the nerve glide freely again.

Every plan includes therapeutic exercises, and for sciatica they matter more than usual. Specific movements can draw disc material away from the nerve. Others will aggravate it. Dr. Boss will show you which is which for your back, and he will tell you plainly to stop anything that pushes pain further down the leg.

What to expect.

Your first visit takes about an hour and ends with a plan and a cost. We work with most major insurance plans and self-pay is available. Give us your plan details when you book and we will check your coverage before you arrive.

Sciatica is rarely a one-visit fix. Nerve tissue calms down slowly even after the pressure is off it, so expect a course of care measured in weeks. What you should see along the way is steady progress: less distance down the leg, fewer bad nights, longer stretches of sitting without a flare. If that progress is not happening, we change course.

Reviewed and approved by Dr. Christopher Boss, DC, Doctor of Chiropractic since 1998 and the treating chiropractor at Boss Chiropractic. Last updated September 11, 2026.

This page is general information, not medical advice. What is right for you depends on your exam. Dr. Boss will tell you straight whether we can help, and where to go if we cannot.