Sciatica refers to a group of symptoms that includes weakness, tingling, pain or numbness traveling down the sciatic leg nerve from the lower back to the back of the thigh and sometimes into the foot. The sciatic nerve is the longest nerve in the body and like all nerves, if it is pinched or compressed it can send out irregular impulses (pain). Most sciatica sufferers experience discomfort on only one side of the body, but in rare cases the sciatic nerves on both sides of the spine can be symptomatic.

The discomfort of sciatica can vary greatly from one patient to another. Some people report a severe, even debilitating pain while others may feel only mild or occasional spasm. Sciatica may be described as a dull ache, a burning sensation, a feeling like an electrical shock going down the leg, unexplained weakness on the affected side, tingling or numbness. The pain of sciatica may begin suddenly as the result of a past or current accident or can come on slowly and increase over time.

The diagnosis of sciatica can be somewhat confusing because sciatica itself is technically a symptom of another problem. The most common reason for sciatica is compression of the sciatic nerve caused by a herniated or slipped disk in the lower back. Other causes include a pelvic injury, spinal stenosis or piriformis syndrome.

Surgery is frequently recommended when a herniated / bulging or slipped disc causes sciatica or other types of pain. Craniosacral Therapy offers a non-invasive, drug-free alternative to many ineffective therapies and even back surgery. I have helped many people avoid surgery through a customized plan of non-invasive treatments. Your customized treatment plan may include:

• Craniosacral Therapy 
• Energy Cyst Release
• Somato Emotional Release
• Crystal Pranic Healing
• Trigger Point Therapy

Craniosacral Therapy will facilitate unprocessed, unresolved energies the body is holding to release, thereby relaxing groups of tight, possibly spasmodic muscles that are effecting a spinal disc(s) that are causing pressure on the nerve roots, causing back and leg pain. Craniosacral Therapy will help realign the back into correct position improving the structure of your spine, taking pressure off the nerve roots.

An important part of sciatica recovery in aiding the above named procedures is at home self-care. Overworking, over-exercising or doing the wrong types of exercise or living with a poor posture can re-injure the area and cause a return of sciatica pain. I can suggest a variety of self-care protocols that improve posture, relieve pain and prevent injury from reoccurring.

New research shows that slipped, herniated and bulging discs do not cause Sciatica, and have nothing to do with back pain. Although and even if an MRI has confirmed a compromised disc, Craniosacral Therapy will help relax tight muscles which are responsible for making the disc appear abnormal. Once the groups of muscles that attach to the spine relax naturally through craniosacral Therapy, the discs will resorb back into their original unherniated, unslipped and unbulging shape.

It’s important to also note buttock muscle tension can be the source of compression on the sciatic nerve,  especially the piriformis muscle that originates on the side of the sacrum, crosses over the sciatic nerve as it angles across the pelvis, and attaches on the hip bone.  

A tight piriformis muscle entrapping the sciatic nerve can trigger the onset and or worsening of Sciatica pain. People suffering from sciatica often have their pelvis in a distorted position; one hip higher than the other, one hip more forward than the other, etc.  A distorted posture like this places the piriformis muscle in to a shortened position causing it to tighten, causing pressure on the sciatic nerve. I specialize in a hands-on treatment called CranioSacral Therapy that corrects the asymmetrical posture. 

CranioSacral therapy provides a specialized approach to releasing and rebalancing the spine, as this is where our nerves exit outward to deliver our myriad nerve impulses powering our body.  This therapy gently and effectively decompresses the lumbar vertebrae, sacrum, and pelvic area enabling any affected associated spasming muscles and tissues to release and relax and allowing for the ache, pain, and tightness to subside, very often after the first session, and certainly within a short period of time.  Call to schedule a Consultation if you would like to have a more personal conversation about treating your sciatica.

Alex was born in March 1972. At the age of 7 he started to experience frequent headaches with all the conventional symptoms of a Migraine headache. His particular headache resulted in him experiencing auras, nausea and sensitivity to light with no particular trigger to the onset of the migraine.

After years of treatments, therapies and medications, his headaches were no better and Alex continued to experience them all throughout childhood and into young adulthood. Some years the headaches would come monthly, some years every two to three months and some years weekly. His headaches were incurable, there was nothing that could alleviate the symptoms and head pain. Until he experienced cranial manual therapy, which resulted in the complete eradication of his life-long Migraine Headaches.

At the age of 16 Alex noticed a mild deformity in the right side of his ribs, a slightly lower right shoulder and the experience of constant lower back pain. Although mild, a diagnosis of Idiopathic Adolescent Scoliosis had been labeled.

At the age of 18 he was involved in a serious car accident that exacerbated his lower back pain. Throughout the years Alex had tried a multitude of conventional treatments but continued to suffer on and off with lower back pain, even throughout Chiropractic school and beyond.

In 2015 and fifteen+ years out of Chiropractic school, Dr. Kaminsky participated in his first and life changing Craniosacral Therapy seminar and he was fascinated, intrigued and hooked. It all made sense, he was immediately astute to its methods and since that first seminar, and as a result of trading sessions of Craniosacral Therapy with his colleagues, his back pain subsided and till this day has never returned.

Dr. Kaminsky decided to enhance his skill-set to better serve his patients. He began reaching out to other craniosacral therapists, cranial osteopaths, and many types of leading practitioners from various fields for advise and consultations He also enrolled in Upledger continuing education seminars with a focus on mostly hands-on manual and alternative therapies.

And, as he gained knowledge with his own health issues, he has learned to help more and more patients achieve great health results.

Dr. Alex Kaminsky is headache free and low back pain free, and has committed himself to a life of learning, teaching and treating patients. His emphasis is on the patient’s stored patterns of the body and each individual healthcare needs.