​”I am 63 years old and have had low back pain to one degree or another for about 30 years. Most of the time the pain was manageable and just an annoyance but every once in a while I would aggravate the injury and the pain would get bad enough to take the joy out of life.

​My most recent injury was about 2 months ago and was by far the worst.

Fortunately, Ian at Thrive Health Systems got me in immediately and the first couple of treatments gave me some relief. At that point that was all I was hoping for, but I have gotten much more.

Within a month of beginning treatments and conditioning exercises I started noticing that something was missing and it was the pain in my back!

​My message is don’t give up and let the folks at Thrive Health Systems get you moving again so you can enjoy life.”

Sciatica is a medical name for a condition that is usually caused when a herniated disk or bone spur in the spine presses on a nerve that runs through, and out of, the spinal column.

Often time this nerve is the large Sciatic nerve that runs from your spine down your leg. This is why the pain often originates in the spine and radiates down the back of the leg.

Sciatica typically affects only one side of the body.

There can be several causes of Sciatica, so it is important that you receive an exam, and possibly diagnosis material, so that you can address the cause and not simply treat the symptoms (pain).

Because Sciatica is often caused by a herniated or “bulging” or “slipped” disk in the spine, it can truly happen to anyone.

Trauma like car accidents, sports injuries, military service, and slips and falls, can all cause Sciatica. And, activities like prolonged sitting and jarring car rides can irritate Sciatica.

However, there are a few risk factors that can increase your risk of Sciatica (though you don’t have to have these in order to have Sciatica). Thoese include:

• Smoking
• Pregnancy
• Lifting and twisting while carrying weight (groceries, gym workouts, etc.)
• Excessive weight gain

Sadly, some patients live with chronic back pain for decades before seeing a provider to get it fix.

Two factors besides the risk factors listed to the left contribute to the speed of your recovery as you are receiving treatment: 1) Age, and 2) How long you’ve had the injury.

In both cases, it serves you to get checked today rather than wait.

Sciatica pain is often extremely debilitating and it can progress rapidly from, “Ouch, my back is flaring up again,” to not being able to get out of bed. We have patients come in wheel chairs, crutches, and with assistant drivers, because they can not move themselves.

​Take action today.

You can also call us at (719) 476-0873

Sciatica is not caused by a lack of pain medication or a lack of surgery. Sciatica is caused by dysfunction in your low back. Sciatica is a symptom; we address the cause.

The pain is the alarm to your fire, it is not the fire. Therefore, we don’t address your “alarm,” we address the fire. In other words, we repair the dysfunction – inflammation, disk herniation, immobility, tension and/or misalignment.

We get to the root of problem. If we cannot find or cannot treat the root of your problem, we will disqualify you from care and refer to another provider.

If you look up Sciatica online, you will find on Google the two recommended solutions are physical therapy and medication.

Medication may numb pain. But what happens when you are numb to the pain, you don’t fix the actual nerve impingement, and you move and workout on it even more? It gets worse, right?

It also says it is “self-diagnosable” and “lab tests and imagining are rarely required.”

We offer highly individualized care, and we don’t offer solutions until we have successfully identified the problem, with diagnostic material.

Thrive Health Systems is team of providers, each focused on getting to the root cause of your Sciatica and fixing it.

Our facilities employ medical doctors, chiropractic doctors, physician assistants, nurse practitioners, laser technicians, acupuncturists, phlebotomist, massage therapists, and what we call functional movement technicians.

After your exam, your individualized plan will represent the most cost-effective and best way to get you out of pain and fix the dysfunction that is causing your pain. The road to health may involve several different team members to get you the best results. It’s all a part of our secret sauce.

No problem. Simply fill out the form to the left or call (719) 476-0873 and we will answer your questions. We have a 24/7 call service at each of our locations, so even if it is after hours, someone will pick up and they can take a message that will be responded to the next day by our staff.

The best way to get your questions answered is to sit with a doctor who will perform an exam and review your medical history. It’s free. Why not? Life can’t get much worse than severe back pain.

The short answer: Yes. The longer answer is that we are in and out-of-network providers for various insurance companies. Reserve your free 30-minute exam, and we will perform an insurance verification of your benefits to know exactly what insurance will and will not cover, based on your deductibles and benefits. We do accept Medicare. We do not accept Medicaid.