Sciatica is one of the conditions Dr. Jason R. Brown, D.C. lists as seeing great results with at Reston Healing Center. Sciatica is a symptom. Something caused it, and finding out what caused it and fixing it is what we do best, with no drugs or surgery.

What causes sciatica

Sciatica is a symptom of a problem with the sciatic nerve, the largest nerve in the body. It happens when something pinches, presses on or irritates that nerve or its root. Common causes include a slipped or herniated disc, narrowing of the spinal canal (spinal stenosis), piriformis syndrome, which involves a narrow muscle in the buttock, and pregnancy. Past back injuries and extra body weight raise the risk. In some cases, no clear cause is found.

For many people around Reston, it shows up as the leg pain that makes a long drive or a full day in a desk chair hard to get through, or the ache that won’t settle after a run on the W&OD Trail.

When it’s time to get your sciatica checked

Pain that shoots from your lower back or buttock down one leg
Leg pain that gets worse the longer you sit or drive
Pain into your hip or down a leg that keeps coming back
Back pain with tingling down the leg

See a medical provider right away if you lose control of urine or stool, have weakness or numbness in your buttocks, thigh, leg or pelvis, have an unexplained fever with back pain, or your pain follows a severe blow or fall. MedlinePlus lists these as reasons to be seen promptly.

Your first visit

It starts with a free 10–15 minute consult with Dr. Jason. Tell him what’s going on and ask anything. If you want to go ahead, you know the price before anything happens: $169 cash for your exam, digital X-rays and adjustment, or your price if we work with your insurance.

For every issue, sciatica included, we do a consultation and a thorough exam: ranges of motion, muscle testing, posture checks and digital X-rays. That gives each patient an individualized treatment plan to get them on the road back to what they love doing.

How we treat sciatica

Dr. Jason focuses on restoring proper alignment and movement in the spine. Each visit is about an hour of hands-on work: spinal work with Dr. Jason, then muscle work, stretching and exercises with Dr. Jason or one of our therapists. We also use a heated roller bed for extension and loosening up.

Before you leave, we show you exercises to do at home between visits, and they change as you get stronger. Expecting? Many pregnant women deal with sciatica, and Dr. Jason is trained in prenatal care. See chiropractic for pregnant women.

Why choose us

Our patients have given us a 4.9-star rating across 52 Google reviews. Dr. Jason takes his time, explains what he’s doing and wants to be the most conservative person you see for your pain. The goal is to keep you away from back surgery. If he can’t help you, he’ll get you to someone who can.