Sciatica is a pain you do not soon forget. A sharp, electric jolt that travels from the lower back or buttock down the back of the leg, sometimes with burning, numbness, or a tingling that reaches all the way to the foot. It can flare when you stand, sit too long, or simply shift the wrong way, and it has a way of hijacking your focus and your day. For many Tampa patients, it turns everyday movements into something to be careful about.
At Mast Health, sciatica is treated by someone who specializes in the nervous system. Dr. Nenos is a board certified chiropractic neurologist, so he understands exactly how the sciatic nerve behaves and where to look for what is irritating it. Our goal is to relieve the pressure on the nerve at its true source and calm the pain traveling down your leg. Our approach is drug free, noninvasive, and aimed at resolving the problem rather than masking it.
Once we find the source, Dr. Nenos works to take the pressure off the sciatic nerve by gently decompressing the spine and restoring motion to the joints crowding it. Relieving that irritation is what calms the shooting pain, numbness, and tingling running down your leg.
Sciatica is a symptom of a nerve being irritated somewhere in the lower back or pelvis, and the leg is simply where you feel it. We carefully evaluate your spine, pelvis, and nerve function to locate exactly where the sciatic nerve is being compressed or irritated.
Sciatica has a frustrating habit of returning if the underlying cause is left unaddressed. We rebuild the strength, mobility, and mechanics that keep pressure off the nerve so you can move confidently without waiting for the next flare.
Sciatica is often met with pain medication and rest, which may dull the symptoms for a while but do nothing to relieve the actual pressure on the sciatic nerve. Chiropractic care targets that compression directly by addressing the joints, discs, and tissues irritating the nerve. Book a visit at our N Dale Mabry clinic and let our team find exactly where your sciatica is coming from.
Many Tampa patients are surprised to learn that the pain shooting down the leg almost always originates in the lower back or pelvis, where the sciatic nerve is being pinched. By relieving that pressure and restoring balanced movement to the spine and hips, we address the problem at its true source rather than chasing the pain down the leg. Schedule your appointment and take the first step toward relief.
Do not let sciatica dictate how you sit, stand, and move. We offer same day scheduling and weekend appointments for Tampa patients dealing with acute sciatic pain.
Sciatica is not a diagnosis in itself but a description of what happens when the sciatic nerve is irritated. That nerve is the largest in the body, running from the lower back through the buttock and down the back of each leg. When it is compressed or inflamed somewhere along its path, the result is the classic radiating pain, numbness, or tingling that travels down the leg, often on one side. The leg is where you feel it, but the source is almost always in the lower back or pelvis.
This is exactly why treating the leg itself does so little. Massaging or resting the leg leaves the compressed nerve root untouched, so the pain returns as soon as you get moving. Relieving the pressure at the actual source, whether it is a disc pressing on the nerve, a restricted joint, or tight muscles crowding it, is what allows the sciatic nerve to calm down and the leg symptoms to fade. Because sciatica usually stems from a mechanical problem, it is well suited to conservative care.
At Mast Health, Dr. Nenos brings a chiropractic neurologist’s perspective to every case of sciatica, carefully testing nerve function to pinpoint where the sciatic nerve is being irritated and how it is affecting you. From there he uses gentle techniques such as spinal decompression to relieve the pressure and restore healthy motion, treating the true cause of your sciatica. That depth of nervous system assessment is uncommon in a community clinic and is a real advantage for a nerve condition like this.
Sciatica can come on suddenly or build gradually, but it always traces back to something irritating the sciatic nerve. Pinpointing that cause is the first step toward real relief. The drivers we see most often in Tampa include:
A disc in the lower back that pushes out of place can press directly on the sciatic nerve root, one of the most common causes of sciatica.
When the joints of the lower back or pelvis lose their normal motion, they can crowd and irritate the nerve as it exits the spine.
Tightness in the deep buttock muscles, including the piriformis, can compress the sciatic nerve along its path and mimic or worsen sciatica.
Age related wear in the spine can narrow the space around the nerve, leaving less room and leading to irritation.
Shifts in weight and posture can increase pressure on the lower back and sciatic nerve, a common trigger during pregnancy.
Long hours seated and repeated poor lifting or bending place ongoing stress on the lower back and can set off sciatic symptoms.
Dr. Nenos treats sciatica by finding and relieving the irritation at its source in the lower back or pelvis, not by chasing the pain down the leg. The plan is matched to what is compressing the nerve. A sciatica care plan typically includes:
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A careful assessment of your nerve function, reflexes, sensation, and movement to map exactly where the sciatic nerve is being irritated, which guides the entire plan.
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Gentle techniques such as Flexion Distraction that decompress the spine and relieve pressure on the sciatic nerve, along with precise adjustments to restore motion to the restricted joints of the lower back and pelvis.
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Hands on work to release the tight muscles crowding the nerve, including the deep buttock muscles, paired with a progressive program to strengthen the core and improve mechanics so the pressure stays off the nerve.
When you are looking for a chiropractor in Tampa, the difference is in the expertise. Dr. Nenos is not just a practicing chiropractor. He teaches chiropractic technique at the National University of Health Sciences and is one of the Tampa Bay area’s only board certified chiropractic neurologists. That means every patient receives academic level precision and a depth of diagnostic skill you will not find at a typical clinic, all from one doctor who personally treats you at every visit.
As one of the Tampa Bay area's only board certified chiropractic neurologists, Dr. Nenos brings exactly the kind of nervous system expertise that a condition like neuropathy calls for.
We are in Fountain Oaks Plaza at 6800 N Dale Mabry Hwy, easy to reach from Carrollwood, Northdale, Town 'N' Country, Westchase, Lutz, and Temple Terrace.
Sharp, radiating sciatic pain should not have to wait until Monday. We are open Saturdays and Sundays and offer same day scheduling for urgent needs.
Dr. Nenos personally evaluates and treats you at every visit, from your first assessment through your last adjustment.
Have questions before booking your first visit? You are not alone. Below are answers to the questions we hear most often from new patients at Mast Health. If you do not see yours, call us at (813) 807-7463 or stop by our Tampa clinic at 6800 N Dale Mabry Hwy and we will be glad to help.
Yes. Sciatica is usually caused by something compressing the sciatic nerve in the lower back or pelvis, which is a mechanical problem chiropractic care is well suited to address. By relieving that pressure and restoring healthy motion, we help calm the radiating pain, numbness, and tingling, often without medication or surgery.
The sciatic nerve begins in your lower back and travels down your leg, so when it is irritated at its root, you feel the symptoms along its path, all the way down the leg and sometimes into the foot. This is why relieving the source in the back or pelvis is what actually calms the leg pain.
Many people notice meaningful relief within a few weeks of care once the pressure on the nerve is addressed, though it depends on the cause and how long it has been present. Dr. Nenos tracks your progress with objective benchmarks so you know how the nerve is responding.
Seek prompt medical care if you experience rapidly worsening leg weakness, numbness in the groin or inner thighs, or any loss of bowel or bladder control. These are uncommon but serious signs that call for immediate evaluation rather than conservative care.
You do not have to endure pain shooting down your leg or arrange your whole day around avoiding a flare. If sciatica is affecting how you sit, stand, and move, relieving the pressure at its source with conservative chiropractic care may be exactly what you need. It is a natural, noninvasive way to free the sciatic nerve and calm the symptoms traveling down your leg.
Book with Mast Health in Tampa for a neurology informed evaluation that gets to the real cause of your sciatica and a plan built around it. Weekend appointments are available, and new patients with and without insurance are always welcome.