When Back Pain Starts Travelling Down Your Leg
It might have started as a stiff lower back. Now there's a burning or electric line running through your buttock and down the back of your leg. Sitting through a workday or the drive along the 401 is hard, and getting out of the car is worse. Some mornings your foot feels numb or heavy.
You may have rested it, stretched it, taken anti-inflammatories or been told to wait it out. When the pain keeps coming back, it usually means nobody has pinned down what is irritating the nerve.
At Durham Spine & Sports Clinic in Whitby, sciatica treatment starts with that question. Dr. Alykhan Jamal, BA(Hon), DC, CSCS, runs a full orthopaedic and neurological exam on your first visit, so your plan is built on what is actually going on.
What Sciatica Is, and What Usually Causes It
Sciatica describes a pattern of symptoms rather than one diagnosis. It means pain, numbness, tingling or weakness that follows the sciatic nerve from the low back through the buttock and into the leg, usually on one side.
The cause matters because it changes the treatment. Common sources include a disc herniation or bulge pressing on a nerve root, narrowing of the spinal canal (lumbar spinal stenosis), irritated joints in the low back, or tight muscles deep in the hip. Two people with the same leg pain can need very different care.
How Dr. Jamal Finds the Source First
Dr. Jamal's approach is easy to describe: assess thoroughly, explain what he finds in plain language, then treat. It's your body, so you should understand what is happening in it before anyone starts working on it.
Once the source is clear, your plan may combine:
- Chiropractic care to restore movement in the low back, pelvis and hips, including gentle flexion-distraction where it suits your presentation. Read about chiropractic care.
- Non-surgical spinal decompression for disc-related sciatica. Dr. Jamal is a trained Non-Surgical Spinal Decompression Provider. Learn about spinal decompression.
- Soft tissue work and exercise, including Graston Technique, medical acupuncture and strength-focused rehab shaped by his CSCS training.
Dr. Jeremy Beauvais, DC, also treats sciatica at the clinic and sees patients in English or French.
What to Expect at Your First Visit
A Full Assessment
A Clear Explanation
A Plan That Builds Independence
What Getting Better Can Look Like
For many people, the leg pain is the first thing to settle, and the back follows. Progress tends to show up in ordinary moments: sitting through a full workday, sleeping without shifting every hour, or getting back to the golf course or the gym.
Every case is different. Some need imaging or a referral to a physician or surgeon, and when that's the right call, Dr. Jamal will tell you. Either way, you leave with a clear picture of your back and a home program you can keep using on your own.
Sciatica Treatment Questions
Often, yes, depending on the cause. Chiropractic care, decompression and exercise are commonly used for sciatica that comes from a disc or joint problem. Your first visit confirms whether this approach suits you or whether you need a referral.
No. You can book directly with a chiropractor in Ontario. If your doctor has already ordered imaging or written a referral, bring it to your first visit.
Most extended health plans include chiropractic coverage, and the clinic direct bills most insurers. Check your plan's chiropractic limit before your first visit so there are no surprises.
It depends on the cause and how long you've had symptoms. After your assessment, Dr. Jamal will give you an expected timeline and adjust it as you progress.
Go to the emergency department if you lose bladder or bowel control, feel numbness in the groin or inner thighs, or notice leg weakness that is getting worse quickly. These can signal serious nerve compression that needs urgent medical care.
Book a Sciatica Assessment in Whitby
Durham Spine & Sports Clinic is at 103-420 Green Street in Whitby, a short drive from Brooklin, Taunton North, Williamsburg, Oshawa and Ajax. New patients are welcome, and the clinic direct bills most extended health plans.
Prefer to talk it through first? Call the clinic at 289-638-3086.
