Sciatica Treatment in Collierville: How a Multidisciplinary Approach Delivers Lasting Relief

Sciatica affects up to 40 percent of people at some point in their lives, causing sharp, radiating pain from the lower back down through the leg. At Ideal Health Solutions in Collierville, Dr. Glen Burford combines chiropractic care, physical therapy, and primary healthcare under one roof to treat the root cause of sciatic nerve compression — not just the symptoms. With 38 years of experience and advanced spinal training, Dr. Burford delivers drug-free, surgery-free sciatica relief that lasts.

What Is Sciatica — and Why Does It Hurt So Much?

If you have ever felt a sharp, shooting pain that starts in your lower back and radiates down through your buttock and into your leg, you may be dealing with sciatica. The sciatic nerve is the longest and thickest nerve in the human body, running from the lower spine through the hips and down each leg. When something compresses or irritates that nerve — a herniated disc, a misaligned vertebra, spinal stenosis, or even muscle tension in the piriformis — the result can range from a dull ache to a burning, electric-shock sensation that makes sitting, standing, and sleeping feel nearly impossible.

Sciatica is remarkably common. Research published in the National Library of Medicine estimates that up to 40 percent of people will experience sciatica at some point in their lifetime, with peak incidence occurring in the 40s and 50s. Occupations that involve prolonged sitting, driving, or heavy lifting carry a higher risk, but the condition can affect anyone at any age. The good news is that the vast majority of sciatica cases — roughly 80 to 90 percent — can be resolved without surgery when the right treatment approach is applied early.

Why Medications Alone Are Not Enough

When sciatica strikes, the first instinct for many people is to reach for over-the-counter pain relievers, anti-inflammatory drugs, or muscle relaxants. While these medications can dull the pain temporarily, they do not address the structural problem causing the nerve compression. The pain returns once the medication wears off, and a cycle of symptom management begins — one that can stretch on for weeks, months, or even years.

Stronger options like steroid injections or prescription painkillers carry their own risks, including side effects, dependency concerns, and diminishing effectiveness over time. None of these approaches correct the underlying spinal misalignment, disc issue, or muscular imbalance that is putting pressure on the sciatic nerve in the first place.

The Ideal Health Solutions Difference: Three Disciplines Under One Roof

At Ideal Health Solutions in Collierville, Dr. Glen Burford takes a fundamentally different approach to sciatica. Rather than masking symptoms, the goal is to identify the root cause of nerve compression and correct it using a coordinated, multidisciplinary treatment plan that combines chiropractic care, physical therapy, and primary healthcare — all under one roof.

Chiropractic Care: Correcting the Source

Chiropractic spinal adjustments are at the core of sciatica treatment at Ideal Health Solutions. When vertebrae shift out of alignment, they can narrow the spaces where nerve roots exit the spine, creating the compression that triggers sciatic pain. Dr. Burford uses diagnostic X-rays to pinpoint exactly where the structural problem exists, then applies precise adjustments to restore proper spinal alignment, reduce nerve irritability, and improve joint function.

With 38 years of experience and advanced training from Palmer College of Chiropractic, Dr. Burford does not rely on a one-size-fits-all approach. Every treatment plan begins with a thorough evaluation — including health history, physical examination, and imaging — so that the specific cause of your sciatica is identified before any treatment begins.

Physical Therapy: Strengthening the Support System

Correcting spinal alignment is essential, but maintaining that correction requires a strong, balanced musculoskeletal system. That is where physical therapy comes in. At Ideal Health Solutions, rehabilitative exercises are integrated directly into your treatment plan to strengthen the muscles that support your spine, improve flexibility in your hips and hamstrings, and restore range of motion.

Tight hamstrings and weak core muscles are two of the most common contributing factors in recurring sciatica. Physical therapy addresses both, helping to reduce the likelihood of future flare-ups and giving your body the structural support it needs to hold chiropractic corrections in place over time.

Primary Healthcare: Seeing the Full Picture

As a medically integrated clinic, Ideal Health Solutions also offers primary healthcare services through Family Nurse Practitioner Dr. Annette Caple. This means that if your sciatica is complicated by other health factors — inflammation, circulatory issues, or conditions that affect nerve health — those concerns can be evaluated and addressed within the same practice. There is no need to coordinate between separate offices or wait weeks for referral appointments.

This integrated model ensures that every aspect of your health is considered when developing your sciatica treatment plan, not just the mechanical component.

What Causes Sciatica? Common Culprits

Understanding what is behind your sciatica is the first step toward eliminating it. The most common causes include:

• Herniated or bulging discs — responsible for approximately 90 percent of sciatica cases, occurring when the soft inner material of a spinal disc pushes through a weakened outer layer and presses against a nerve root

• Spinal misalignment (subluxation) — when one or more vertebrae shift out of proper position, narrowing the space available for nerve roots

• Spinal stenosis — a gradual narrowing of the spinal canal, most common in patients over 50

• Piriformis syndrome — when the piriformis muscle in the buttock tightens or spasms, compressing the sciatic nerve as it passes through the gluteal region

• Degenerative disc disease — age-related wear and tear that reduces disc height and can lead to nerve compression

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Each of these causes requires a different treatment strategy, which is why accurate diagnosis — including X-ray imaging — is so important before beginning any course of care.

Signs You Should Not Ignore

Sciatica symptoms can vary widely in intensity. Some people experience a mild, intermittent ache, while others deal with constant, debilitating pain. Common symptoms include:

• Pain that radiates from the lower back through the buttock and down one leg, often below the knee

• A burning or electric-shock sensation along the nerve path

• Numbness, tingling, or pins-and-needles in the leg or foot

• Weakness in the affected leg that makes it difficult to walk or stand

• Pain that worsens when sitting, bending, or coughing

If you are experiencing any combination of these symptoms — especially if they have persisted for more than a few days or are getting worse — it is time to have the underlying cause evaluated rather than continuing to manage symptoms on your own.

Why Early Treatment Matters

One of the most important things to understand about sciatica is that early intervention leads to significantly better outcomes. When nerve compression is addressed quickly, inflammation can be reduced before it causes lasting irritation, and structural problems can be corrected before compensatory movement patterns create additional issues in other areas of the body.

Waiting too long to seek treatment often results in a longer recovery timeline and a higher likelihood of recurring episodes. Research consistently shows that conservative, non-surgical approaches — particularly chiropractic care combined with physical therapy — are most effective when started early in the course of the condition.

38 Years of Experience Treating Sciatica in Collierville

Dr. Glen Burford has been serving the Collierville and Memphis area since 1986. His approach to sciatica treatment reflects nearly four decades of clinical experience combined with ongoing advanced education, including his certification from the Spine Research Institute of San Diego in whiplash and brain injury traumatology — a distinction awarded to only 100 physicians annually nationwide.

That depth of training in spinal biomechanics, nerve function, and crash-related injuries gives Dr. Burford a level of diagnostic precision that sets Ideal Health Solutions apart. Whether your sciatica developed gradually from years of wear and tear or suddenly after an injury or accident, you are in experienced hands.

Key Takeaways

• Sciatica is a symptom, not a diagnosis. The shooting pain down your leg is caused by something compressing the sciatic nerve — a herniated disc, spinal misalignment, stenosis, or muscle tension. Identifying the specific cause is essential to effective treatment.

• Medications manage pain but do not fix the problem. Over-the-counter drugs, prescription painkillers, and steroid injections may provide temporary relief, but they leave the underlying structural issue untreated.

• A multidisciplinary approach produces the best outcomes. Combining chiropractic adjustments to correct spinal alignment, physical therapy to strengthen supporting muscles, and primary healthcare to address related health factors delivers more complete and longer-lasting relief than any single treatment alone.

• Early intervention matters. Research shows that 80 to 90 percent of sciatica cases resolve without surgery when conservative treatment begins early. Waiting allows inflammation to worsen and compensatory movement patterns to develop.

• Accurate diagnosis starts with imaging. X-rays reveal the structural cause of nerve compression, allowing Dr. Burford to build a treatment plan based on what is actually happening in your spine rather than guesswork.

• You do not have to live with sciatica. With 38 years of experience and advanced spinal training, Dr. Glen Burford at Ideal Health Solutions in Collierville has helped patients move from daily pain to lasting, drug-free relief.

Take the First Step Toward Sciatica Relief

Sciatica does not have to control your daily life. If you are tired of managing pain with medications that only provide temporary relief, a different approach may be exactly what you need.

At Ideal Health Solutions, new patients receive a comprehensive evaluation that includes consultation, examination, two X-rays, and a report of findings with first treatment — all for a $99 new patient special. This initial visit is designed to identify the specific cause of your sciatica and outline a treatment plan tailored to your condition.

Book your appointment at Ideal Health Solutions in Collierville and take the first step toward lasting, drug-free sciatica relief.

Dr. Glen Burford - Ideal Health Solutions is located at 346 New Byhalia Road, Suite 3, Collierville, TN 38017.