As a Certified Functional Medicine Practitioner and Board Certified in Integrative Medicine, Dr. Micharl Veselak has found that successful treatment is the result of finding the source of the problem, and not covering the symptoms with medications. With all chronic pain patients there is an underlying component that must be addressed if the patient is ever going to respond to conservative care and live a life without medications.
Sciatica
The Sciatic Nerve is the largest nerve in the body, beginning in the lower lumbar vertebrae and traveling through the buttocks, down the leg, to the foot. Often, Sciatic Nerve Pain begins when the nerve gets aggravated by repetitive bending, prolonged sitting (such as driving), and many other everyday activities like gardening, golfing or running. When the Sciatic Nerve exits the vertebrae, it crosses the glutes and exits under the piriformis muscle, which sits right below the gluteal muscles. Any one of these muscles can disrupt the nerve due to imbalances, weakness, and/or hypertonicity. This causes the Sciatic nerve to become compressed, creating the symptoms of Sciatica. Generally, Sciatica pain is caused by a herniated disc in the 4th or 5th Lumbar region, which impinges the Sciatic Nerve. Another less common cause of Sciatic Pain are synovial cysts.
With more than 30 years of Chiropractic experience, sciatica doctor thousand oaks Michael Veselak has treated numerous cases of Sciatic Nerve Pain. Over the past few years, however, he has changed his treatment methods to incorporate a more functional medicine approach. As a Certified Functional Medicine Practitioner and Board Certified in Integrative Medicine, Dr. Michael Veselak addresses Sciatic Nerve Pain by first identifying the underlying cause of the pain. It is important to address the pain not only from a musculoskeletal perspective, but also from a neurologic and metabolic perspective. A comprehensive orthopedic and neurologic evaluation is necessary to determine the exact level of compression and the severity of the Sciatica.
Neuropathy
It has been estimated that over 17 million people in the United States are affected by Peripheral Neuropathy. Peripheral Neuropathy literally translates to abnormal nerves away from the center of the body, and can affect the motor, sensory and/or autonomic nerves. When the motor nerves are involved, movement will be inhibited, creating weakness or cramping and possibly balance issues. Neuropathy doctor thousand oaks in the sensory nerves will often cause tingling, numbness or burning in the hands or feet. While the autonomic nerves control the part of the body that we do not control, such as circulation, digestion, and heart rate. In dealing with Neuropathy, any one of these types of nerves could be affected, or a combination of all three.
At Camarillo Functional Health, Dr. Michael Veselak has had the opportunity to evaluate and treat thousand of patients suffering from Peripheral Neuropathy. In doing so, Dr. Veselak has found a common thread throughout all neuropathy cases – there is always an underlying metabolic condition that adversely affects the nerves, resulting in poor communication in the wiring from the brain to the hands and/or feet. Once this underlying cause is discovered, patients experience much greater improvement in their Neuropathy pain and faster results!
Some of the common metabolic conditions that will cause nerve disruption or degeneration are Insulin Resistance, Type 2 Diabetes, Anemia, Auto-Immune Issues, Infections such as viral or bacterial infections, food sensitivities, high stress affecting the adrenal gland, and liver detoxification issues. Statin drugs and chemotherapy can also be added to this list.
camarillofunctionalhealth 