Can a Decompression Table Fix Sciatica? Here’s How We Treat Sciatic Pain at Boulder Sports Clinic

Sciatica is one of the most common — and most frustrating — causes of low back and leg pain. If you’ve ever felt sharp, burning, or electric pain traveling from your low back into your hip, glute, or down your leg, you know how disruptive it can be to daily life.

The good news? Many cases of sciatica can be treated without surgery or injections. At Boulder Sports Clinic, we use non-surgical spinal decompression, combined with chiropractic care and physical therapy, to relieve pressure on irritated nerves and help patients get back to moving comfortably.

This article explains:

• What causes sciatica
• Why sciatic pain doesn’t always resolve on its own
• How our decompression table works
• Why combining decompression with chiropractic and physical therapy leads to faster, longer-lasting results

What Is Sciatica?

Sciatica isn’t a diagnosis — it’s a symptom. It refers to pain caused by irritation or compression of the sciatic nerve, the largest nerve in the body. This nerve originates in the lower spine and travels through the hips, glutes, and down each leg.

Common symptoms of sciatica include:

• Sharp, shooting, or burning pain down one leg
• Pain that worsens with sitting or bending
• Tingling, numbness, or weakness in the leg or foot
• Low back pain combined with leg symptoms

What Causes Sciatica?

Sciatic pain most often occurs when something in the lower spine compresses or irritates a nerve root. Common causes include:

• Disc bulges or herniations pressing on the nerve
• Degenerative disc disease or disc height loss
• Spinal stenosis (narrowing of the spinal canal)
• Joint or soft-tissue restrictions altering spinal mechanics
• Poor movement patterns or weak core/hip muscles

When pressure remains on the nerve, inflammation builds, healing slows, and symptoms can persist — even if you’re resting or stretching.

How Our Decompression Table Helps Sciatica

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Non-surgical spinal decompression is a computer-controlled traction therapy designed to gently and specifically unload the lower spine.

Unlike old-style traction, decompression:

• Uses precise angles and force
• Alternates between tension and relaxation
• Targets specific spinal levels

What decompression does for sciatic pain:

• Reduces pressure on compressed nerve roots
• Creates negative pressure inside the disc, helping bulges retract
• Improves nutrient and fluid exchange to damaged discs
• Decreases inflammation around the nerve

Patients often describe decompression as a slow, gentle stretch — not aggressive pulling. Many notice relief within the first few sessions, especially when nerve pressure is the primary driver of symptoms.

Why Decompression Alone Isn’t Always Enough

While decompression is powerful, sciatica rarely exists in isolation.

If spinal joints aren’t moving well, muscles are tight or weak, or movement patterns haven’t been corrected, symptoms can return once decompression ends. That’s why our approach doesn’t stop at the table.

Faster, Longer-Lasting Results With a Combined Approach

At Boulder Sports Clinic, we combine decompression therapy, chiropractic care, and physical therapy to address sciatica from every angle.

Chiropractic Care

Chiropractic treatment helps:

• Restore motion to restricted spinal joints
• Reduce mechanical stress on discs and nerves
• Improve alignment and movement efficiency

This allows decompression to work more effectively by ensuring the spine can move the way it’s supposed to.

Physical Therapy

Physical therapy focuses on:

• Strengthening the core, hips, and glutes
• Correcting movement patterns that stress the spine
• Improving flexibility and nerve mobility
• Preventing future flare-ups

By stabilizing the spine and retraining movement, physical therapy helps ensure long-term relief, not just short-term pain reduction.

What Treatment Looks Like

Most sciatica treatment plans include:

• A thorough exam to identify the true cause of nerve irritation
• A short series of decompression sessions
• Chiropractic care to restore joint mobility
• Targeted physical therapy to build strength and resilience

Our goal isn’t just to calm your pain — it’s to fix the underlying problem so you can sit, train, work, and move without fear of symptoms returning.

Is Decompression Right for Your Sciatica?

Decompression therapy works best for people with:

• Disc-related sciatica
• Leg pain worsened by sitting or bending
• Persistent symptoms that haven’t responded to rest or basic care
• A desire to avoid injections or surgery

If your sciatica is driven primarily by muscular or postural issues, we’ll guide you toward the most effective treatment plan instead.

Ready to Get Relief From Sciatica?

If sciatic pain is limiting your work, workouts, or daily life, you don’t have to wait it out or live on pain medications.

👉 Schedule an evaluation at Boulder Sports Clinic to find out whether decompression therapy — combined with chiropractic and physical therapy — is the right solution for your sciatica.

Our team will help you understand why you’re in pain and map out a clear plan to get you back to moving confidently again.

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