Sciatica Chiropractor in Surprise, AZ

Sciatica is not a diagnosis. It is a symptom, and it means something is pressing on or irritating the sciatic nerve. The pain in your leg is the smoke; the problem in your low back or hip is the fire. At Legg Chiropractic and Acupuncture in Surprise, Dr. Derek M. Legg, D.C., M.P.H. examines the low back and the hip first, finds what is actually compressing the nerve, and treats it with chiropractic adjustments, acupuncture and dry needling in one visit. New self pay patients start at $49 for a first visit that includes the consultation, exam, X-rays if clinically necessary, and first treatment. Walk ins are welcome Monday through Thursday.

Why sciatica keeps coming back

Rest and pain medication quiet the leg but leave the nerve compressed. If a lumbar disc is bulging into the nerve root, or the spinal canal has narrowed, or the piriformis muscle deep in the hip has clamped down, nothing changes while you wait. The pain returns the first time you sit through a long drive or stand at the sink. Treating the leg, where the pain is felt, is the reason most sciatica care stalls, and it is why the examination comes before any treatment plan.

The two causes we treat together

Sciatica usually comes from two directions at once: joint, disc and nerve compression in the lower back, and muscle spasm in the hip and glute that squeezes the nerve on its way down the leg. The adjustment opens the space the nerve travels through. Acupuncture and dry needling release the piriformis and deep glute muscles that keep clamping it. Doing only one is why so much sciatica care never fully resolves. Here all three happen in the same visit with the same doctor.

Types of sciatica we see

Lumbar disc herniation pressing on a nerve root, the most common cause. Piriformis syndrome, where the nerve is squeezed under a deep hip muscle so the pain feels like it starts in the buttock. Spinal stenosis, a canal narrowed with age that crowds the nerves and shows up as legs that cramp or give out after a short walk. Degenerative disc disease, spondylolisthesis, and irritation of the nerve along its path down the leg. Sciatica that follows a car accident belongs on the auto accident injuries page, and sciatica that started at work on the work injuries page. If your examination points somewhere outside chiropractic, we say so and refer. Deciding who to see first? Read chiropractor or physical therapist for sciatica.

What happens at the examination

Range of motion in the low back and hips, the joints that are not moving, the muscles that are guarding, the nerve tests that tell us which level is involved, and a history that asks when it started and what makes it worse. Digital X-rays are taken when the history or the examination calls for them, not as a routine. If you want to know what a film actually shows before you see one, the guide to understanding your X-rays walks through it in plain words. Existing imaging is welcome, and we also offer an MRI review. Read more about your first visit.

How the treatment plan works

The adjustment restores motion at the lumbar levels that are stuck and opens the space around the nerve root. Acupuncture and dry needling release the piriformis, glute and low back muscles that keep squeezing the nerve. Corrective exercise teaches the hips and core to hold the change, spinal decompression is added when a disc is the driver, and a posture evaluation deals with the desk or the driving that keeps reloading the low back. All of it happens in the same visit with the same doctor.

Can a chiropractor help my sciatica?

Dr. Legg examines your low back, hips and nerve function, uses digital X-rays when clinically necessary, and treats what is actually compressing the nerve. If chiropractic is not the right fit for your case, he tells you on day one and points you to who should see you. Individual results vary.

How do I know if it is really sciatica?

True sciatica follows the nerve, so the pain travels below the knee and often comes with numbness, tingling or weakness in the leg or foot. Pain that stays in the low back or buttock is usually something else, often a back pain or hip problem. The examination sorts it out, and the answer changes the treatment plan.

How many visits before my leg pain improves?

Many patients notice a change within the first few visits, though a nerve that has been compressed for months takes longer than one that was irritated last week. Your examination and X-rays guide a realistic plan rather than an open-ended one, and you see the same doctor at every visit. What to do between visits is on the after your adjustment page.

Does insurance or Medicare cover sciatica care?

We accept most major plans and verify your benefits before your first visit. Medicare covers medically necessary chiropractic spinal adjustments only. Acupuncture and dry needling performed by a chiropractor are not covered by Medicare and are billed as self-pay. The $49 first visit is for new self-pay patients and does not apply to Medicare, auto accident, personal injury or workers' compensation cases. See insurance accepted and Medicare for details.

When is leg pain not a case for this office?

Weakness that is getting worse, numbness in the groin or inner thighs, a change in bladder or bowel control, leg pain with fever or unexplained weight loss, or pain after a serious fall belongs in urgent or emergency care first, not here. That is not a diagnosis, it is the line where you should be seen somewhere else before you see us. If anything in your history points that way, we will tell you at the examination.

Visit us

Legg Chiropractic and Acupuncture, 13757 W Bell Rd #101, Surprise, AZ 85374, inside Sheitelman Physical Medicine on West Bell Road. Call (623) 214-7600 or book online. Monday to Thursday, 9:00 AM to 5:30 PM, Arizona time. Dr. Derek M. Legg, D.C., M.P.H. earned his Doctor of Chiropractic at Logan University and a Master of Public Health, and you see the same doctor at every visit. Learn more about Dr. Legg, see every condition we treat, or read about neck pain and chronic conditions. Individual results vary. Reviewed by Dr. Derek M. Legg, D.C., M.P.H. Last reviewed September 2026.