Call 911 or go to the emergency room if leg pain comes with loss of bladder or bowel control, numbness in the groin or inner thighs, or a leg that suddenly gets weak.
Toth Chiropractic and Wellness treats sciatica at 3461 University Ave in Morgantown, near Star City and WVU. Dr. Stephen G. Toth has treated low back and leg pain since 1980. Care starts with an exam to find out whether a disc, a stiff joint or tight muscles are irritating the nerve, and uses gentle, non-surgical methods. You don’t need a referral, and same-week appointments are often available.
What sciatica is
The sciatic nerve runs from your low back, through your buttock and down the back of each leg. When something presses on or irritates it, pain can travel along that path. People describe it as a deep ache in the buttock, a sharp or burning pain down the leg, or tingling and numbness in the leg or foot. It usually affects one side.
Common causes include a bulging or herniated disc in the low back, stiff or irritated joints in the low spine or pelvis, and tight muscles deep in the hip.
Signs it may be sciatica
- Pain from the low back or buttock that travels down one leg
- Pain that’s worse when you sit, cough, sneeze or strain
- Tingling, pins and needles, or numbness in the leg or foot
- A leg that feels heavy or tired
- Trouble finding a comfortable position to sleep
A careful exam first
Dr. Toth asks where the pain travels and what makes it better or worse, because that points to the source. He checks your posture, how you bend, your reflexes and strength, and whether your body is shifted to one side. Motion palpation, a hands-on check of how each segment moves, shows which joints in your low back and pelvis are stuck.
Most people don’t need an X-ray or MRI. Imaging is arranged only when your exam shows a clinical reason for it. If your exam points to something a chiropractor shouldn’t treat, he’ll tell you and refer you.
How Dr. Toth treats sciatica
- Cox flexion-distraction, a slow stretching table technique often used for the low back. It takes pressure off irritated discs and joints without twisting.
- Gentle adjustments with Diversified, Thompson or the handheld Activator instrument to get stiff joints moving.
- Traction, a controlled stretch that eases pressure on the nerve.
- Muscle work for tight hip and low back muscles, plus electrical muscle stimulation or cold laser therapy when they help.
- Home exercises and posture coaching, so you know how to sit, sleep and lift while it heals.
If a disc is involved, Dr. Toth uses a gentler, modified approach.
What progress usually looks like
Everyone is different. Leg pain often eases before back stiffness does, and many patients find the pain moves out of the leg and back toward the low back as things settle. That’s usually a good sign. If symptoms spread further down the leg or weakness appears, Dr. Toth will reassess and refer you if needed.
Low back pain without leg pain? See our low back pain page. To book, call (304) 599-8228.
From Toth Chiropractic and Wellness, the Morgantown practice of Dr. Stephen G. Toth, DC. Updated November 2, 2026.