Macomb Chiropractor Uses Spinal Thermal Scan to Trace Sciatica to Its Source

Sciatica often starts in the low back or hips, even when the pain is felt down the leg.

Bence Chiropractic uses a spinal thermal scan to trace nerve pain back to its source, so patients can stop chasing the symptom and start treating the cause.

MACOMB, MI, UNITED STATES, November 4, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ -- Sciatica is common: one widely cited review puts lifetime incidence between 13% and 40%. Behind it sits a larger problem. The World Health Organization says low back pain affected 619 million people worldwide in 2020, projects 843 million by 2050, and calls it the single leading cause of disability on the planet.

Many patients with a burning leg or a numb foot spend months focused on the spot that hurts, when the problem begins somewhere else. "We have to find what's irritating the nerve and treat the cause rather than chase the pain," says Dr. Pavel Bence, DC, CCWP, of Bence Chiropractic Wellness Center in Macomb, Michigan.

Is All Back Pain Sciatica?

Many people use "sciatica" to describe any back pain, but the two are different conditions that often show up together. Back pain alone is simply back pain. Sciatica involves the sciatic nerve, the largest in the body, formed where several nerve roots from the low back come together and run through the buttock and down the leg to the foot. "When you dissect it, it's like a thumb when it comes out from behind there," Dr. Bence says.

The nerve can be irritated at different levels of the spine, or twisted hips can stretch or compress it. Herniated discs, degenerative changes, spinal stenosis, and tight muscles in the buttock can all contribute.

Why Does It Matter How Far Down the Leg the Pain Goes?

Dr. Bence describes three grades. In the first, pain stays in the buttock. In the second, it travels to the knee, sometimes as shooting pain, heat, numbness, tingling, or burning. In the third, it reaches all the way to the foot. "The farther it goes down the leg, the harder it is to treat and takes longer to heal," he says. That is one reason he encourages people not to wait.

How Does Bence Chiropractic Find the Source of Sciatica?

To help locate the source, the practice uses a thermal scan called the Insight Subluxation Station. "It's an objective way of verifying interference to the nervous system," Dr. Bence says. A sensor rolls along the spine from the base of the low back to the top of the neck in about 20 to 30 seconds, recording skin temperature to a tenth of a degree Fahrenheit. In a healthy spine, the readings match on the left and right. Hot or cold spots mark levels where the nervous system is under stress, sometimes where the patient doesn't feel anything yet. The scan confirms what he finds through posture, hands-on examination, and X-rays rather than serving as a diagnosis on its own.

The scan covers the neck as well as the low back for a reason. "You can't separate the spine; it's like one organ," he says. A head that sits far forward changes posture all the way down, and some back pain starts with what is happening in the neck. Patients see their own scan on screen, usually at the first visit and again after about 10 to 12 visits, so they can follow the trend together with the doctor.

What Helps During a Sciatica Flare-Up?

One of his most direct messages is about sitting. When people have back pain, their instinct is to sit and rest, but "sitting is the worst thing on your disc," he says, referring to the cushions between the vertebrae. Sitting puts more pressure on the discs than standing does. "We're not created to sit; we're created to move." In a very painful flare-up, ice helps first to bring down swelling and pain, and gentle range-of-motion stretches come in as soon as the patient can tolerate them. "The sooner they start moving, the better."

How Is Sciatica Treated at Bence Chiropractic?

Sciatica care at Bence Chiropractic is built around what a thorough examination finds. It can include spinal and pelvic adjustments, flexion-distraction on a Cox table for certain disc-related cases, massage for the muscles around the hips and low back, and exercises that keep recovery going between visits. For a typical case, Dr. Bence begins with three visits a week for about three months. By then, he says, many patients report that their sciatica has resolved or greatly improved. If symptoms persist, or are severe from the start, he looks further, including an MRI to see whether a disc is bulging or herniated. The same approach guides the practice's lower back pain care.

When Is Sciatica an Emergency?

Some symptoms call for emergency care instead of a chiropractic visit: sudden loss of bowel or bladder control, numbness in the groin or saddle area, rapidly worsening leg weakness, or significant difficulty walking.

About Bence Chiropractic Wellness Center

Bence Chiropractic Wellness Center is a family chiropractic practice at 46857 Garfield Rd. in Macomb, Michigan, serving patients from Sterling Heights, Shelby Township, Clinton Township, Warren, Utica, and surrounding communities. Dr. Pavel Bence, DC, CCWP, has more than 40 years of experience and is certified in trauma care, TMJ treatment, ADHD care, and spinal biomechanics. He sees patients in English, Serbo-Croatian, and Slovak. New patients can come in for a $99 visit that includes a consultation, exam, findings, and X-rays if needed, with no referral required. Call (586) 978-9900 or visit bencechiro.com. This release is for educational purposes and is not a substitute for medical advice.

Caroline Bence
Bence Chiropractic Wellness Center
+1 586-978-9900
caroline@bencechiro.com
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