Compassionate Care,
Personalized Treatment,
A Commitment to Helping You Feel Your Best
At Balanced Body Chiropractic, we believe exceptional care starts with listening. Every patient has unique goals, concerns, and challenges. Our mission is to understand your needs and provide personalized chiropractic care that helps you move better, feel better, and enjoy life again.
Rather than rushing patients through appointments, Dr. Hagner believes every person deserves the time, attention, and individualized care needed to understand what's causing their discomfort.
Whether you're experiencing back pain, neck pain, headaches, sciatica, or recovering from an injury, his goal is to help you restore movement, reduce pain, and improve your overall quality of life.
Patients often say they appreciate not only the care they receive, but also the time taken to explain their condition, answer questions, and develop a treatment plan that makes sense for their goals.
Compassionate Care
Personalized Treatment
A Commitment to Helping You Feel Your Best
At Balanced Body Chiropractic, we believe exceptional care starts with listening. Every patient has unique goals, concerns, and challenges. Our mission is to understand your needs and provide personalized chiropractic care that helps you move better, feel better, and enjoy life again.
Rather than rushing patients through appointments, Dr. Hagner believes every person deserves the time, attention, and individualized care needed to understand what's causing their discomfort.
Whether you're experiencing back pain, neck pain, headaches, sciatica, or recovering from an injury, his goal is to help you restore movement, reduce pain, and improve your overall quality of life.
Patients often say they appreciate not only the care they receive, but also the time taken to explain their condition, answer questions, and develop a treatment plan that makes sense for their goals.
Sciatica Can Stop You in Your Tracks. Let's Find Out What's Causing It.
Burning, aching, tingling, numbness or shooting pain into your leg can make sitting, standing, walking, driving and even sleeping difficult.
At Balanced Body Chiropractic in St. Peters, Dr. Hagner takes the time to understand your symptoms, evaluate how they're affecting your movement and determine whether chiropractic care may be appropriate for your condition.
Because sciatica describes a pattern of symptoms—not necessarily the underlying cause—finding out what's contributing to those symptoms is an important first step.
What Is Sciatica?
Sciatica refers to symptoms associated with irritation or compression affecting the sciatic nerve or the nerve roots that contribute to it.
The sciatic nerve is the largest nerve in the body. It originates from nerve roots in the lower spine and travels through the buttock and down the leg.
When these nerve structures become irritated, symptoms may be experienced anywhere along that pathway.
That's why sciatica can feel very different from ordinary lower-back discomfort.
Some people experience significant back pain along with their leg symptoms. Others have surprisingly little back pain but considerable pain, tingling or numbness extending into the buttock or leg.
The important question isn't simply:
“Do I have sciatica?”
It's:
“What's causing these symptoms?”
What Does Sciatica Feel Like?
Sciatica doesn't feel exactly the same for everyone.
Patients may describe:
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Sharp or shooting pain
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Burning
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Aching
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Tingling
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Pins and needles
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Numbness
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Electric-like sensations
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Pain through the buttock
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Pain extending down the thigh
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Symptoms extending into the lower leg or foot
Symptoms commonly affect one side, although individual presentations vary.
Some people experience symptoms constantly. Others notice them primarily during particular activities or positions.
Understanding where the symptoms travel and what triggers them can provide useful information during your evaluation.
Is It Sciatica—or Just Lower Back Pain?
These terms are sometimes used interchangeably, but they don't mean the same thing.
Lower Back Pain
Ordinary musculoskeletal back pain may remain primarily around the lower back.
Sciatica
Sciatica typically involves nerve-related symptoms extending from the lower back or buttock into the leg.
That can include pain, tingling, numbness or other unusual sensations.
Someone can experience both back pain and sciatica at the same time.
If your symptoms travel into your buttock, thigh, calf or foot, tell Dr. Hagner exactly where you feel them.
What Causes Sciatica?
Sciatica can result from different underlying conditions.
Potential causes can include problems affecting a nerve root in the lower spine, including certain disc-related conditions or narrowing around spinal nerves.
Other conditions can sometimes produce symptoms that resemble sciatica.
That's an important reason not to assume that every person with leg pain has exactly the same problem.
The underlying cause matters because it can affect which treatment approach is appropriate.
At Balanced Body Chiropractic, Dr. Hagner begins by evaluating your individual symptoms rather than simply treating the label "sciatica."
Why Does Sciatica Sometimes Hurt More When Sitting?
People with sciatica frequently notice that particular positions aggravate their symptoms.
For some, sitting is especially uncomfortable.
A long drive, sitting at a desk or even relaxing on the couch may become difficult.
Other people experience more symptoms when standing, walking, bending or changing positions.
The pattern varies depending upon the individual and what's contributing to the nerve irritation.
That's why generic advice from the internet isn't necessarily appropriate for everyone with sciatica.
During your evaluation, Dr. Hagner will want to know:
What makes your symptoms worse?
And equally important:
What makes them better?
Why Does Sciatica Sometimes Travel All the Way Down the Leg?
Nerves act as communication pathways between the spinal cord and different areas of the body.
When a nerve root associated with the sciatic nerve becomes irritated, symptoms can be experienced along the pathway served by that nerve.
That's why the location of your pain isn't necessarily the location of the underlying problem.
For example, someone may feel substantial discomfort in the calf or foot even though the irritated nerve structure originates much higher.
This is another reason evaluating the entire symptom pattern matters.
When Should You Have Sciatica Evaluated?
Consider an evaluation when symptoms:
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Persist or repeatedly return
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Extend down your leg
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Include numbness or tingling
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Interfere with sitting
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Make walking or standing difficult
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Affect your sleep
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Interfere with work
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Prevent exercise or normal activities
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Seem to be getting progressively worse
An evaluation can help determine what may be contributing and whether conservative chiropractic care is an appropriate option.
Can Chiropractic Care Help Sciatica?
Chiropractic care may be appropriate for some people experiencing sciatica, depending upon the underlying cause and individual circumstances.
For appropriate musculoskeletal conditions, chiropractic treatment may focus on relevant joint mobility, movement and functional factors identified during the examination.
But there's an important distinction:
At Balanced Body Chiropractic, we're not simply treating the word “sciatica.”
We're evaluating the person experiencing it.
Dr. Hagner considers your health history, symptoms, examination findings and goals before recommending treatment.
If your findings indicate that another type of healthcare evaluation is appropriate, that should become part of your plan.
Learn About Chiropractic Care →
Your Sciatica Evaluation at Balanced Body
Your first appointment begins with a conversation.
Dr. Hagner will want to understand exactly what you're experiencing.
He may ask:
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When did your symptoms begin?
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Where does the pain start?
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How far down the leg does it travel?
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Do you experience tingling?
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Is any area numb?
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Have you noticed weakness?
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Does sitting make it worse?
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What happens when you stand or walk?
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Does bending affect your symptoms?
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Have you had previous back problems?
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Have you previously been diagnosed with a disc problem?
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Have you had an X-ray or MRI?
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What activities can you no longer comfortably do?
The answers help establish the pattern of your symptoms.
An appropriate examination can then provide additional information about movement, function and neurological or musculoskeletal findings relevant to your condition.
Will I Need an X-Ray or MRI for Sciatica?
Whether an X-ray, MRI or another diagnostic study is appropriate depends upon factors such as your symptoms, health history, examination findings, duration of the problem and presence of concerning signs.
If additional imaging or medical evaluation is appropriate, Dr. Hagner can discuss the next step.
If you've already had an MRI, X-ray or CT scan related to your back or leg symptoms, contact the office about whether those records should be brought to your appointment.
Photo suggestion: This is another excellent location for an authentic photograph of Dr. Hagner reviewing imaging with a patient.
What Might Sciatica Treatment Include?
There isn't one treatment plan that's appropriate for every person with sciatica.
When chiropractic care is appropriate, treatment recommendations are based on the findings from your individual evaluation.
Depending upon your condition and the services Balanced Body actually provides, care may include:
Chiropractic Care
Chiropractic techniques may be used when appropriate to address relevant joint mobility and musculoskeletal function.
Movement and Mobility Recommendations
Dr. Hagner may recommend movements appropriate for your individual condition.
Home-Care Guidance
What you do between visits can be an important part of managing a musculoskeletal problem.
Posture and Ergonomic Guidance
If certain work or sitting positions aggravate symptoms, changes in positioning or work habits may be discussed.
Massage Therapy
When appropriate, massage therapy may complement care by addressing associated muscular tension and discomfort.
Before publishing, I'd confirm exactly which treatment modalities Dr. Hagner wants advertised.
Should You Exercise With Sciatica?
This is a great SEO question because many people search for exercises before seeking professional help.
Movement can be helpful for many musculoskeletal conditions, but there isn't one universal “best sciatica exercise.”
The appropriate activity depends upon what's contributing to your symptoms and how your body responds to different positions and movements.
An exercise that feels helpful to one person may aggravate another person's symptoms.
That's why I would avoid putting a generic list of "5 exercises that cure sciatica" on a healthcare website.
Instead, Balanced Body can provide recommendations appropriate to the individual's findings and abilities.
Sciatica Can Affect More Than Your Leg
This is where I'd deliberately shift from SEO copy to emotional conversion copy.
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Sciatica doesn't simply hurt.
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It can change the way you live.
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Maybe you avoid long drives because sitting is uncomfortable.
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You stop taking walks.
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You can't comfortably sit through your grandchild's ballgame.
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You think twice before traveling.
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You stop exercising.
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You have difficulty sleeping.
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You constantly change positions looking for one that doesn't hurt.
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Eventually, your world can start becoming smaller because you're planning activities around what your leg or back will tolerate.
That's why Dr. Hagner wants to understand something beyond your pain score:
What is sciatica keeping you from doing?
That answer can be just as important as where it hurts.
Our Goal Is Helping You Get Back to Your Life
Success doesn't mean exactly the same thing for everyone.
For you, improvement might mean:
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Walking farther.
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Sitting through work comfortably.
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Taking a road trip.
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Sleeping better.
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Getting back to golf.
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Returning to exercise.
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Working in your garden.
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Or simply going through a normal day without constantly thinking about your leg.
Your goals help us understand what matters most to you.
That's the philosophy behind personalized care at Balanced Body Chiropractic.
When Sciatica Requires Urgent Medical Attention
Most sciatica isn't a medical emergency, but certain symptoms require prompt medical evaluation.
Seek urgent medical attention for symptoms such as:
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New loss of bowel or bladder control
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Numbness in the groin or saddle area
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Significant or rapidly worsening leg weakness
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Severe symptoms following major trauma
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Other serious or rapidly progressing neurological symptoms
Don't delay appropriate emergency evaluation in order to schedule a routine chiropractic appointment.
From a marketing perspective, I actually like having this on the website. It tells prospective patients:
Balanced Body cares more about appropriate patient care than simply getting everyone through the door.
That's a powerful trust signal.
Why Choose Balanced Body for Sciatica Care?
When pain is traveling down your leg, you want more than a quick adjustment.
You want someone to understand why it's happening.
At Balanced Body Chiropractic, our approach emphasizes:
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Listening First
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Your experience provides important information.
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Individualized Evaluation
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Sciatica can have different causes, so treatment shouldn't automatically be identical for everyone.
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Clear Communication
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We want you to understand what's being recommended and why.
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Personalized Care
Your treatment recommendations are based on your individual findings and goals.
Conservative Approach
When appropriate, chiropractic care provides a non-surgical option for certain musculoskeletal conditions.
Knowing When Another Evaluation Is Needed
If your findings suggest another type of healthcare evaluation is appropriate, that should be discussed with you.
Frequently Asked Questions About Sciatica
Does sciatica always cause lower back pain?
No. Some people experience substantial buttock or leg symptoms with relatively little back discomfort.
How long does sciatica last?
The duration varies depending upon the underlying cause, severity and individual circumstances. Some episodes improve relatively quickly while others persist longer.
Can sitting make sciatica worse?
It can for some people.
Others may find standing, walking or particular movements more aggravating. The pattern can provide useful information during evaluation.
Can chiropractic care cure sciatica?
I would not use the word "cure." Chiropractic care may be appropriate for some causes of sciatic symptoms, but treatment depends upon the underlying condition and individual findings.
Will I need surgery for sciatica?
Many people experiencing sciatica are managed without surgery. However, treatment decisions depend upon the cause, severity, neurological findings and response to conservative care.
Should I use heat or ice?
The answer can depend upon your condition, symptoms and circumstances. Dr. Hagner can discuss appropriate home-care recommendations based on your individual presentation.
Should I stretch my sciatic nerve?
Not every stretch found online is appropriate for every cause of sciatica. If a movement significantly increases symptoms, don't assume you should simply push through it.
Don't Let Sciatica Decide Where You Go and What You Can Do
When sitting hurts, walking hurts or pain keeps traveling down your leg, it's easy to start organizing your life around your symptoms.
You don't have to keep guessing about what's happening.
Start With an Evaluation.
At Balanced Body Chiropractic, Dr. Hagner will listen to your concerns, evaluate your symptoms and help determine an appropriate path forward.
Services We Offer
⭐ Personalized Care
⭐ Experienced Chiropractor
⭐ Same-Day Appointments -
upon availability
⭐ Auto Accidents
⭐ Sports Injuries
⭐ Spinal Decompression
⭐ Prenatal Care
⭐Pediatric Care
⭐Massage Therapy
⭐Wellness Care
Serving St. Peters and Nearby Communities
We're proud to care for patients from:
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St. Peters
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St. Charles
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O'Fallon
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Cottleville
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Weldon Spring
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Harvester
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Wentzville
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St. Charles County
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St Louis
Whether you're seeking relief from pain or looking to maintain an active lifestyle, we're here to help.