How Can I Relieve My Lower Back Pain and Leg Pain?
August 22, 2022
What can cause really bad back pain? Lower back pain and leg pain is often caused by a condition called sciatica. Your sciatic nerve is the longest in your body, and runs from your lower back, through your buttocks and hips, and into your legs. When your sciatic nerve is irritated, it creates intense lower back pain that some people describe as a “lightning bolt.” It is a sharp jolt of pain, and can be strong enough to make you retreat to the couch for the rest of the day. Thankfully, sciatic nerve pain is easily treated with interventional back pain treatments that provide targeted and long-lasting relief.
At Pain Treatment Specialists, our team of Harvard-trained back pain doctors have an excellent reputation and consistently receive 5-star patient ratings for their compassionate care. Our back pain specialists understand how lower back pain and leg pain affect your mental and physical health, and strive to find effective solutions for your sciatic nerve pain. Book an appointment at one of our pain clinics in northern NJ, Long Island, or NYC and find minimally invasive treatments that relieve your lower back and leg pain.
What Causes Lower Back Pain and Leg Pain?
One of the most common questions our back pain doctors hear is, “What is most likely to cause back pain, and why does my back feel sore?” There are several different answers to this query, and each patient’s back pain may be caused by a different problem. Perhaps you took a recent fall and your back is sore, or maybe you’ve overworked your back with a repetitive motion and now your back muscles ache. No matter the cause of your lower back pain, the back pain specialists at Pain Treatment Specialists are able to identify the source of your back pain condition, and also customize a treatment plan that provides back pain relief.
What causes sharp back pain? One of the most common causes of lower back pain is sciatica. This condition occurs along the sciatic nerve, which runs down from your lower back through your buttocks and hip, eventually reaching your legs. Sciatica nerve pain typically occurs only on one side of your body, and may cause numbness or tingling in your hips and legs. Sciatica is caused by compression of the sciatic nerve, which occurs as a result of a herniated disc, bone spur, or spinal stenosis. The pressure put on your sciatic nerve causes inflammation, lower back pain, and numbness or tingling that extends into your hips and legs. If you experience loss of bowel or bladder control, you should seek immediate medical advice and attention.
If you want to find solutions for the question, “Why is there a sharp pain in my back?” schedule an appointment at Pain Treatment Specialists. Our team of Harvard-trained back pain specialists use cutting-edge pain treatments that relieve your sciatica pain.
What is Most Likely to Cause Back Pain, and What are the Best Treatments?
Back pain can result from conditions like sciatica and osteoarthritis, or from overuse due to repetitive motions. What causes the most back injuries? Back injuries may result from playing sports, lifting heavy objects, overuse, a car accident, or a fall. Why is my back suddenly hurting? Take a look at your activities over the past few weeks to see if you can isolate a specific event that might be to blame for your lower back pain. At Pain Treatment Specialists, this is part of our consultation process when one of our back pain doctors discusses potential causes for your lower back pain.
Once our interventional pain doctors determine the cause of your back pain, they will craft a customized treatment plan that addresses your specific back pain issues. Some of the minimally invasive treatments available at our pain clinics include:
- Facet Nerve Block: A facet nerve block is also known as a medical branch block. This procedure uses a local anesthetic and steroid injection to numb the nerves that give sensation to your spine’s facet joints. These joints are susceptible to arthritis pain, and this treatment is highly effective for patients suffering from osteoarthritis back pain.
- Radiofrequency Ablation: This procedure uses heat energy to deactivate nerves that provide sensation to your spine’s facet joints. If your lower back pain is caused by inflamed facet joints, RF ablation is an excellent treatment tool.
- Steroid Injections: A corticosteroid injection provides powerful and targeted pain medicine to your lower back. This treatment is highly effective for patients suffering from pressure on the sciatic nerve due to a bone spur, herniated disc, or spinal stenosis.
What can back pain mean? It is potentially due to an underlying condition, or may be a result of overuse. No matter the cause of your sore lower back, it’s best to meet with the pain experts at Pain Treatment Specialists for a targeted treatment plan that relieves your lower back pain.
Can I Relieve Nerve Pain at Home?
Yes, you can find relief from nerve pain and lower back pain at home. Your pain doctor may recommend physical therapy in addition to your pain medicine treatments, where you’ll learn various stretches and exercises designed to relieve your nerve and leg pain. Additionally, you can use over-the-counter pain medicines for lower back pain relief. Try to avoid activities that put a lot of stress on your lower back like cycling or running, and instead substitute sports like swimming or yoga.
If you’re experiencing lower back pain and leg pain, there’s no reason to keep living in pain. Contact the pain experts at Pain Treatment Specialists and learn the cause of your lower back pain, as well as what treatments work best to relieve your chronic pain.
Book a Consultation
Scheduling a consultation with one of our pain treatment specialists is one of the best ways to determine the proper solution for pain relief.
Meet our Harvard trained team
Dr. George Hanna
Harvard Medical School | NY & NJ Pain Specialist
Dr. Hanna received his undergraduate degree from Cornell University and his medical degree from the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine. He completed anesthesiology residency at Massachusetts General Hospital – Harvard Medical School and a pain management fellowship at Brigham and Women’s Hospital – Harvard Medical School. Dr. Hanna was then appointed Clinical Instructor of Anesthesia at Harvard Medical School – training new graduates for over 3 years in anesthesiology and pain management techniques at Massachusetts General Hospital.
