What is the Best Sciatic Nerve Back Pain Treatment? According to Medical Group
What is the Best Sciatic Nerve Back Pain Treatment?
Back pain can occur for various reasons. You may develop sudden back pain after an injury or it may occur slowly over the period of several months. Back pain may also go away quickly or it may be chronic in nature, i.e., it may get worse over time.
If you experience pain in middle lower back and buttocks, it’s possible that you’re suffering from sciatic nerve pain. Sciatica pain is generally chronic and should be treated as soon as possible. There are various sciatica treatment options available. In this article, we discuss what is sciatica, sciatica symptoms, how to relieve pressure on the sciatic nerve, and the best sciatic nerve back pain treatment.
What is Sciatica?
Sciatica is a type of lower back pain that starts with a herniated disk in the lumbar spine. The bones that make up your spine are separated from each other and cushioned by flat and round disks. When these disks wear down, i.e., when these disks herniate, the soft center starts pushing outwards. This puts pressure on the sciatic nerves, which is the longest nerve in the body starting from the lower back and running all the way down to both your feet.
Sciatica Symptoms
The following are some of the most common symptoms of sciatica pain:
- Pain in the lower back and the back of your legs.
- Butt pain that gets worse while sitting.
- Burning or tingling sensations in your legs.
- Weakness or numbness in your legs.
- Painful sensations on one side of your butt.
- Shooting pains down the legs that make it difficult to stand up.
- Lower right back pain or lower left back pain — sciatica pain often appears on one side of your body.
How to Treat Leg Pain Naturally?
You may be wondering how to relieve pressure on the sciatic nerve naturally, without treatment. Well, the following are some natural ways to relieve pressure. However, these methods may only provide temporary relief and you should still consult a back pain doctor for permanent treatment. Sciatica is a chronic condition and it will only get worse if you don’t treat it in a timely manner.
RICE (Rest, Ice, Compression, and Elevation)
RICE is the most basic method to reduce pain and swelling not just in your back but any part of your body. This comprises the following.
- Rest: You should rest the injured part of your body, in this case the back and legs. You should also stop working out.
- Ice: Apply an ice pack on the swollen or affected region for 10 to 20 minutes for a few days.
- Compression: Wrap the affected region in an ACE bandage to prevent it from swelling further.
- Elevation: It may help to elevate the affected region, be it the left or right leg, on some pillows. This will minimize swelling.
Physical Therapy
You can also treat chronic back pain and sciatica pain with physical therapy. This is effective in treating musculoskeletal pains and can minimize chronic pain considerably. You should consult your back pain doctor who will be able to recommend the right physical therapist or recommend the right exercises you can practice to naturally relieve pressure on the sciatic nerve. Physical therapy may include various different types of exercises, such as aerobic exercise, strength training, pain relief training, and stretches.
Sciatica Treatment
In the previous section, we mentioned how to relieve hip lower back and buttock pain temporarily with home remedies. However, these home remedies can’t treat the underlying root cause of sciatica pain. That’s why it’s necessary to consult a back pain doctor as soon as possible.
During your consultation, the back pain doctor will physically examine your pain and your range of motion. Following that, the back pain doctor may run some imaging tests like X-Rays, CT scans, or MRIs to diagnose the root cause of your sciatica pain. Based on the diagnosis, the back pain doctor will curate a treatment plan specifically for you. The following are some of the most effective minimally-invasive sciatica treatment options.
Epidural Steroid Injections (ESI)
Sciatica pain is caused by a herniated disc that affected the sciatic nerves. Epidural steroid injections are a minimally invasive procedure in which the back pain doctor delivers a medicine to the epidural space in order to relieve pressure on the sciatic nerves.
Facet Joint Injections
Facet Joint Injections, also known as Facet Joint Nerve Blocks, is a method in which an anesthetic or numbing medicine is applied to the small joints on either side of your vertebra. This can also help relieve pressure on the sciatic nerves.
Lumbar Radiofrequency Ablation
Lumbar Radiofrequency Ablation is a procedure in which heat using alternating current technology is applied to the nerve endings in the part of your body that’s causing the back pain. This method selectively removes the nerves that are conveying the pain signals to your brain. As such, it can minimize or eliminate the pain for around one year.
Sciatica Pain Treatment Consultation
At Pain Treatment Specialists, we have some of the world’s finest interventional pain specialists who can diagnose the root cause of your sciatica pain and curate a treatment plan that’s perfectly suited to your needs. After diagnosing where the sciatica pain is coming from, our pain doctors can use the latest minimally invasive procedures to relieve pressure on the sciatic nerve or minimize the experience of pain. For more information on how to treat sciatica pain, please schedule an appointment today.