What is sciatica?
Sciatica is a condition that affects your sciatic nerve. Your body has two sciatic nerves — the large nerves that run along the backside of each of your legs, across your glutes and hips and up to your lower back. When pressure is applied to either sciatic nerve, it causes pain.
Because usually, only one sciatic nerve is under pressure, sciatic pain is most commonly felt on only one side of the body. You may feel the pain in your lower back, hips, or along your leg all the way down to your foot.
The pain often radiates and may feel like a burning sensation or pins and needles. Your leg may also feel numb and tingly.
What causes sciatica?
Anything that puts pressure on your sciatic nerve can cause sciatica. Some of the most common causes include:
- A herniated disc pressing into the sciatic nerve in your lower back
- A bone spur along your vertebrae pressing into the sciatic nerve
- Tumor growth compressing the sciatic nerve
- Sciatic nerve damage caused by another health condition, like diabetes
Certain factors increase your risk for sciatica, including obesity, regularly sitting for long periods of time, and age. As you get older, your spine changes and your risk for bone spurs and herniated discs increases.
Can sciatica be treated?
Absolutely. Dr. Jassal has honed his expertise in treating pain in the most effective, minimally invasive ways possible.
First, he identifies the root cause of your sciatica, whether it’s a herniated disc or a separate health condition like arthritis. Then, he personalizes a treatment plan for you.
Most treatment plans combine physical therapy, medication, and targeted treatments to bring you relief as quickly as possible. Some of those targeted treatments include:
- Sympathetic nerve blocks
- Epidural steroid injections
- Implantation of a spinal cord stimulator
Blending immediate-relief treatments like steroid injections with physical therapy that relieves the pressure on your sciatic nerve long-term helps you get fast pain relief while protecting yourself from pain in the future.
To find out if your back or leg pain is caused by sciatica, don’t hesitate to contact Dr. Jassal and his team of sciatica experts at the Spine & Pain Institute of Florida. Get started by calling the office or scheduling your appointment online today.
