Sciatica
Expert Care Center
Gazelle Aram, MD
Pain Management located in Delray Beach, FL
Sciatica Q & A
What is sciatica?
Sciatica is a common cause of low back pain that typically travels down one leg along the path of your sciatic nerve. The sciatic nerve has its roots in the lumbar and sacral spine.
- Disc Herniation
- Spinal stenosis
- Spondylolisthesis
- Spinal disc degeneration
- Joint osteoarthritis
This problem is known as radiculopathy, and it can happen anywhere along your spine. The medical term for sciatica is lumbar radiculopathy.
What are the symptoms of sciatica?
Sciatica causes a shooting or stabbing type of pain that can go from your lower back, through your hip, and down your leg, sometimes right to your foot.
Other symptoms of sciatica include tingling, numbness, and weakness in the affected leg, pain in the buttock, and muscle control problems. In most cases, sciatica only affects one leg, so your other leg is likely to be fine.
How is sciatica treated?
The sciatica treatments at Expert Care Center aim to relieve the inflammation in your sciatic nerve that’s causing your pain and other symptoms. The initial treatments are usually fairly conservative in nature, such as:
- Anti-inflammatory medication
- Pain relief medication
- Massage therapy
- Physical therapy
- Stretching exercises
- Acupuncture
- Ultrasound therapy
- Electrical stimulation
If these approaches aren’t relieving your sciatica pain, Dr. Aram can try alternative treatments such as epidural injections.
For the most advanced sciatica treatment options from a team of pain management specialists, call Expert Care Center or schedule a consultation online today.