How to Get Relief for Your Sciatica
Sciatica is a common problem that affects up to 40% of people at some point in their lifetime. Unlike other forms of back pain, this painful condition causes symptoms that radiate from the lower back, through the hips and buttocks, and down into the legs along the sciatic nerve.
If this sounds familiar, you don't have to suffer through sciatica symptoms. Our experienced team at Valley Neurology and Pain can help identify what's triggering your nerve irritation and create a personalized treatment strategy to get your symptoms under control fast.
Understanding sciatica
Your sciatic nerve starts in your lower back and branches out to run down each of your legs.
It's approximately the width of your little finger, and it passes deep inside your buttocks and into the backs of your legs, continuing all the way to the soles of your feet.
This lengthy path makes it the longest nerve in your body. It's also why sciatica causes telltale symptoms, such as:
- Burning
- Pain
- Numbness
- Tingling
- Muscle fatigue or weakness
Sciatica symptoms may be mild or severe, but they're always felt along this nerve. Furthermore, they usually only affect one side of the body.
Identifying the cause
Sciatica may cause symptoms that radiate down your leg, but the problem starts near your spine where the nerve becomes irritated, inflamed, or compressed. Herniated discs are usually to blame for sciatic nerve inflammation.
Other conditions that can trigger sciatica include:
- Bone spurs
- Spinal stenosis
- Disc degeneration
- Spinal arthritis
- Piriformis Syndrome
- Sacroiliac Joint Dysfunction
It's crucial to identify the cause of your sciatica symptoms because treatment needs to address the source.
Treating sciatica
To diagnose sciatica, our team performs a comprehensive physical examination and reviews your symptoms and medical history. In some cases, we may also recommend digital imaging, such as X-rays or MRIs, to look for underlying issues, confirm our findings, or determine the extent of the nerve compression.
After reaching a diagnosis, we outline a personalized treatment plan customized to your unique condition and symptoms. Sometimes, rest and stretching alone can relieve this problem. However, more proactive treatments may be more effective at addressing pain, improving mobility, and restoring quality of life.
Based on the cause of your symptoms, we may recommend:
- Sacroiliac joint injections
- Interlaminar epidural injections
- Transforaminal epidural injections
- Epidural injections
- Medial branch blocks
- Trigger point injections
- Radiofrequency ablation
- Nonsteroidal injections
- Manipulation under anesthesia
These treatments can help relieve irritation, inflammation, and pain along the nerve pathway.
At Valley Neurology and Pain, with three convenient Arizona locations in Phoenix and Peoria, you are never a number. Your consultation, examination, and treatment are always administered by a highly qualified physician. If you have sciatica symptoms, we have experienced physicians who can help you, including Toure Knighton, MD, Jin Yuk, MD, and Patricia Henthorn, DC, DAAMUAP. To learn more, book an appointment online or over the phone today.
