Sciatica

Sciatica is a symptom that affects 10-40% of people over the course of their lifetimes, causing radiating pain or numbness through the hip and down the back of the leg. At Florida Pain Management Institute in Delray Beach, Boynton Beach and Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, Adam Shestack, MD, Cy Blanco, MD, and the team of pain management experts identify underlying conditions for sciatica and treat symptoms with combined medication management, injection therapy, and physical therapy. To set up your sciatica treatment consultation, call Florida Pain Management Institute or request an appointment online today.

What is sciatica?

Sciatica is a form of pain or discomfort that seems to radiate from your left or right buttock and down the back of the corresponding leg. It usually only affects one side of your body at a time, and it can come from one of many different conditions originating in the lower spine. 

Your primary sciatica symptoms can include both pain and numbness or tingling. They might get worse when you adjust your posture or when you change positions, like standing up or sitting down. 

You might experience symptoms like these from something other than sciatica, too. In order to make a sciatica diagnosis, the team at Florida Pain Management Institute must determine that the pain originates in your sciatic nerve. Your sciatic nerves extend from your lumbar spine down through your hips and buttocks to the middle of the legs. 

Which conditions cause sciatica?

Using imaging tests like spinal X-rays as well as simple tests and tasks in the office, the team at Florida Pain Management Institute can pinpoint which injury type or condition is causing compression on your sciatic nerve. Possible underlying medical conditions they might identify during your exam, which lead to sciatica, include:

• Spinal stenosis (narrowing of the spinal canal)
• Disc herniation
• Degenerative disc disease
• Spondylolisthesis
• Osteoarthritis
• A traumatic spinal injury
• Muscle spasms
• Tumors

Sciatica is more likely to develop over time than it is to occur with an acute injury, so it might not stand out to you at first when it’s mild. Usually, it’s easy to manage and alleviate sciatica symptoms after just four to six weeks of nonsurgical treatment. 

How can I manage my sciatica symptoms?

Sciatica symptoms like radiating pain and numbness are manageable with a variety of treatments available at Florida Pain Management Institute. Usually, it’s best to manage sciatica with more than one treatment approach, and you’ll always start with the least invasive treatments and therapies. 

A typical custom multi-faceted treatment plan for sciatica involves some combination of:

• Physical therapy
• Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs)
• Oral steroids
• Antidepressants
• Lumbar epidural steroid injections
• Selective nerve root blocks

There may be other medications and treatments available for sciatica that your providers can discuss with you during your consultation and follow-up visits. It may also help to use ice and heat at home for pain management while you go through your treatment routine. 

Injection therapies, medication management, and physical therapy work well together to help relieve sciatica symptoms. For a treatment consultation, call Florida Pain Management Institute or request an appointment online today.