What Are The Best Treatment Options for Sciatica?

The condition known as sciatica is often used to describe any pain going down the leg. If you have lower back pain, it is likely you may suffer from leg pain at some point. The term sciatica while often used to describe these symptoms may not be the correct diagnosis.

The sciatic nerve is the largest nerve in your body and begins from the lower back in the spinal cord and travels down the legs. Pain from sciatica will often come from the lower back and shoot through the buttocks and down the legs. A person may feel burning sensations, numbness down the legs, and even tingling from the lower back and down the legs. If sciatica is severe it can cause problems walking. .

One of the most common reasons for sciatica is a herniated disc in your back that is pressing or irritating the sciatic nerve. This can happen as a result of trauma, repetitive stress or simply wear and tear.

The accurate diagnosis of sciatica is quite easy to make. A series of orthopedic and neurological tests are performed to determine the involvement of the sciatic nerve. If the diagnosis is made then I usually order an MRI to determine the cause.

Many different approaches are used to treat sciatica. In most cases the symptoms are the only thing addressed and not the actual cause. That is why in my opinion spinal decompression is the best choice, because it actually works to fix the underlying cause which is the disc. By reducing the pressure in the disc, the herniated material is drawn back into the disc and away from the nerve relieving the pain and soothing the irritated nerve.

Sciatica pain sufferers need to be aware of the consequences of not dealing with the actual cause of their pain. It is important to see a qualified professional to get at the root cause of your discomfort, especially if you have had sciatica before. Studies confirm that you are highly likely to experience another episode of sciatica if you only deal with the pain and not the reason behind it.