The sciatic nerves are the largest and longest nerves in your body, branching off the spinal cord in your lower back and running down the length of each leg. They’re also the source of pain, sensory disturbances and weakness, potentially occurring anywhere along the nerve’s length.
Sciatica isn’t a specific medical issue, but rather a name for the collective symptoms caused by medical conditions that create those symptoms. Treatments can vary, depending on the specific causes at work in your body.
Dr. James Nassiri and our team at Westside Pain Specialists in Beverly Hills, Newport Beach, and Rancho Cucamonga, California, can help with a variety of effective treatments for both sciatica and potentially its underlying causes.
Sciatica doesn’t have to control your life. This month, we look at the syndrome and some of the ways you can minimize its impact and improve your quality of life.
It’s important to recognize sciatica as a collection of symptoms rather than a condition when you’re seeking treatment. Sciatic nerve compression, injury, or irritation causes what’s known as “true” sciatica, and there are body states with similar symptoms regarded as sciatica-like conditions.
What you call it won’t change your symptoms or the effects on your life, but your treatment depends on the origins of your sciatica. The symptoms you can experience include:
In serious but rare cases, you may notice bladder or bowel incontinence. The onset of these should be treated as an urgent health issue requiring immediate medical care.
The most common cause of true sciatica is a herniated disc in the lower spine, where the root nerves that comprise the sciatic nerve branch off the spinal cord. Tissue escaping from the ruptured disc irritates or presses on nerve tissue, causing symptoms at the site of the issue.
Other causes of sciatica, true or sciatica-like, include:
Degenerative conditions like arthritis may mean symptom management, while a herniated disc can heal on its own.
Sciatica often responds well to home care at the start of symptoms, and medical interventions usually include conservative methods that produce effective results. Surgery for sciatica is rare.
Start with ice packs in the first day or two of sciatica flare-ups. After about 72 hours, switch to heat or alternate the two. Add over-the-counter nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) to relieve inflammation and pain.
Dr. Nassiri can help with prescription-strength medications and exercises and stretches to relieve symptoms. He may also recommend physical therapy. In rare cases, you may need more advanced treatments if conservative methods don’t produce results.
It’s important that after the first 24 hours of rest, you stay active. Movement that’s free of pain is crucial for your body’s own repair mechanisms, which depend on healthy circulation. Low-impact, manageable aerobic activity combined with full nights of restful sleep is all many sciatica patients need.
Contact us at Westside Pain Specialists by calling the nearest of our three locations — Beverly Hills, Rancho Cucamonga, or Newport Beach, California — to book a consultation with Dr. Nassiri and our team. There’s no reason to let sciatica control your life, so schedule your visit today.
