Sciatica is a condition that develops as a result of a trapped nerve and typically causes pain down one leg and in your lower back. If you are feeling sciatic pain, the board-certified specialists at Gramercy Pain Center offer Holmdel sciatica services to ensure that your pain is relieved and your mobility is restored. As an experienced pain specialist, Ajay Varma, MD, DABA, DABAPM, is qualified to assist you in recovering from sciatica.
What is sciatica?
Sciatica is a very painful condition that results from a trapped nerve in the lower back. The sciatic nerve originates from the lower side of your spinal cord, going to the lower part of the lumbar spine and separating into two. Each branch of the sciatic nerve goes down to each leg.
If the nerve gets damaged or is put under pressure, it can cause a sharp pain that travels from your lower back down to your legs, where the sciatic nerve passes. The common causes of sciatic nerve damage include:
- Pregnancy
- Spinal disc degeneration
- Lumbar spinal stenosis
- Muscle spasms
- Herniated and bulging discs
Sciatica is less common in young and physically active individuals, but it can possibly affect anyone.
Symptoms of Sciatica
Patients suffering from sciatica usually describe their pain as stabbing or shooting. From its origin in your lower back, sciatic pain travels through your hips down to your legs. Sometimes this pain can stop in the upper part of the affected leg, but some patients feel the pain in the whole length of the sciatic nerve and their whole foot.
The other symptoms that you might experience include:
- Weakness
- Issues with muscle control
- Buttock pain
- Numbness
- Tingling
Sciatica usually impacts one of your legs, and the pain worsens when you sit down and feels relieved when you stand up. You are more likely to suffer from sciatica if you do not get enough physical exercise or are overweight. Also, sleeping on a worn-out or poor-quality mattress can result in nerve compression that might cause sciatica. Your risk increases if you wear high-heeled shoes regularly as the shoes force your feet into a position that is not natural, thus affecting your spinal alignment.
Treatment of Sciatica
At Gramercy Pain Center, Dr. Varma starts your sciatica treatment utilizing methods that target to reduce your sciatic nerve compression. Addressing the pressure on your sciatic nerve should relieve your symptoms. Some of the potential treatments for sciatica include:
- Vertiflex
- Disc decompression
- Anti-inflammatory medications
- Trigger point injections
- Discography
- Spinal cord stimulation
- Sacroiliac joint injections
- Medial branch blocks
- Lumbar sympathetic blocks
- Epidural steroid injections
- Regenerative medicine
- Diet/lifestyle modifications
Pain-relieving medications can assist in reducing your sciatic pain so you are able to undergo physical treatments. Most individuals find that their symptoms are improved by utilizing conservative methods, and Dr. Varma does extremely well at assisting patients to recover from sciatica without the need for invasive surgical procedures.
If you have any symptoms of sciatica or want to learn more about the services offered at Gramercy Pain Center, call their offices or schedule an appointment online today.