Sciatica often stems from nerve compression and causes pain that radiates along your sciatic nerve pathway. At Racz Pain Centers in Rockwall and Addison, Texas, anesthesiologist and pain management physician Tibor Racz, MD, and his expert team can diagnose and treat sciatica for long-lasting relief without addictive pain medication. Schedule an appointment by phone or book online today.
Sciatica is pain that moves along the path of your sciatic nerve running from your lower back through your hips and down each leg. It often affects one side of the body and usually originates from a herniated disc or spinal cord narrowing that compresses a nerve.
Common signs and symptoms associated with sciatica include:
Sitting down for prolonged periods can aggravate your sciatica symptoms. Complications associated with untreated sciatica include permanent nerve damage, loss of feeling in the affected leg, and loss of bladder or bowel function.
Anyone can develop sciatica, but some factors increase your risk of having it. Examples include:
Getting regular exercise, using good body mechanics, and maintaining good posture while sitting down can reduce your risk of experiencing sciatica.
To find out if you have sciatica and develop a treatment plan, Dr. Racz discusses your symptoms and medical history. He also completes a physical exam to assess your reflexes and muscle strength.
He might suggest you undergo nerve testing, blood tests, X-rays, MRIs, CT scans, or other imaging procedures to make a final diagnosis.
Optional sciatica treatments include:
Heat or ice packs and stretching are natural ways to reduce nerve pain associated with sciatica.
Physical therapy stretches and exercises can relieve nerve pressure and pain. Your therapist may also recommend therapeutic massage or chiropractic manipulation.
Dr. Racz may suggest steroid injections to reduce inflammation and sciatica pain.
Radio waves can heat nerves to reduce pain signals from traveling to your brain.
A spinal cord stimulator is an implantable device that sends electrical impulses to your spinal cord to block pain signals.
Vertiflex Superion procedures use an implantable device to reduce spinal cord compression and sciatica pain.
Don’t live with numbness, tingling, and nerve pain when simple pain management solutions are within reach at Racz Pain Centers. Schedule an appointment by phone or book online today.