Sciatica is one of the most common — and most debilitating — back pain conditions. Simple activities like sitting at your desk, driving, walking, or getting a good night’s sleep may become a daily struggle when pain radiates from your lower back down your leg.
While many cases improve with time and conservative care, many more continue to experience symptoms for weeks or even months. If your sciatica isn’t getting better, it may be time to explore additional treatment options with Dr. David Wu and our team at CurePain.
Here are five treatments we recommend to help relieve persistent sciatic nerve pain.
Physical therapy is often one of the first treatments we recommend for sciatica.
A physical therapist teaches you exercises that strengthen your core, improve flexibility, and reduce pressure on the sciatic nerve. They may also work on posture, body mechanics, and movement patterns that contribute to your symptoms.
Staying active with the right exercises often promotes better healing than prolonged bed rest.
Several types of medications may help manage sciatica pain while your body heals — and aggressive painkillers aren’t your only option. Depending on your symptoms, we may recommend:
Medication alone rarely solves the underlying problem, but it can make it easier to stay active and participate in physical therapy.
If inflammation around a spinal nerve is the source of your pain, an epidural steroid injection may provide relief. Using imaging guidance, we inject medication near the affected nerve to reduce inflammation and ease irritation.
Many of our patients experience significant pain relief that allows them to move more comfortably and continue their rehabilitation program.
If we determine that nearby spinal structures are contributing to your pain, radiofrequency ablation may be an option.
This minimally invasive procedure uses heat generated by radiofrequency energy to interrupt pain signals traveling through specific nerves.
While radiofrequency ablation isn’t appropriate for every cause of sciatica, it may benefit certain patients with chronic spinal pain.
When conservative treatments don’t provide enough relief or if you’re experiencing severe pain, weakness, or other symptoms, we begin discussing your next steps. Surgical procedures like discectomy and laminectomy remove either parts of a disc or bone that are pressing on spinal nerves.
We decide if you’re a candidate based on your response to conservative treatment, medical history, and severity of symptoms.
Because back pain is so common, it can be difficult to know if you’re dealing with a case of sciatica or run-of-the-mill aches and pains. You should schedule an evaluation with Dr. Wu if:
Early treatment may help prevent acute nerve pain from becoming a chronic condition.
You don’t have to simply live with ongoing sciatic nerve pain. A variety of treatments can help reduce inflammation, improve function, and address the source of your symptoms.
If sciatica has been limiting your daily life, schedule an evaluation with our office. We’ll identify what’s causing your pain and recommend a personalized treatment plan to help you move more comfortably.
