If you have a sharp shooting pain that runs from your lower back down your leg, there’s a good chance you have sciatica. This common condition can be incredibly uncomfortable and disruptive to your daily life, but there’s hope in treatment.
Many patients, Dr. David Wu and our team at CurePain see have lived with sciatica pain for too long, not realizing how many effective treatments are available. In this blog, we want to introduce sciatica sufferers in the greater Torrance, California, to our life-changing treatments. Let’s dive in.
Sciatica is a condition that causes pain to radiate along the path of the sciatic nerve, which branches from your lower back through your hips, buttocks, and down each leg. You usually experience pain on one side.
Anything that irritates, damages, or compresses the sciatic nerve can trigger sciatica, including:
The pain can feel sharp, burning, or electric. Some people also experience numbness, tingling, or weakness in the leg or foot.
The best treatment for sciatica depends on the severity of your symptoms, the underlying cause, and how long the pain has lasted. There are cases where sciatica improves on its own with time and self-care. But if your symptoms persist or worsen, it may be time to explore more advanced options.
Here are some of the most effective treatments for sciatica, starting with conservative approaches and moving toward interventional care.
For mild to moderate sciatica, home care can go a long way. One of the first things we recommend is rest (but not too much). Prolonged rest or a sedentary lifestyle can exacerbate your pain, while regular, gentle movement helps.
You can also try hot and cold therapy. Ice reduces inflammation and dull pain; a heating pad can help relax tight muscles.
Gentle stretching of the lower back and hamstrings can relieve pressure on the sciatic nerve. Consider taking over-the-counter pain medications, such as NSAIDs like ibuprofen or naproxen, which can reduce inflammation and ease pain.
If symptoms last longer than a week or two, seeing Dr. Wu for a sciatica consultation is a good idea.
A physical therapist can create a customized exercise program that strengthens the muscles supporting your spine, improves flexibility, and reduces nerve pressure. Consistent therapy can be a game-changer, especially for preventing future flare-ups.
Massage therapy also targets the muscles in your back, relaxing them, reducing inflammation, improving blood flow, and overall alleviating sciatica symptoms.
When conservative treatments aren’t doing the trick, interventional pain management can offer fast and lasting relief. One of our most popular treatments is epidural steroid injections.
It involves injecting a corticosteroid near the inflamed nerve root to reduce swelling and pain. Relief can last weeks to months and may allow you to progress with physical therapy more comfortably.
We can also discuss if the following are right for you:
So, what’s the best treatment for sciatica? The truth is, it depends. For some people, rest and physical therapy are enough. Others may need advanced interventional treatments to truly get their pain under control.
The key is working with our pain management specialist who understands the full picture and can tailor a plan that helps you find relief now and prevents future pain.
Don’t let sciatica control your life. There are real solutions, and we’re here to help you find the best solution. Don’t hesitate to call our friendly staff or use our online booking tool to schedule a consultation at our Torrance, California, office today.
