Do you have pain radiating down from your lower back to one leg? Do you occasionally have a burning sensation, numbness, or weakness in one thigh or buttock? You may be experiencing the symptoms of sciatica, a condition that occurs when one of the sciatic nerves is pinched or aggravated. While some cases of sciatica resolve on their own or get better with conservative treatments like exercises, stretches, or losing weight, other cases need more targeted treatment. Interventional pain treatments are very effective in relieving sciatica symptoms.
What Is Sciatica?
Sciatica is not a disease but a combination of symptoms that are related to the sciatic nerves. The sciatic nerves are the largest in the body and exit the spine in the lower or lumbar spine. When a spinal or musculoskeletal condition irritates the sciatic nerve, it can cause lumbar radiculopathy, a type of radiating nerve pain. Since the nerve travels from the lower back down each leg, it can cause symptoms all the way to the toes.
Many different conditions can result in sciatica. One of the most common is a bulging or herniated disc that puts pressure on the nerve roots. Other spinal conditions like spinal stenosis, osteoarthritis, spondylosis, and facet joint syndrome can also cause sciatica, and muscle spasms can also put pressure on the nerves.
What Are Interventional Pain Treatments?
Interventional pain treatments are therapies that go directly to the source of pain to provide relief. They do not necessarily cure or fix the problem, but they can control pain. They tend to be minimally-invasive options like injections that relieve inflammation or stop pain signals from reaching the brain.
For sciatica, the first step is determining what is causing the pain. If it is in the spine, there are a few options for either blocking nerve signals or relieving pressure on the nerve roots. The same can be accomplished for inflamed muscles in the lower back or pelvic area that put pressure on either sciatic nerve. Some of the most common interventional treatments for sciatica include:
- Lumbar Epidural Steroid Injection – Epidural steroid injections include a corticosteroid and local anesthetic that can numb the nerve temporarily and provide relief from inflammation. Imaging is used to guide the injection to the desired area in the epidural space of the lumbar spine.
- Transforaminal Epidural Steroid Injection – This also is a steroid and local anesthetic spinal injection, but it is placed around the nerve fibers of the sciatic nerve.
- Spinal Cord Stimulation (SCS) – This is a minimally-invasive procedure that sends an electrical pulse to block the pain signals from the affected sciatic nerve. A small device is inserted near the spine and controlled with a remote by the patient.
- Sacroiliac injections – Inflammation and conditions affecting the sacroiliac joint near the tailbone can cause sciatica symptoms. Steroid injections into the joint can help relieve pain.
If you have sciatica symptoms that are not controlled by conservative treatments, it may be time to consider interventional pain therapies. Contact our team at Ortho Sport & Spine Physicians to schedule a sciatica pain evaluation.
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