Sciatica Treatments for Pain Relief and Mobility

If you’ve had sciatica, you know the pain — pangs that begin in the nerve roots and move through the nerve, down the hamstrings and into the foot. The leg agony is often more severe than the back pain — some have compared it to the nerve pain you feel when you have a toothache. It is important to realize that sciatica is a symptom of an underlying condition, usually a herniated disc. While there are some forms of sciatica treatment that relieve the pain, the underlying condition will need to be addressed to achieve lasting pain relief.

Below are some methods used for sciatica treatment that can relieve pain and increase your mobility.

Yoga and Massage

Gentle yoga stretches can strengthen muscles and improve flexibility so that you don’t develop a poor posture and aggravate the sciatica. Trigger point massage can also help relieve pain. When the piriformis muscle under the sciatic nerve gets tight it can pinch the sciatic nerve. Pressure applied to this area as well as the lower back and glutes relieves the tightness and pinching to prove relief from the pain.

Muscle Relaxers and Pain Relievers

Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatories, either over the counter or prescription for sciatica treatment can ease the pain caused by tight muscles. In addition, since painful muscle spasm often accompany a herniated disc, your doctor may prescribe a muscle relaxer or pain reliever.

Epidural Steroid Injections

If your pain doesn’t get better within a month, and other sciatica treatment hasn’t helped, you may get relief from an epidural steroid injection. The goal of the injection is to relieve the inflammation that is causing the pain. However, due to concerns about side effects, including bone density loss, these injections are limited to no more than three a year.

Exercise and Physical Therapy

Even though it may be the last thing you want to do, light exercise or physical therapy is well-known sciatica treatment. Movement increases the blood flow, aiding in getting rid of the chemicals that cause inflammation. A light 15-20 minute walk, swimming or water aerobics are all forms of exercise that keep you moving without excess stress on you sciatic nerve.

Surgery

If you’ve tried several sciatica treatment methods to relieve your pain and still have symptoms after 4-6 weeks, you and your doctor may consider surgery. Patients who have surgery for a herniated disk usually have less pain and disability than patients who do not.

If you'd like to know more about sciatica surgery as a treatment method, The Bonati Spine Institute is here to help you. Contact us to discuss your sciatic nerve pain.

Surgery for Cervical Spinal Stenosis

By Anatomography [CC BY-SA 2.1 jp ], via Wikimedia Commons

Sadly, as a natural part of the aging process, many people develop degenerative changes in the joints that create a narrowing of the spinal canal. This narrowing can lead to a compression of the nerves in the spinal cord that compromises the coordination and function of the extremities. This leads to the slowly progressive condition called cervical spinal stenosis. If you have this condition, you may be wondering if there is a surgery for cervical spinal stenosis available.

Cervical Spinal Stenosis Symptoms

You might be suffering from cervical spinal stenosis if you have any of the following symptoms:

• Stiffness, pain, numbness or weakness in the neck, shoulders, arms or hands
• Slow loss of fine motor skills such as buttoning a shirt or handwriting a note
• Sporadic shooting pains in the arms
• Arm pain otherwise known as cervical radiculopathy

Usually it is the arm pain that incents someone with cervical spinal stenosis to get medical treatment. Once this occurs, the cervical spinal stenosis is uncovered in the course of the physical exam and medical history.

Treatment for Cervical Spinal Stenosis

NSAIDS, activity modification, and exercise for cervical spinal stenosis can help relieve arm pain. However, although nonsurgical pain management can be effective in the short term, the only long-term solution to the pain is surgical depression of the spinal canal.

This is generally a progressive condition that develops slowly over time. The symptoms may not present for years, and then it seems like difficulties with coordination suddenly begin.

Cervical Spinal Stenosis Surgery

Surgery for cervical spinal stenosis may or may not improve the symptoms. The procedure has two main goals: slow or stop the progressive nature of the stenosis, and stabilize the neurological condition of the patient.

It is not unusual for multiple levels to need decompression, so the cervical spinal stenosis surgery can be more complicated than the surgery for a cervical herniated disc or a cervical foraminal stenosis.

Discover more about treatment options for cervical spinal stenosis from The Bonati Spine Institute.

Bonati Spine Institute Patient Thomas is Out at the Ball Game

Thomas is watching baseball in the stadium, instead of at home with back pain! https://t.co/ix9SxgC3u9 pic.twitter.com/F2xqdWp7rd

— BonatiSpineInstitute (@DrBonati) May 14, 2016

Patient Testimonials: Jamie L Avoids Pain Killers after Extruded Disc Treatment

Jamie L. was seeking treatment for his extruded disc after a slip and fall. After doctor after doctor turned him away with pain management referrals, he finally found relief with The Bonati Spine Institute.

Here is his story:

Hi, my name is Jamie L and I slipped and unexpected movement really hurt my back and I extruded the disc three quarters of the way into my spinal column and when that happened it pretty much locked up.

I've seen all the best doctors that Florida has in the area and they all just wanted to referral me to pain management and here, take drugs, take drugs and was really against that and it got to a point where life wasn't good at all.

Thing about it is immediately after the procedure to my lower back, all the pain was gone, all the numbness went away.

It was a wonderful wonderful thing because life is back and you know, I feel a little tightness, but other than that, you know, stretching everyday, walking, I can handle that. But the pain that was going on, I just couldn't do.

You know, you can only cry so much. And it's wonderful now.

I have other procedures to do to my neck, but other than that I... no pain medication after the surgery, no, nothing like that, and it's great.

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Bonati Spine Institute Testimonial Tweet! Bulging Disc Surgery Success Story

"I suffered with 3 bulging discs & sciatic pain. After 5 procedures from @DrBonati I'm walking straight and tall." pic.twitter.com/QO9nGfKeg3

— BonatiSpineInstitute (@DrBonati) April 22, 2016

Patient Testimonials: Sherry D's Radiating Pain Rectified by Spine Surgery

Sherry D. was against open spine surgery but wanted to be able to take care of her family again. As a Bonati Spine Institute patient, Sherry's pain has been rectified.

Here is her story:

My name is Sherry D, and I came here to The Bonati Institute because of major pain in my lower back and just bending over the pain in the right side just grabbing me, pain radiating down my right leg.

I just feel like this is where I needed to be. I was not interest in open traditional surgery in any way, and I tried everything else, so I'm very optimistic this will take care of those problems.

I have a husband and 4 little children and I needed to get relief so I can take care my family.

I had an operation yesterday with Dr. Grossmith, and I can tell you I've never experienced such friendly, helpful, caring people in any medical setting ever. It just really puts you at ease. I just personally wasn't anxious whatsoever, and you would think would will be for somebody operating on your back.

So that was delightful to say the least. Surgery is never without pain, so it's not like tiptoeing through the tulips to have surgery, but for that procedure... to have woken up from that and been able to function, it was just such a surprise.

No general anesthesia, no ill feelings, just to be able to get up and walk outta here and be able to take care of myself, and to walk back in the next day.

I have obviously some inflammation and things like that, it comes from being, you know having had surgery, but I can tell that the particular problem that we were working on appears to have been rectified and so far so good. Very pleased.

No More Back Pain by Dr. Alfred Bonati

Discover a new and PROVEN program to free yourself from back pain FOR LIFE.

This helpful tome by Dr. Alfred Bonati and Shirley Motter Linde provides those suffering from back pain useful advice for living pain-free.

Dr. Alfred Bonati is the founder and Chief Orthopaedic Surgeon at The Bonati Spine Institute, a pioneering spine surgery center in the Tampa Bay area. The Bonati Procedures utilized patented instruments and techniques designed to minimize pain and recovery time for patients without the need for open back surgery. He is a graduate of the University of Seville and a Diplomate in the International College of Surgeons, as well as a member of the American Medical Association and North American Spine Society, among several other professional associations.

Dr. Shirley Motter Linde is a renowned author who has written for major magazines and several books, which have been translated into a dozen languages worldwide. Her best-selling books have led to several appearances on television and radio shows. She is best known for her medical writing and being a pioneer in the concept of patient self-help.

Get your copy of No More Back Pain by Dr. Alfred Bonati and Dr. Shirley Linde today!