You have sciatic nerves that run down both legs. If either of these nerves gets pinched, pain can occur anywhere along the nerve. And that means that people living with sciatica usually have low back pain and discomfort that radiates down the leg.
As it turns out, quite a few people live with these unwelcome symptoms. As many as 40% of all American adults deal with sciatica at some point in their lives.
That’s why our expert providers at Vascular & Interventional Associates, offer sciatica care to our patients throughout northern Kentucky and the Cincinnati, Ohio, area. If you’re living with chronic sciatica, visit our office in Crestview Hills, Kentucky.
We can help you get relief from chronic sciatica. Generally, that means choosing from one of these four treatment approaches, or you may use a combination of these options.
Carrying around excess weight strains your body. As a result, it can heighten your risk of sciatica and make your symptoms worse. Fortunately, the reverse is also true. Losing weight and being active goes a long way toward easing your discomfort.
Even going on short walks each day makes a difference. Start there and work your way up toward more activity to see how it improves your sciatica symptoms.
We may also recommend that you explore physical therapy. Adding this to your routine can help strengthen surrounding muscles, improve your posture, and ease the pressure on your sciatic nerve.
We generally don’t recommend medication as the first line of sciatica treatment because drugs usually come with side effects. That said, we may recommend or prescribe medication to some people who haven’t seen relief from their chronic sciatica with lifestyle changes.
Effective medications that can address sciatica include:
Our team works closely with you to determine if you would be a good candidate for medication and, if so, to moderate side effects as much as possible.
We can inject a corticosteroid into the epidural space of your spine to bring down inflammation that may be putting pressure on your sciatic nerve. You should get relatively quick relief that lasts a few months with this option.
If none of these other treatment options work to ease your chronic sciatica, it’s time to explore surgery. In many cases, your procedure focuses on addressing what’s pressing on the sciatic nerve. For example, your surgeon may remove a bone spur or a portion of a herniated disc.
While this path comes with a recovery period, you should get lasting relief after you fully heal from your procedure.
When it comes to sciatica, you have options to reduce your pain. To learn which treatment our team of experts recommends for you, call our office or request an appointment online today.
