Manage Your Sciatica Pain and Enhance Motion Range with Comprehensive Sciatica Care in Pennsylvania
Sciatica is a prevalent disease that affects numerous people who suffer from chronic back pain. It is characterized by an emanating pain that spreads down the leg. Jocelyn Idema, DO, of Steel City Spine and Orthopedic Center, offers specialist invasive and noninvasive therapies to help improve mobility and relieve pain from sciatica in Washington, PA. This chronic condition is estimated to affect around 10% of back pain sufferers and is frequently exacerbated by more severe conditions, including spinal stenosis. For more information, call the office of Steel City Spine and Orthopedic Center or request an appointment online today.
What Exactly is Sciatica?
The word ‘sciatica’ refers to pain that emanates down the sciatic nerve. This nerve starts in the lower back and runs down each of your legs, passing through your hips and buttocks.
What Are the Most Common Causes of sciatica?
Whenever anything presses or pinches on the sciatic nerve, it causes sciatica. A bone spur or herniated disc are the most common causes of sciatic nerve compression. Other factors to consider are:
o Spondylolisthesis
o Tumors or spinal cysts
o Spinal stenosis
o Wear-and-tear
At times, certain medical conditions, like diabetes, may damage the sciatic nerve.
What Are the Dangers of Having Sciatica?
There are a few things that will increase the chances of getting sciatica. They include:
o Age
When you get older, the spine becomes more prone to herniated discs and bone spurs.
o Obesity
Any extra weight you wear puts extra strain on the spine, increasing your risk of developing sciatica with time.
o Job
Certain occupations put your back and spine under more strain than others. Work that involves a lot of sitting for long periods or heavy lifting is particularly bad.
What Are Some of the Signs and Symptoms of Sciatica?
Sciatica pain follows a unique path along the sciatic nerve, unlike normal chronic or acute back pain. This condition sometimes results in pain radiating or traveling from your lower back to your leg. The pain can be unexpected and severe, or it can feel like a burning sensation or dull ache. In more serious cases, you can feel tingling or numbness along the sciatic path.
What is the Treatment for Sciatica?
Dr. Idema at Steel City Spine and Orthopedic Center treats sciatica pain with both invasive and noninvasive options based on the intensity of the symptoms. By utilizing minimally invasive procedures, she allows fewer complications and faster recovery.
Following a few weeks of rest, minor cases of sciatica usually go away by themselves. Physical therapy, epidural injections, and acupuncture are also effective noninvasive therapies for mild to moderate sciatica. In case traditional therapies are not yielding the required outcomes, Dr. Idema may prescribe minimally invasive techniques, including a laminectomy or microdiscectomy.
If sciatica is causing you discomfort, Steel City Spine and Orthopedic Center’s extensive treatment will help you reclaim your life. To schedule an appointment, call the convenient offices in McKees Rocks, Washington, and Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, or use the online scheduling tool.
