Pain that shoots down one leg from your lower back could be due to sciatica. If you’re experiencing this kind of pain, the experienced team at AABP Integrative Pain Care and Wellness in New York can help. They offer a range of effective treatments, from physical therapy to advanced interventions like minimally invasive lumbar decompression (MILD®) to treat sciatica successfully. Call AABP Integrative Pain Care’s office in the Bensonhurst neighborhood of Brooklyn, or in White Plains, New York, to find out more or book an appointment online today.
Sciatica is a common type of pain originating in the lower back and most commonly travels down one leg. The pain is often sharp or shock-like and can occur anywhere along the length of the sciatic nerve (which gives the condition its name).
The sciatic nerve divides in two after it exits your spine. While it then goes into both legs, it’s far more common to experience symptoms in only one leg. You might also have problems like tingling or “pins-and-needles” sensations, burning, aching, weakness, or numbness.
Sciatica describes a set of symptoms that arise when the sciatic nerve comes under pressure. The same problems can happen anywhere in your spine where nerves get pinched or damaged, a condition known as radiculopathy. Sciatica is lumbar radiculopathy because it occurs in the lumbar (lower) spine.
The nerve compression responsible for sciatica is most likely to be caused by spinal stenosis. This is another broad term for a narrowing of the spinal canal. There’s limited space in this area, which is inside the column of vertebrae that form your spine and houses the spinal cord.
Nerves leave your spinal cord and travel into the rest of your body through gaps in the vertebrae. If anything gets in the way, the nerves can suffer pressure that leads to radiculopathy. In your lower back, sciatica is the likely result. Some of the most common changes that result in nerve compression include:
Knowing which of these problems is causing your sciatica helps ensure you get the best treatment. Other conditions like piriformis syndrome can also cause symptoms that are similar to sciatica. The AABP Integrative Pain Care and Wellness team has considerable expertise in diagnosing patients with sciatica symptoms.
Sometimes sciatica improves after a week or so with rest and gentle exercise. Anti-inflammatory medication and ice packs might also help reduce inflammation in the sciatic nerve.
If your pain doesn’t improve, the AABP Integrative Pain Care and Wellness team offers expert treatments for sciatica. These might include:
Patients with spinal stenosis that isn’t responding to conservative treatments might benefit from MILD® (minimally invasive lumbar decompression) surgery.
For effective relief from sciatica symptoms, call AABP Integrative Pain Care and Wellness today or book an appointment online.