Sciatica Specialist

Sciatica pain often extends into the hip and leg from your lower back, causing significant disability. If you’re suffering from sciatica and problems like numbness, tingling, and weakness in your leg, contact Alliance Spine Associates, LLC in Fair Lawn, New Jersey. Their pain medicine specialists offer cutting-edge treatments for sciatica, including epidural steroid injections and radiofrequency ablation. Call their office or book an appointment online today to benefit from advanced sciatica treatment.

What is sciatica?

Sciatica is lumbar radiculopathy — lower back pain caused by a problem with your sciatic nerve.

The sciatic nerve serves your legs and feet. It divides in two at your pelvis, with a branch running down each leg. Sciatica causes pain that travels into one or occasionally both legs.

Sciatica pain is usually sharp or shooting, like an electric shock. It can start in your back but worsens in your hip, buttock, or leg. Pain isn’t the only symptom of sciatica. Nerve damage can cause numbness or unpleasant tingling, burning, or prickling sensations. You might also find the affected leg is weaker or less responsive.

Sciatica can cause significant disability. The symptoms often continue or get worse unless you get expert treatment.

What causes sciatica?

Sciatica is caused by pressure, irritation, or damage to the sciatic nerve. A common cause of this irritation or pressure is spinal stenosis in your lumbar (lower) spine. “Stenosis” means “narrowing.” Several things can cause the spinal canal to narrow and exert pressure on the sciatic nerve.

Herniated discs are one of the likeliest causes. The disc’s soft core, which absorbs shock in your spine, might break through the tough outer cover. The protruding disc material then interferes with the sciatic nerve. You can suffer disc herniations from trauma or age-related deterioration (degenerative disc disease).

Bone spurs and other changes caused by osteoarthritis can also result in stenosis and sciatica. Other causes include thickened ligaments and muscle spasms in your lower back or buttocks. Sacroiliitis (inflammation of the sacroiliac joints in your pelvis) can sometimes cause sciatica pain.

How is sciatica treated?

The Alliance Spine Associates, LLC team’s sciatica treatments focus on relieving the pressure on your sciatic nerve. You’re likely to benefit from conservative treatments, combining physical therapy and medications.

Gentle exercises and stretching are more effective in healing the sciatic nerve than staying in bed. If your symptoms don’t improve, your Alliance Spine Associates, LLC doctor might recommend epidural steroid injections.

These injections contain a steroid that offers long-lasting inflammation reduction. A local anesthetic in the injection numbs your pain over the short term, while the steroid works for several months. You might need spine surgery for severe, treatment-resistant sciatica.

Call Alliance Spine Associates, LLC or book an appointment online today to benefit from the team’s expertise in treating sciatica.