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Sciatica Specialist

Spine Solutions -  - Orthopaedic Spine Surgeon

Spine Solutions

Orthopedic Spine Surgeons located in Hollywood, FL, Coral Gables, FL, & Boca Raton, FL

Approximately 4 in 10 people experience sciatica during their lifetime. At Spine Solutions in Hollywood, Boca Raton, and Coral Gables, Florida, the experienced orthopedic surgeons, including Behnam Myers, DO, MPH, and Howard Levene, MD, PhD, use the most advanced sciatica pain relief remedies. Spine Solutions is here to relieve your sciatica pain, from nonsurgical treatments like osteopathic manipulation and medication to minimally invasive surgery. Call the nearest office or book an appointment online.

Sciatica Q&A

What is sciatica?

Sciatica is pain in the sciatic nerve, the nerve that begins in your lower back and continues through each buttock and leg. Due to the length of the sciatic nerve, the pain generally shoots from your lower back through one buttock and leg. 

Sciatica can happen anytime, and certain involuntary movements like sneezing or coughing may trigger sudden pain.

What are the symptoms of sciatica?

Sciatica usually causes troublesome issues like:

  • Sharp pain on one side
  • Shooting pain, from the lower back downwards
  • Leg numbness
  • Leg tingling
  • Leg or foot weakness
  • Poor leg or foot function

Sciatica symptoms can be constant, with persistent dull pain or more sporadic with unpredictable shooting pain. If sciatica symptoms affect your quality of life, it's time to reach out to Spine Solutions.

What causes sciatica?

Many things can lead to sciatic nerve pain, including disc herniation, spinal tumors, and spinal cysts. These problems generally occur because of age-related changes in the spine or other wear and tear.  

Prior spine injury, genetics, extra weight, sedentary lifestyle, and chronic health conditions like diabetes can increase your sciatica risk. Pregnant women often develop sciatica, but it usually goes away right away after the baby’s birth. 

What is the best treatment for sciatica pain?

Initial sciatica treatment includes conservative options like chiropractic care and osteopathic manipulation. Both of these treatment approaches relieve pressure in the spine while improving the range of motion. 

Acupuncture is another natural treatment that may ease sciatica pain. Prescription medication, such as muscle relaxants can also provide short-term pain relief.

If initial treatment doesn't help with your sciatica pain, you might benefit from corticosteroid injections that diminish inflammation and pain for up to three months at a time. 

If your sciatica pain doesn't respond to any nonsurgical treatments and it persists for a long time, you may need a minimally invasive surgical procedure to resolve the issue permanently. 

Two common sciatica surgeries include microdiscectomy, which extracts the pieces of the herniated disc causing sciatic nerve pain, and laminectomy, which removes the top part of the vertebral bone that's compressing your sciatic nerve. 

To get sciatica relief, call the Spine Solutions nearest you or schedule a consultation online today.