Did You Know?

Sciatica symptoms can make it harder to go about your daily activities. If therapy is not helping, what are your least invasive options for long lasting pain relief if you choose to move forward with surgery?

  • Laminectomy
    Traditional laminectomy is an open spinal surgery; a large incision is made to access the area. In some cases this surgery is needed but oftentimes an endoscopic foraminotomy or foraminoplasty will work just as well if not better since they are less invasive. Try again
  • Endoscopic Foraminotomy
    This surgery can be helpful by removing bone spurs, scar tissue, or other debris in your spine that may be compressing the nerves. The best thing about this surgery is that it is minimally invasive. For more information about how an Endoscopic Foraminotomy procedure is performed click here.
  • Endoscopic Discectomy
    Depending on the underlying cause for back pain this can be a very helpful surgery that does very little damage to the back during the surgery. This means a very small incision and little recovery time. For more information on how an Endoscopic Discectomy procedure is performed click here.

What is Sciatica?

Sciatica refers to Radiculitis or Radiculopathy of the lumbosacral spine; it isn’t actually a condition at all but a term used to describe symptoms that are caused by compression of the sciatic nerve located in the lower back. Sciatica is also a common cause for lower back pain and responds very well to non surgical treatments if diagnosed early and not allowed to progress to later a stage.

Symptoms of Sciatica

Patients suffering from sciatica feel lower back pain which may extend to the buttock, hamstring, calf, and foot. In addition to pain, patients may also feel tingling and numbness; it is not uncommon for these symptoms to just be felt on one side of the body.

What Causes Sciatica?

Since sciatica is caused when there is compression or pinching of the sciatic nerve. There are a variety of factors that can cause this pain, numbness, tingling, and muscle weakness. Your underlying cause will also dictate how your pain is treated. Commonly seen causes of sciatica are lumbar herniated discs, degeneration of the spine, spinal stenosis, and traumatic injuries to the back.

Treatment Options for Sciatica

Sciatica is typically treated with conservative treatments including physical therapy & exercises, chiropractic adjustments, anti-inflammatory medications, and acupuncture for at least 6 weeks time. Patients should not expect to see immediate results from physical therapy and exercise; this will be gradually seen over the initial 2-3 weeks.

If after 6 weeks the patients’ condition is not showing improvement and symptoms are still unmanageable they may require surgery to help reduce or even eliminate their pain and other symptoms. If surgery is required it is often an endoscopic foraminotomy or an endoscopic discectomy. Both of these surgeries are minimally invasive and much safer to use on those who are elderly or in poor health due to only needing a local anesthesia. To read more information and find out if you are a candidate please click here.

How Can We Help

Atlantic Spinal Care has been successfully treating Sciatica in hundreds of patients every year. If you are interested in learning more about how Atlantic Spinal Care can help you relieve the pain you suffer as a result of Sciatica please consider one or more of the following options: