Should You Seek Sciatic Nerve Pain Management: The Answer is Easy

It might sound obvious, but it certainly bears repeating at times; sciatic nerve pain management aims to mitigate sciatica symptoms. “Sciatica” is a broad but useful term. It refers to the pain you might feel radiating along the path of your sciatic nerve. This is typically from your lower back and down. It runs through your hips, buttocks, and legs and occurs due to compression, irritation, or inflammation of the sciatic nerve.

Incredibly, the sciatic nerve is the thickest in the human body. Originating from your lower spinal nerves L4 to S3, it serves as the primary connection between your upper body and lower body. Without it, your entire lower body would lose sensory and motor function.

Unfortunately, a litany of conditions can affect this integral nerve. Fortunately, the most common we see are treatable:

• Injury / Trauma: Direct damage to the nerve.
• Spinal Stenosis: Narrowing of the spinal canal (Commonly from age)
• Muscle Spasms: Involuntary muscle contractions that put pressure on the nerve.
• Herniated Discs / Bone Spurs: Pressure on the nerve roots from herniated discs or bone growth.

But that raises the question: Should you seek treatment? Let’s get into some of the common symptoms, some of the not-so-common ones, and at what point you should contact a doctor.

The Symptoms That may be Cause for Sciatic Nerve Pain Management

On the National Library of Medicine NCBI’s website, StatPearls effectively stated just how common and sporadic sciatica can be. They shared how lifetime incidence ranges from 13% to 40%, and annual incidence rates fluctuate between 1% to 5%. With so many potential conditions and causes of sciatica, it stands to reason there’d be just as many, if not more, symptoms. And there are. So, we’ve taken the time to narrow them down to the ones you should probably look out for the most.

But first, it’s good to keep a few things in mind before you start self-diagnosing. Here are some questions you can start asking yourself to determine whether this is something you might suffer from:

• Can I raise my legs without pain: While lying down, raise your legs one at a time. If doing this causes pain, numbness, or tingling to shoot down that leg, especially below your knee, it could indicate sciatica.
• Does bending forward or sitting for long durations hurt: Experiencing shooting pain down your leg or into your buttocks while performing specific movements, like bending forward or sitting for an extended period, may suggest sciatica as well.
• Do my legs feel numb or tingly: Sensations of numbness, tingling, or weakness in one leg or foot might indicate sciatic nerve irritation. This is especially true if these sensations occur for no discernable reason.
• Can I stand for long durations without pain: Struggling to stand for durations longer than you’re used to and experiencing discomfort or pain in your lower back or legs because of it could very well be related to sciatica.
• Is there a radiating pain that goes down my leg: Pain that starts in your lower back or buttocks and travels down your leg could be a sign of sciatica. And this is one of the most common questions we ask before starting sciatic nerve pain management.

What are the Common Symptoms of Sciatica?

Building off the questions we asked in the previous section, there are a handful of symptoms you want to be on the lookout for. In fact, there are four we’ve found that might seem inconspicuous at first but can lead to greater complications down the line.

Be on the lookout for:

• Specific Pain: Sciatica typically causes sharp, shooting pain that radiates from your lower back or buttocks down your leg. Often, this pain varies from mild discomfort to severe incapacity, and it often worsens with movement.
• Numbness / Tingling: You might also experience sensations of numbness, tingling, or a pins-and-needles feeling along the path of the affected sciatic nerve. Appropriately, you would feel this in your buttocks, leg, and subsequently your foot.
• Muscle Weakness: Often in association with nerve compression, sciatica can cause weakness in your leg or foot. This weakness might make it challenging to move the affected limb or result in a sense of overall instability.
• Back / Hip Discomfort: Alongside leg symptoms, you might also experience a dull to sharp discomfort in your lower back and hips. This kind of discomfort is usually secondary to the primary leg pain associated with sciatica.

Although these symptoms are uncomfortable and often painful, they don’t typically indicate a severe or urgent need to seek some sort of sciatic nerve pain management. However, persistent or worsening symptoms over time should prompt you to take action.

Down the line, these moderate symptoms might lead to some that are far more alarming.

What are the Uncommon Symptoms of Sciatica?

In extreme cases, or when otherwise left untreated, sciatica can present itself with some uncommon and bizarre symptoms. If you or someone you know experiences any of these, sciatic nerve pain management is the only next step. Anything else, ignoring it or hoping it will go away simply isn’t an option.

Be on the lookout for:

• Severe Weakness in Both Legs: Bilateral leg weakness, specifically if it occurs suddenly or progressively worsens, might signify significant nerve compression or spinal cord involvement on a much greater scale. This demands urgent evaluation.
• Loss of Bladder or Bowel Control: Sudden incontinence or difficulty controlling your bowel or bladder movements could signal cauda equina syndrome. This is a rare but serious condition that occurs when the nerve roots in your lumbar spine are drastically compressed.
• Numbness in Your Groin / Genital Area: Unusual sensations or numbness in your groin or genital area could indicate nerve compression that necessitates prompt medical assessment. If left untreated, this can lead to long-term neurological deficits throughout your lower body.

Most sciatica symptoms involve discomfort, pain, or tingling. However, the ones we just mentioned, the uncommon signs, can hint at something much worse. They can hint at severe nerve-related or spinal cord issues that require immediate attention.

So, that begs the question: What can you do about it?

What Does Sciatic Nerve Pain Management Entail?

With a condition like sciatica, which can present itself in a multitude of ways, there are a multitude of treatment options. Of course, considering how serious sciatica can be, making an appointment with a specialist should be your next move. However, there are still some things you can do at home to help alleviate the symptoms.

HOME REMEDIES

• Hot / Cold Therapy: Alternating between the two can soothe your symptoms. Heat relaxes the involved muscles and increases blood flow; cold reduces inflammation and numbs the area.
• Exercise: Specific stretches like knee-to-chest stretches and pigeon pose can alleviate tension and strengthen your muscles, thereby reducing pressure on your sciatic nerve.
• Over-the-counter Medications: Acetaminophen, aspirin, or NSAIDs like ibuprofen or naproxen can effectively manage mild to moderate discomfort and reduce inflammation.

But keep in mind that most of these only “Manage” symptoms. They don’t treat the core issue. Often, to fully overcome this, you must seek the help of a specialist.

MEDICAL INTERVENTIONS

• Physical Therapy: Tailored exercises and stretches administered by a physical therapist can permanently aid in pain management, muscle strengthening, and mobility.
• Injections: Corticosteroid injections directly into the affected area reduce inflammation around your sciatic nerve. This provides a unique, targeted pain relief.
• Surgery: Reserved for severe, persistent cases or when there’s progressive nerve damage causing debilitating symptoms, surgery can alleviate compression on your nerve roots.

In the end, sciatic nerve pain management strategies focus on addressing pain, reducing inflammation, and enhancing mobility. Home remedies often work alongside medical interventions to offer relief and facilitate recovery.

If you want permanent relief, you should seek professional help.

Finding the Right Specialist

In a previous article, we mentioned some of the things you should look for in a good doctor. Transparency, knowledge, and empathy were some of the big ones. In that very same article, we also highlighted the importance of seeking help from a doctor versus either putting it off or waiting for your condition to get better. We’re going to support the same sentiment here.

Unfortunately, sciatica isn’t something that simply gets better or goes away on its own. Fortunately, there’s a solution. Taking the next step to find the right specialist means taking the first step toward a better, pain-free life. It means getting that much closer to the quality of life that you deserve.

At Bergen Pain Management, we personally believe in putting you first and walking with you every step of the way through your sciatic nerve pain management. And we strongly encourage you to reach out. We’ll put you on the right track.

Contact us today! Want to learn more about sciatica? Keep reading.