Patients with sciatica nerve pain often experience pain that radiates from the back of the thigh to the leg. Patients can experience a strange tingling pain or muscle weakness. Help is available, however.
At Centers for Neurosurgery, Spine & Orthopedics (CNSO), the medical staff includes spine specialists who are ready to diagnose and treat patients with sciatica at locations throughout northern New Jersey.
What Is Sciatica?
Sciatica is a common type of pain affecting the sciatic nerve, which is a large bundle of nerves that extend from the lower spinal cord, through the buttock, and down the back of each leg. The nerve transmits movement signals from the brain through the spine and into the gluteus muscles, hamstrings, and most of the muscles below the knee and down to the foot. The sciatic nerve also allows sensory information, such as heat, cold, and pain, to travel to the brain via the nerve. The sciatic nerve is made up of several smaller nerves that individually exit the lumbar spine.
Sciatica happens when the nerve roots of the sciatic nerve become pinched. Usually, a herniated disc or a bone spur is the cause of sciatic nerve pain.
What Symptoms Does a Sciatica Patient Have?
The telltale sign of sciatica is pain that starts in a patient’s lower back and shoots down one leg, sometimes into the foot. What causes sciatica differs from person to person, but it can happen with an injury or the wear and tear of aging.
Other symptoms of sciatica include:
- Pain in the rear or leg that is worse when sitting
- Hip pain
- Burning or tingling down the leg
- Weakness, numbness, or a hard time moving the leg or foot
- A constant or shooting pain on one side of the rear, leg, or hip
Some patients describe the pain as feeling like an electric shock and being debilitating, while others experience infrequent but irritating bouts of pain.
Since sciatic pain can make it hard to walk or stand up easily, patients may not be able to sit for long periods or drive long distances.
What Can Cause Sciatica?
Most of the time, a herniated disc causes sciatica pain by irritating the nerves in the lower back. But that is not the only cause of sciatica. Other conditions that can cause sciatica are:
- Lumbar spinal stenosis: The narrowing of the spinal canal in the lower back.
- Degenerative disc disease: When the discs, which act as cushions between the vertebrae, break down, and vertebrae rub together, it creates pain.
- Spondylolisthesis: A condition that causes a vertebra to slip forward over another vertebra.
- Pregnancy: As a fetus grows, it can cause pressure on the back and sciatic pain.
- Muscle spasms: As a muscle spasms, it moves, which creates a higher chance of muscles pinching nerves and causing sciatica.
There are also risk factors that can make a person more likely to develop sciatica, including:
- Age
- Diabetes
- Being sedentary
- Weak core muscles
- Wearing high heels for long periods
- Sleeping on a mattress that is too hard or too soft
- Smoking
- Repetitive movements, such as twisting the back, either through work or exercise
Women who have endometriosis can also experience sciatic nerve pain.
How Is Sciatica Pain Diagnosed?
To diagnose sciatica pain, the medical team at Centers for Neurosurgery, Spine & Orthopedics will perform a physical examination to check reflexes and muscle strength. The team also may ask questions like:
- When did the symptoms start?
- Has the patient had any recent injuries?
- Is there numbness or weakness in the legs?
- Has the pain kept the patient from doing any activities?
- Have any home remedies eased the pain at all?
- Does the patient sit for long periods or do a lot of physical work?
- How often does the patient exercise and what kind of exercises are involved?
The answers to these questions will help the neurosurgeon, orthopedic spine surgeon, pain management specialist, or physical therapist get a better understanding of the patient’s lifestyle and what could have brought on the sciatic pain.
If a neurosurgeon needs more information, more tests may be ordered, such as:
- X-ray: Takes pictures of the inside of the body to check for bone spurs.
- Computed Tomography (CT) scan: A CT scan combines a series of X-rays to get a better look at a patient’s spinal cord and spinal nerves.
- Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI): An MRI uses radio waves and magnets to create pictures of a patient’s internal structure and get a detailed look at the back and spine.
- Electromyography (EMG): An EMG measures how fast nerve signals travel through muscles. This test is used to see if a herniated disc is compressing nerves that control muscles.
How Is Sciatica Treated?
If a neurosurgeon, orthopedic spine surgeon, or pain management doctor has diagnosed a patient with sciatica, it can either be treated non-surgically or surgically.
Non-Surgical Sciatica Treatments
The CNSO team often will choose to try non-surgical treatments first to treat sciatica. Non-surgical treatments can include:
- Medication: A pain management doctor may have the patient try different medications, which could include anti-inflammatory medication, anti-seizure medication, or muscle relaxers.
- Physical therapy: Physical therapy uses exercises and stretches to improve posture and increase muscle strength.
- Steroid injections: An epidural steroid injection can help reduce inflammation and pain.
Surgical Sciatica Treatments
If non-surgical treatments have not worked to treat a patient’s sciatica pain, surgery may be suggested. However, surgery will only be recommended if there is a clear anatomic structure visibly placing pressure on the sciatic nerve seen on the MRI or CT scan. Surgeries include:
- Discectomy: Removal of pieces of a herniated disc
- Laminectomy: Removal of bone from the lower spine
The medical and surgical team at CNSO will discuss all options available for sciatica patients to create an individualized treatment plan.
Live Pain-Free from Sciatica
The dedicated surgical and non-surgical team at Centers for Neurosurgery, Spine, and Orthopedics understands how sciatic nerve pain can impact daily life. By working with leading board-certified neurosurgeons, orthopedic spine surgeons, interventional pain management physicians, physiatrists, rehabilitation specialists, and certified physical therapists, patients will receive comprehensive and coordinated treatment for sciatica and its cause.
CNSO offers multiple convenient locations spanning across northern New Jersey, including Bergen, Passaic, Essex, Morris, and Hudson counties. Patents can contact CNSO today to learn more about effectively treating sciatic nerve pain.
