Recover from sciatica nerve pain with advanced non-surgical treatments such as epidural steroid injections, nerve blocks, physical therapy, and physical rehabilitation. As experts in sciatica treatment, our doctors offer comprehensive, personalized treatment plans tailored to your specific pain level. Contact Pain Management NYC now to get timely treatment and address the root cause of your sciatica.
What Is Sciatica?
Sciatica (also known as lumbar radiculopathy) is a medical condition that affects your sciatic nerve. This large nerve runs from your lower back to your hips, buttocks, and on either side of your legs, extending all the way down to the soles of your feet. When the nerve is damaged or compressed, you feel a stabbing, shooting, or burning pain, as well as tingling, numbness, and weakness, anywhere from your lower back and hip region down to your feet and toes.
Sciatica is more common in people between the ages of 20 and 60. A sedentary lifestyle, obesity, and diabetes can also increase the risk of developing this chronic condition. To provide you with long-lasting relief, our specialists conduct a comprehensive medical examination before recommending a personalized treatment plan. Contact Pain Management NYC today to get back to your active lifestyle without pain.
Meet Our NYC Sciatica Specialists
Our board-certified NYC sciatica doctors are nationally recognized experts in treating sciatica (lumbar radiculopathy). We provide a full spectrum of treatments designed to relieve pain, starting with advanced non-surgical options such as epidural steroid injections, nerve blocks, and targeted physical rehabilitation. For patients who need additional care, we also offer minimally invasive procedures like discectomy, the MILD procedure, and the latest groundbreaking therapies, including Magnetic Peripheral Nerve Stimulation (mPNS) and Scrambler Therapy.
What Causes Sciatica?
Sciatica disease is typically caused by irritation of the root of the lower lumbar and lumbosacral spine.
Other sciatica causes include:
- Lumbar spinal stenosis
- Spondylolisthesis
- Degenerative disc disease
- Muscle spasm
- Pregnancy
Sciatica issues can be triggered by several problems that involve your spine. It might affect the nerves running along your back.
What Are the Risk Factors for Sciatica?
About 40 percent of Americans experience sciatica in their lifetime. Age is a major risk factor. As you grow older, your body, especially your spine, changes, and it can pinch the nerve.
Other risk factors include:
- Degenerative disc disease is a medical disorder caused by the wear and tear of your spine over the years. This wear-and-tear can result in injuring or impinging your sciatic nerve.
- Obesity, along with a sedentary lifestyle, contributes toward the bones in your back losing flexibility and becoming stiff. The extra weight may cause pressure on your sciatic nerve.
- Untreated diabetes, a result of obesity, causes a condition called diabetic neuropathy. High blood sugar damages the nerves in your extremities, especially your feet and toes.
- Desk jobs and truck driving can adversely harm your spine from the long hours of sitting in one place.
- Jobs that require heavy lifting or twisting your spine can also create problems that lead to sciatica. People complaining of acute or chronic lower back pain or hip pain have a high chance of getting exposed to sciatica disease.
What Our Patients Are Saying
Pain Management NYC offers expert care and modern treatments for sciatica. Read our patient reviews to learn about their recovery stories:
The success of sciatica treatment depends on identifying the root cause. Although recovery times vary from person to person, many of our patients report a noticeable reduction in sciatic nerve pain shortly after starting treatment.
What Are the Symptoms of Sciatica?
Sciatica pain treatment depends on the root cause of the sciatic nerve damage. All of these medical conditions can cause undue pressure on your sciatic nerve. Pressure leads to the painful sciatica symptoms you’re experiencing, such as:
- A herniated disc in your spine. Discs have jelly-like insides with a harder shell that weakens with time. If the shell cracks or ruptures, the contents spill out and press against your sciatic nerve.
- Spinal stenosis. This is a disorder that narrows the spinal canal, compressing the nerve roots and spinal cord. The wear and tear of your spine are usually associated with osteoarthritis.
- Spondylolisthesis. This medical disorder affects your lower back when a vertebra slips and becomes misaligned with your spine. It ends up narrowing the exit of the sciatic nerve, irritating it in the process.
- Piriformis syndrome. The piriformis muscle is found in the lower part of your spine, hips, and buttocks. When the muscle develops spasms, it can compress the sciatic nerve.
Other related medical reasons for lumbar radiculopathy may include a direct impact force from a car accident, a sports injury, or falling downstairs. Osteoporosis, a weakening of your bones, can create compression fractures in your spine.
How Is Sciatica Diagnosed?
Sciatica is diagnosed based on a review of your medical history, a physical examination, and imaging results. During the exam, our specialists assess muscle strength, reflexes, and your ability to perform specific movements to pinpoint the source of pain.
We also use modern imaging techniques such as X-rays, MRIs, or CT scans to obtain detailed images of the spine and identify herniated discs, bone spurs, or other conditions that cause compression of the sciatic nerve. In addition, your doctor may order electromyography (EMG) to assess nerve conduction and accurately identify the affected nerves.
Dr. Leon Reyfman, MD follows an evidence-based approach to diagnosing sciatica, using clinical evaluation and imaging to identify the affected nerve root. In complex cases, selective diagnostic nerve root blocks may be used to confirm the pain source.
Are There Any Non-Invasive Treatments for Sciatica?
Treatment for sciatica typically begins with conservative care, including activity modification and physical therapy, following a thorough evaluation by top-rated pain doctors in New York. When appropriate, limited short-term use of NSAIDs may be recommended as part of an individualized treatment plan.
For patients with persistent or more severe symptoms, targeted interventional treatments may be considered to reduce inflammation, relieve nerve compression, and improve function. These minimally invasive procedures are selected based on imaging findings and clinical presentation and may include:
In cases where conservative and interventional treatments fail to provide adequate relief, surgical referral or advanced therapies may be considered when imaging findings correlate with ongoing symptoms.
What Are the Minimally Invasive Treatment Options for Sciatica?
For severe pain that doesn’t respond to non-invasive treatments, your Manhattan sciatica treatment doctor may suggest minimally invasive surgery as the best option. These procedures are safe and fast, with proven consistent results. Pain Management provides a standard of care that’s among the best in the world. These minimally invasive procedures include:
Can I Treat Sciatica at Home?
Sciatica typically resolves on its own within a few weeks. It is recommended to avoid prolonged bed rest, as it can potentially exacerbate your sciatic nerve pain. Mild sciatica cases may be treated with self-care and home remedies.
Doing stretching and strengthening exercises can help support the lumbar spine, improve range of motion and flexibility, and decrease the pressure on the sciatic nerve. Applying hot and cold compresses to the affected area can help reduce muscle spasms, boost blood flow, and accelerate healing. The correct sitting position is also an important aspect of sciatica pain relief.
For chronic sciatica symptoms, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs can be used. You can visit our medical center for meticulously crafted medical advice on what home remedies to use for reducing your specific symptoms. Our best-in-class sciatica specialist can also prescribe special clinic products for relieving your chronic pain.
How Can I Prevent Sciatica Pain?
Because sciatica can have various causes, it can be quite hard to prevent. Managing weight, maintaining proper back muscle tone, and abstaining from smoking and prolonged periods of sitting are common recommendations for sciatic pain prevention.
Chiropractic care and physical therapy are also essential to avoid recurrent sciatic episodes. Your physical therapist can offer you a treatment plan aimed at improving your posture and range of movement, thus reducing sciatica symptoms further and helping you avoid any recurrences going forward.
If you are struggling with sciatica, contact Pain Management NYC today or visit our offices in Midtown Manhattan, the Bronx or Astoria for a free consultation. Our board-certified physicians bridge extensive clinical experience with active participation in cutting-edge research to provide our patients with the most advanced and effective treatments for lumbar radiculopathy..
Written by Dr. Leon Reyfman, MD, FIPP, RPh
(Pain Management Doctor)