Sciatica
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Balanced Pain Management
Leslie R DeLaney, MD
Pain Management & Alternative Medicine located in Walnut Creek, CA
As many as 40% of adults experience sciatica pain at some point in life. At Balanced Pain Management in Walnut Creek, California, double board-certified pain management physician Leslie DeLaney, MD, offers comprehensive care for sciatica symptoms. Dr. DeLaney uses advanced diagnostic technologies to identify the cause of your lower back pain. She creates a treatment plan to ease your pain so you can return to your physically active life. Call Balanced Pain Management or schedule an appointment online today to learn more about treatment options available for sciatica.
Sciatica Q & A
What is sciatica?
Sciatica describes low back pain that originates from pressure on the sciatic nerve. The sciatic nerve is the large nerve that travels from your lower spine down into your hips and legs, providing sensations to these areas.
Several conditions can cause pressure on your sciatic nerve, leading to persistent inflammation and pain. Sciatica is sometimes the result of:
- Tumor
- Bone spurs
- Herniated disc
- Spinal stenosis (narrowing of the spine)
You may be at increased risk for sciatica as you get older or if you’re obese. If you sit for long periods or do a lot of heavy lifting, you may also be more likely to experience sciatica pain.
Diabetes is another underlying health condition that can lead to sciatica. If you have uncontrolled, high blood sugar levels, it can lead to nerve damage including in your sciatic nerve.
What are the symptoms of sciatica?
The hallmark symptom of sciatica is a shock-like pain that affects your lower back. A jolting pain can also radiate down into your hips and legs with certain movements. Unexpected movements like a cough or sneeze can trigger sciatica pain.
As your pain moves into your hips, legs, and feet, you may also experience muscle weakness, numbness, and tingling sensations.
You should seek a diagnostic evaluation for sciatica at Balanced Pain Management if your lower back pain continues to worsen over time. You can also request a consultation with Dr. DeLaney if you have persistent pain that doesn’t improve with over-the-counter medications and other home therapies.
Dr. DeLaney uses on-site diagnostic testing technologies, like X-rays and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), to identify a herniated disc, bone spur, or other issues affecting your lower spine. She designs a treatment plan to reduce pain and protect the integrity of your spine.
How is sciatica treated?
If physical therapy and medications aren’t enough to ease persistent or disabling sciatica pain, Dr. DeLaney may recommend interventional pain strategies to increase your comfort.
Your sciatica treatment plan may include:
Steroid injections
Injections deliver steroid medications directly into the area surrounding your sciatic nerve. Steroids can reduce persistent inflammation and take the pressure off of the nerve to treat your lower back pain.
Dr. DeLaney can also inject steroids and anesthetic medications into the epidural space of your spine to relieve lower back pain and pain in your hips, legs, and feet.
Regenerative medicine
In regenerative medicine therapies, Dr. DeLaney uses platelet-rich plasma (PRP) or stem cells to help your sciatic nerve heal from the inside out.
These substances occur naturally in your body and trigger the production of new cells. New cells replace old cells to reduce inflammation and nerve compression that causes sciatica-related pain.
If you’re not physically active because of sciatica, call Balanced Pain Management to learn more about available treatment options or book an appointment online today.
