Treatments for Sciatica and Sciatic Nerve Pain

Conservative non-surgical sciatica treatment is usually all that is required to gain relief from your pain. Initial treatment will include heat therapy, stretching, specially designed exercises, and using over-the-counter medications to reduce inflammation and treat some of the pain.

The only reason to consider surgery before conservative treatment would be if your physician had belief that permanent damage may occur if immediate decompression is not achieved. Other that it being a medical emergency, surgery for sciatica should not be considered until all over options have been exhausted.

Other conservative, non-surgical sciatic nerve treatments in detail:

• Physical Therapy - A therapist will work with you to show you how to properly stretch and exercise and build your core and surrounding muscles. Building these muscles help to provide stability for your spine. Your therapist should also show you proper body mechanics so you can avoid future injury.
• Chiropractic Adjustments - The chiropractor manipulates the spine to reduce the amount of separation of the surfaces in the joint resulting in an increased range of motion.
• Prescription Medications - If over the counter medicine is not providing you with adequate pain relief, your physician may prescribe you a stronger anti inflammatory, pain medication, or muscle relaxant.
• Acupuncture - stimulates the skin and muscles to produce a therapeutic effect helping to relieve muscle inflammation.

Note From Dr. Liu: More aggressive, non-surgical sciatica treatment may include epidural steroid injections. If symptoms persist or worsen, surgical treatment may become necessary. To find out what type of treatment options are available to you in treating your sciatica, please use our Treatment Check Tool™

Physical therapy can also prove to be an effective tool in your recovery from sciatica, and should be used for an extended period of time to help maintain spinal health and help prevent future injury. Although patients shouldn’t expect immediate results from their physical therapy, a large percentage of patients are able to notice symptoms gradually improved after a few weeks.

Once all non-surgical treatment options have been exhausted or if your condition has progressed beyond their effectiveness, you should consider your Endoscopic Minimally Invasive™ treatment options