Woman's Doctor: Dealing with sciatica

By Megan Pringle

Medical experts say that half the population will experience sciatica. But in some cases, it can be so painful that a person cannot function.
Dina Aaron understands this better than most people. For her, just walking down the steps can be a major feat.
"It had gone on for so long, I thought, 'I'm never going to get better,'” Aaron said. “It's just the way my life is going to be, so it's really scary for a while.”
At first, Aaron’s sciatica prevented her from doing simple things she enjoyed, like walking the dogs, and it kept getting worse.
"I got to the point where I was unable to walk some days and unable to dress myself from the waist down some days,” Aaron said.
Aaron, who works as a pediatric nurse, said she was in so much pain, work was unbearable.
Mercy Medical Center Dr. Justin Park said sciatica is caused by a compressed spinal nerve root. He said it is easy to diagnose and very common.
“The vast majority of sciatica is non-operative,” Park said. “So (patients need) a brief period of rest, medications and physical therapy. And if things like that don't work, sometimes, I will send them for an epidural injection."
Aaron tried all of those treatments, but nothing worked. Park then performed outpatient surgery and Aaron said she can't believe she is not in pain anymore.
"Every day I get better and better,” said Aaron, who added that she is planning to return to work soon.

http://www.wbaltv.com/health/womans-doctor-dealing-with-sciatica/41419938

How to deal with sciatica

By Dr Anitha Anchan

Compression or irritation  of the sciatic nerve (the longest nerve in your body) results in a condition called sciatica. It causes mild to severe pain that originates from your lower back and radiates down your leg to your calf, typically on one side of your body . Simple actions like laughing, sneezing, coughing, standing or sitting for a long time or bending backwards may also cause shooting pain in some.
Living with sciatica
Sciatica could be easily treated in some people. The pain can be addressed and resolved within weeks with conservative treatment. But the condition can test the patience and endurance of many. Sciatica, when ignored, can be frustrating and can greatly impact your quality of life. You may experience flare-ups that worsen with time. Simple daily activities like walking, sitting upright, standing and sleeping can become limiting, or even impossible. The ailment can lead to partial immobility of the leg or partial or complete loss of feeling (sensation) in the affected leg. Read more about what is sciatica and who is at risk for sciatica.

1. Limit your discomfort
A mix of self-help techniques and medical treatment can help you manage persistent or advanced stage of sciatica. Painkillers can help relieve pain in early stage chronic sciatica. Hot or cold compression packs may help too. Epidural steroid injection may provide relief from inflammation. Bed rest for a day or two may provide some temporary pain relief. But bear in mind that it is advisable to be as physically active as possible.
2. Strengthen your lower back
After a brief period of rest, incorporate walking and gentle stretching exercises in your daily routine. Regular exercise will strengthen your back muscles and help support the spine. It also stimulates the production of natural painkilling chemicals called endorphins. Weights and crunches should be avoided when you have sciatica. Hence, try to find an alternative such as swimming or pilates, that will not aggravate your condition and help you stay fit as well. But talk to your doctor or physiotherapist before you start any new exercise regime. Stay committed to your treatment plan. Relief from sciatica isn’t likely to be instant and may take a while before the results show.
3. Include alternate approaches
You may find benefit from alternative approaches. Yoga can be safe and beneficial for your sciatica. Oil massages and yoga asanas can help significantly in relieving sciatica signs and symptoms like pain, tenderness, rigidity, difficulty in walking and pain on bending forward.
4. Explore surgical options
If you don’t find any difference in your condition even after several weeks of treatment, you may require surgery to correct your condition. It can treat the identifiable cause and help relieve the pressure on the nerve. Make sure to discuss the relative risks and benefits of spine surgery. Visit a doctor immediately if you have a long period of numbness in your bottom, lower back and leg, feel weakness in your leg and foot or experience loss of bladder or bowel control.

http://www.thehealthsite.com/diseases-conditions/how-to-deal-with-sciatica/

Understanding sciatica: Could your back pain be something more?

By Lindsay Carlton

Each year, back pain effects half of all working Americans. But could this common ailment be mistaken for something different?
We got this email from a viewer—
Dear Dr. Manny,
My husband has been complaining of low back pain for years and just recently went to physical therapy, where they told him it could be sciatica. What is sciatica exactly, and how is it treated?
Thanks,
Betsy
Sciatica is a condition wherein irritation or compression affects your sciatic nerve, a large nerve that begins at your spinal cord and branches down through your hips, buttocks, and each leg.
Dr. Febin Melepura, a pain specialist at Stanford Pain & Sports Medicine in New York City, says, to distinguish if you’re suffering from low back pain or sciatica, focus on where the pain is coming from.
“About 1 percent of patients with low back pain have sciatica, but low back pain is a pain that is localized to the region below the lower rib cage and above the gluteal fold, whereas sciatica is a pain that radiates down one or both legs,” Melepura told FoxNews.com.
Often, the pain that occurs from sciatica is due to a herniated disk or a bone spur in the spine that presses on the nerve. Many patients say it can feel like a mild throbbing pain or a sharp, burning sensation. Numbness or muscle weaknesses in the leg or foot are also typical symptoms.
Common risk factors for sciatica include obesity, diabetes and aging, as well as sitting for long periods of time.
Dr. Andrew Sama, a spine surgeon at Hospital for Special Surgery in New York City, says the first line of treatment for sciatica is rest, along with non-steroidal anti-inflammatory and muscle relaxants.
“If that doesn’t do the trick and improve the symptoms, we often begin physical therapy, and some practitioners advocate [for chiropractic services] or acupuncture,” Sama told FoxNews.com. “If those interventions don't provide relief, we can often prescribe epidural steroid injections, which are typically effective.”
In rare cases, when non-invasive treatments don’t resolve persistent symptoms, doctors can recommend a small surgical intervention to take the pressure off the nerve, Sama said.
Most experts recommend seeing your doctor if rest and over-the-counter medication don’t make pain subside within seven to 10 days.

http://www.foxnews.com/health/2016/07/31/understanding-sciatica-could-your-back-pain-be-something-more.html