If you’ve experienced a shooting pain from your lower back, through your buttocks or hips, and into your thigh or down your leg, then you’ve probably experienced the electric pain of sciatica.

At The Spine Care Center in Manassas, our expert physicians treat all causes of sciatica, from herniated disks to sacroiliac joint problems. Learn more about sciatica and your treatment options below, and be sure to contact our offices today if you would like to speak with a spine doctor about your symptoms.

What Is Sciatica?

Sciatica is pain that runs through your sciatic nerve, which is a nerve that runs into your leg from your lower back. The sciatic nerve can get compressed in many ways, causing the famous shooting pain and numbness of sciatica.

Sciatica can also cause weakness and tingling in your leg. It may even affect your ability to walk normally.

Sciatica may be signalled by a mild ache or a severe, sharp pain. It may come and go in episodes or stay constant. Without treatment, it is likely to get worse and worse over time.

What are the Risk Factors for Sciatica?

You may be at a higher risk for sciatica if you are:

  • Over the age of 40
  • Overweight
  • Sit for long periods of time every day
  • Diabetic
  • Working a physical job that requires heavy lifting or twisting

You can reduce your risk for sciatica by participating in physical activity every day and practicing good posture.

How Do I Treat Sciatica?

Luckily, sciatica usually goes away with conservative treatments and doesn’t require any surgical intervention. You may be able to treat the pain yourself at home by stretching your lower back and hip regularly and using over-the-counter pain medicines like acetaminophen or ibuprofen.

But if your pain keeps getting worse, then you may need the help of a spine care expert. A physician that is skilled at treating sciatica can provide treatment options that doctors simply can’t offer. For example, sciatica usually responds quite well to steroid injections. These injections contain pain-relieving and anti-inflammatory medicines that are injected right on the inflamed nerve root in your spine. These drugs quickly cool down that electric sciatic pain. At The Spine Care Center, you can receive these spinal steroid injections in the comfort of our office, making your care convenient and effective.

Sick of sciatica? Our spine care experts can help you find long-term pain relief. Call The Spine Care Center in Manassas today at (703) 257-2266 or request an appointment online to learn more about your treatment options.

Schedule your appointment with our office today!