Sciatica – also known as lumbar radiculopathy or sciatic neuritis – affects up to 40% of the population at some point in their lives. Symptoms include pain, tingling, numbness, and/or weakness that radiates along the sciatic nerve, which extends from the lower back all the way down to your feet.
The sciatic nerve is the largest and longest nerve in your body, and from the lumbar area it splits down along the back of both legs. That is why sciatica usually affects only one side of your body, but it can affect both sides.
The pain from sciatica can interfere with being able to walk or even sleep. Let’s talk about how a pain doctor can help you take control of your sciatic pain, and where you can go in Caldwell for nonsurgical pain relief that lasts.
What Causes Sciatic Pain?
Sciatic pain is caused by an impingement (compression) of the sciatic nerve, and it often goes away on its own without the need for treatment. However, chronic sciatica can make it hard for you to perform normal tasks.
Sciatica can be the result of:
- A traumatic injury
- A herniated or bulging disc in the lumbar (low-back) area of the spine
- Degenerative disc disease
- Bone spurs in the vertebrae related to age, osteoporosis, or arthritis
- A spinal tumor
- Spinal stenosis
It takes a specially trained pain specialist to treat chronic sciatica, especially if the cause is a herniated disc.
How a Pain Specialist Can Treat Sciatica
Traditionally, physicians resort to invasive back surgery (discectomy) or spinal fusion surgery to treat a herniated disc which is causing the pinched nerve that is sciatica. However, these measures require months of recovery and rehabilitation, and many patients continue to experience persistent pain and discomfort despite these efforts.
According to research, more than a third of lumbar spine surgery patients have unsatisfactory results over a five-year period following their initial spine surgery.
If you have sciatic pain and want an alternative to surgery – or if you have already undergone a surgical procedure that has failed to relieve your symptoms – you should seriously consider nonsurgical ozone disc injection treatment. The procedure involves a fluoroscopy guided injection that works to relieve the pressure on your spinal nerve by shrinking the herniated portion of the disc, which is pressing on or irritating the spinal nerve.
Unlike surgery, this method does not alter the anatomy of the disc in any way. It also improves the long-term health of the disc and protects it from future damage.
Pain Doctor in Caldwell, New Jersey
At Alternative Disc Therapy, we believe that surgery should only be recommended as a last resort, not as the first option. There are wonderfully effective nonsurgical treatment options available that can produce even better results for relieving your sciatica.
That’s why patients flock from all over the country and beyond to see Dr. Warren Bleiweiss for help with their sciatica and herniated disc-related pain. As a triple board-certified physician, Dr. Bleiweiss has helped countless patients relieve their herniated disc pain with oxygen-ozone injection therapy, one of the spine treatments he performs routinely with positive outcomes that are undeniable. It is a same-day procedure performed with mild sedation and a local anesthetic, and with no downtime – nor the risks and complications related to surgery.
To learn more about this revolutionary treatment and how it can relieve your sciatic pain, call Alternative Disc Therapy today at (973) 403-3334 to schedule a consultation with Dr. Bleiweiss. Or, if you prefer, use our convenient Request an Appointment form online now. We also offer telemedicine appointments for your convenience. We look forward to helping you finally find relief from sciatic pain!
