Stewart G. Eidelson, MD, founder of SpineUniverse.com, explains that the sciatic nerve is the longest and largest nerve in the body, originating in the lower back. Sciatica is a symptom rather than a condition, beginning when a herniated disc or degenerative disc disease compresses the nerve root which connects to the sciatic nerve. Typically affecting only one side of the body, the most common symptom is a radiating pain beginning in the back that travels through the buttock and all the way down the leg. For many this heals over time with a pain management plan and exercise.
Step 1
Ease the sudden onset of pain with hot or cold therapy, suggests Stephen H. Hochschuler, MD, of Spine-Health.com. Most people begin with ice packs, but others receive more relief from heat. When beginning with cold, wrap an ice pack in a dry towel and place it on the area of pain for a period of 20 minutes, repeating every two hours for the first two or three days. At this point switch to heat; this can be a heating pad or heat lamp that you use for the same length of time. If the pain continues, alternate between the two.
Step 2
Call your doctor if sciatic pain lasts longer than a week, if you experience a complete numbness in your leg or if you begin having trouble controlling your bowel or bladder, recommends MayoClinic.com.
Step 3
Undergo epidural steroid injections. if your pain is severe, your doctor may recommend epidural steroid injections to relieve your pain. These provide temporary pain relief, and the doctor injects them directly into the area surrounding the sciatic nerve. Hochschuler states that this method of treatment helps relieve the inflammation that is responsible for the pain. The effects may last from one week to one year, but it does not work for everyone. The importance of this treatment is its ability to provide enough relief for you to complete an exercise and physical therapy program that may heal your condition.
Step 4
Attend physical therapy sessions. During physical therapy sessions you will perform a variety of stretching and strengthening exercises that the therapist devises for your particular condition. The strengthening exercises focus on your back, abdominal muscles, buttocks and hip muscles as a means of providing support for your spine. They also strengthen the spinal column and its supporting ligaments, muscles and tendons. The goal of these exercises is to reduce the chance of injury in the future.
Step 5
Walk and swim for exercise. Walking and swimming are both low-impact exercises and help create a healing environment for the body, as Hochschuler points out. He adds that during exercise the brain releases endorphins, the body's natural pain reliever, which helps relieve the pain sciatica causes.
Step 6
Ask your doctor about surgery. As MayoClinic.com points out, doctors usually consider surgery only when your situation is so severe it interferes with your ability to control your bowel and bladder, or causes significant leg weakness. Hochschuler adds that doctors to not consider it for at least four to six weeks, and only in cases when it is due to a disc herniation.
