Injury Doctors NYC specializes in providing comprehensive care for individuals suffering from sciatica pain. Our team of experienced medical professionals is dedicated to diagnosing the underlying cause of your discomfort and implementing personalized treatment plans to effectively alleviate your symptoms. Below, we outline the common causes, diagnosis, and treatment options for sciatica pain:
Common Causes of Sciatica Pain:
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Herniated Disc: A condition where the soft inner material of a spinal disc protrudes through the tough outer layer, causing compression or irritation of the nearby spinal nerves, including the sciatic nerve, leading to pain, numbness, or weakness in the lower back, buttocks, and legs.
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Spinal Stenosis: Narrowing of the spinal canal, often due to degenerative changes such as bone spurs or thickened ligaments, resulting in compression of the spinal nerves, including the sciatic nerve, and causing pain, tingling, or weakness in the buttocks and legs, particularly with walking or standing.
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Piriformis Syndrome: Irritation or compression of the sciatic nerve as it passes through the piriformis muscle in the buttocks, commonly caused by muscle tightness, injury, or inflammation, resulting in buttock pain, tingling, or numbness that radiates down the leg.
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Spondylolisthesis: A condition where one vertebra slips forward over the vertebra below it, often due to degenerative changes, fractures, or congenital defects, leading to compression of the spinal nerves and resulting in sciatica pain, leg weakness, or difficulty walking.
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Degenerative Disc Disease: Progressive wear and tear of the spinal discs over time, leading to loss of disc height, reduced shock absorption, and compression of the spinal nerves, causing sciatica pain, stiffness, and decreased mobility in the lower back and legs.
Diagnosis:
When you visit Injury Doctors NYC for sciatica pain evaluation, our skilled physicians will conduct a thorough assessment, which may include:
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Medical History Review: Gathering information about your symptoms, medical history, previous injuries, and daily activities.
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Physical Examination: Assessing your range of motion, strength, reflexes, and sensation in the affected leg, as well as identifying areas of tenderness or muscle tightness.
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Diagnostic Testing: Ordering imaging studies such as X-rays, MRI, or CT scans to visualize the spine, discs, and surrounding structures, helping to identify the underlying cause of your sciatica pain and determine the most appropriate treatment approach.
Treatment Options:
Based on the diagnosis, our team will develop a customized treatment plan tailored to your specific needs and preferences. Treatment options may include:
- Medications: Prescribing pain relievers, anti-inflammatory drugs, muscle relaxants, or oral steroids to alleviate sciatica pain, reduce inflammation, and improve mobility.
- Physical Therapy: Engaging in targeted exercises, stretches, and manual therapy techniques to improve spinal alignment, strengthen the core and back muscles, and reduce pressure on the sciatic nerve.
- Epidural Steroid Injections: Administering injections of corticosteroids and local anesthetics into the epidural space around the spinal nerves to reduce inflammation, alleviate pain, and provide temporary relief from sciatica symptoms.
- Lifestyle Modifications: Implementing strategies such as maintaining proper posture, using ergonomic furniture, practicing good body mechanics, and avoiding prolonged sitting or standing to minimize pressure on the sciatic nerve and prevent exacerbation of symptoms.
- Minimally Invasive Procedures: Performing procedures such as spinal decompression, microdiscectomy, or percutaneous discectomy to remove herniated disc material, decompress the spinal nerves, and relieve sciatica pain and associated symptoms.
- Surgical Intervention: In cases of severe or refractory sciatica pain, surgical options such as laminectomy, spinal fusion, or artificial disc replacement may be considered to stabilize the spine, decompress nerves, and restore function.
At Injury Doctors NYC, our primary goal is to alleviate your sciatica pain and improve your quality of life. Contact us today to schedule a consultation and take the first step toward effective sciatica pain relief.