Sciatica

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The sciatic nerve is the longest nerve in your body, and if it’s  compressed it can cause sciatic pain that can be so intense, you aren’t  able to move. At Spine & Sports Medical Group, the team of dedicated  physiatrists has helped countless patients in Campbell, California, and  San Jose, California, reduce their pain and address the underlying  cause of their condition. If you suffer from sciatica, you don’t need to  suffer any longer — call the office or use the online scheduling tool  to book your appointment and start treatment today. 

Sciatica is a term that refers to the symptoms of pain or numbness that results from a pinched or compressed sciatic nerve. 

The  sciatic nerve is a large nerve that runs from your lower back, down  your buttocks, and through each leg. When this nerve becomes compressed,  you experience pain in your lower back, hips, and legs. 

Sciatic  pain happens when your sciatic nerve becomes compressed, often due to a  herniated disk, spinal degenerative disease, or even prolonged bad  posture. 

In rare cases, your sciatic nerve can become compressed by a tumor or because of damage due to chronic diseases like diabetes.

Sciatic  pain is most common in patients who sit for prolonged periods or have  jobs that require them to twist their backs or carry heavy loads. Health  conditions like diabetes, which increases your risk of nerve damage, or  obesity, which increases stress on your spine from excessive body  weight, can also increase your chances of developing a compressed  sciatic nerve.

Sciatic  pain is a distinctive pain that radiates from your lower back to your  buttocks and down the backs of your legs. This localized pain can vary  in intensity from a minor lower back ache to an unbearable pain that  shoots down your leg and leaves you completely immobile. The pain may  feel like a burning or tingling sensation that makes your legs weak or  completely numb. Patients with severe pain may also experience a loss of  bladder or bowel function.

Most patients make a full recovery  from a compressed sciatic nerve with the right treatment. However, an  untreated sciatic condition can result in permanent nerve damage, so  it’s important to get medical treatment at Spine & Sports Medical  Group as soon as you start to notice symptoms. 

A  team member at Spine & Sports Medical Group performs a physical  exam to assess the level of your discomfort and determine the cause of  your sciatic pain. They may order additional imaging tests like an X-ray  or MRI scan to confirm their diagnosis or determine if there’s another  underlying cause of your sciatic pain.

Once you receive your  diagnosis, the team works to reduce your pain and increase your  mobility. The practice offers trigger point injection therapy to deliver  a targeted dose of corticosteroids or other muscle relaxant medicine to  reduce inflammation and pain. Injections for pain management are  combined with physical therapy, which uses a series of gentle movements  to reduce pressure on your nerve and any resulting pain.

For  severe cases that don’t respond to less invasive therapies, the team may  recommend surgery to decompress the sciatic nerve, or to remove  fragments of a herniated disk or bone spur.

To learn more about  the comprehensive treatment options for a compressed sciatic nerve, call  the office or use the online booking tool to make an appointment today.

We  also see patients in the following surrounding cities: Santa Clara, San  Jose, Los Gatos, Saratoga, Cupertino, Mountain View, Palo Alto, Los  Altos, Milpitas, Fremont, Morgan Hill, and Gilroy. Book your appointment  today.