Sciatica can be a life altering condition, and past treatment options have failed to bring relief. A new treatment option is providing relief in most cases, without the risk associated with surgery. Sciatica is the the term used to identify pain running down the leg, it is irritation of the actual sciatic nerve as it exits the spine at various levels. The sciatic nerve is actually made up of several different nerves joining together to form one large nerve. The most likely cause of sciatica is a herniated or bulging disc in the lower back. The discs are thick fibrous structures between each vertebrae that offer cushioning and spacing needed for the nerves to exit and the flexibility needed to move. The inner portion of the disc has a much higher water content then the outer portion and as is much softer in consistency. One the outer fibers become weaker or are damaged the softer material begins to move it's way outward because of the positive pressure on the disc itself. As it moves out it begins to create a bulge or what's called a herniated causing the disc to protrude outwards and narrowing the hole where the nerve exits. The narrowing can cause direct pressure on the nerve itself or create inflammation that can then irritate the nerve creating symptoms of pain, numbness or weakness down the leg. The most common treatments for sciatica include medication, injections and potentially surgery.While medications like muscle relaxers and NSAIDS can provide temporary relief they don't actually fix the problem. When the problem becomes more then just inflammation and is the result of actual nerve compression from the disc these medications rarely help. Treatments like injections may also be effective at temporarily decreases the swelling of the nerve, but again once the medication wears off the pain will return. These approaches also carry with them significant risk of side effects. Steroid injections are one of the most common treatments utilized for severe sciatica as we have outlined previously. The goal of the injection is to reduce inflammation and soothe the surrounding areas. The problem is that the injection is only temporary and offers no real long term benefit for the patient. Side effect can include spinal headaches, a rebound pain phenomenon and a spike in blood sugar in diabetics. The relief obtained can sometimes be worth the risk, however a proactive approach must be coupled with the short term pain relief. In extreme cases of unrelenting sciatica surgery may be recommended and in a small number of cases may be an appropriate treatment. However, the overall success rate for disc related surgery is poor at only about 50% and in many cases the problem may worsen after surgery resulting in a condition called failed back surgery syndrome. This complication may arise from post surgical scarring, spinal instability, and increased stress on adjacent discs. It is very common to require another surgery in later years. One of the newest and most effective treatments for sciatica is Spinal Decompression. This technology uses a patented computer system that is able to gently distract the spine and bypass the muscle guarding response, thus creating a negative pressure in the disc. This negative pressure draws in fluid and nutrition so the disc can heal, while also reducing herniated and bulging material to take pressure off the nerve to reduce pain. The technology has over an 80% success rate and doesn't bring with it the risk of side effect associated with other treatments. It also treats the cause of the sciatica reducing the chances of another episode down the road. As more studies are done on this technology a consistently high success rate is achieved. The long term benefits are also very promising because as I stated previously the treatment is aimed at healing the disc and removing the pressure and irritation from the nerve, not just masking it. While spinal decompression is not right for everyone with sciatica, it certainly represents a true breakthrough and a safe long term option for this condition.
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