Sciatica – Getting to the Root of the Problem

The term sciatica describes the symptoms of leg pain and possibly tingling, numbness or weakness that travels from the low back through the buttock and down the large sciatic nerve in the back of the leg. The clinical diagnosis of sciatica is referred to as a "radiculopathy," which means simply that a disc has protruded from its normal position in the vertebral column and is putting pressure on the radicular nerve (nerve root) in the lower back, which forms part of the sciatic nerve.

“An important thing to understand is that sciatica is a symptom of a problem -- of something compressing or irritating the nerve roots that comprise the sciatic nerve -- rather than a medical diagnosis or medical disorder in and of itself,” says Dr. Kessler. “This is an important distinction because it is the underlying diagnosis (vs. the symptoms of sciatica) that often needs to be treated in order to relieve sciatic nerve pain.”

In addition to standard medical treatments, several alternative treatments have also been shown to provide effective sciatica pain relief for many patients, including acupuncture, massage therapy and chiropractic manipulation, all of which can be provided in the comfortable New York City offices of Spine and Sports Medicine.

Labels: Acupuncture, chiropractic manipulation, Low back pain, massage therapy, neck pain, NYC, Sciatica, spine and sports medicine

Posted by Spine and Sports Medicine on 3:25 AM