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Treatments for Sciatic Nerve Injury

The sciatic nerve begins in a person's lower back and runs down the back of each of his legs. Sciatic nerve injury causes symptoms including lower back pain, leg pain, weakness in the legs and, in severe cases, incontinence. Treatments for sciatic nerve injury can stop the pain and avoid the loss of muscular control.

  1. The Facts

    • Sciatic nerve injury most commonly occurs in adults between the ages of 30 and 50. The various stresses put on the body as one ages is often the cause of sciatic pain. An injury to the pelvis can also injure the sciatic nerve. Sudden compression of the lower spine can cause a herniated disk to protrude and put damaging pressure on the nerve. Treatments for sciatic nerve injury depend on the cause of the injury and how much damage has been done.

    Surgery

    • If a herniated disk is pressing down on the root of the sciatic nerve, surgery might be the best treatment for the injury. Called a laminotomy with discectomy, the surgery can be performed with general or local anesthesia. A surgeon will locate the herniated disk that is causing the damage and remove the portion of it that is compressing the sciatic nerve. This surgery is a very effective treatment if the main symptom of the sciatic nerve injury is pain in the patient's leg.

    Physical Therapy

    • For forms of sciatic nerve injury that do not involve herniated disks, physical therapy is a treatment option. By following the directions of a medical professional, a patient can perform exercises that will strengthen the muscles in her back and improve her posture. While physical therapy will not repair damage to the nerve itself, it can prevent further aggravating the injury and experiencing more pain.

    Medication

    • Pain management is an important part of a doctor's treatment of sciatic nerve injury. Over the counter medication like aspirin, ibuprofen, and acetaminophen can help relieve the lower back and leg pain associated with damage to the sciatic nerve. Muscle relaxants can also help. Less frequently, a doctor may inject steroidal medication into his patient's back to treat the pain.

    Other

    • In some patients, spinal stenosis, or a narrowing of the spine, can compress the sciatic nerve. Surgery and braces are treatment options for those patients. In others, there is no known cause for the injury to the sciatic nerve. In those cases, pain management and exercise can bring relief. But time is the only treatment doctors can offer. Most people with sciatic nerve pain recover given time.

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