How long does sciatica last? In most of the patients, sciatica usually last less than four to six weeks and can be treated without invasive means. 90% of the patient will get better in four to six weeks. The patient may need epidural injection or selective nerve root block for resolution of the pain. If these things do not work then epidural or a nerve root block using corticosteroid injection or maybe surgery is needed to get total relief from the pain. Patients who do not get relief may also need cortisone injection in the form of epidural or selective nerve root block. Patients who do not get relief with all the above-mentioned treatments may need surgical intervention. When a CT scan is done, occasionally the patient may need to get injected with a dye before the CT scan and this is called CT myelography. If the patient has a superficial infection, few days of antibiotics will help heal these infections.
Can a chiropractor help with sciatica? If the pain is not relieved, other treatment modalities can be discussed including epidural injection. Epidural injection or nerve root blocks may help in relieving the sciatica pain. Also using a thick pillow under the knee or sleeping by the side in a curled up position can help in relieving the pain of sciatica as well as low back pain and allowing sleep. These patients, due to worsening of their degenerative condition or osteoarthritis of the back, start having pain involving the disc in their lower back. Patients who have had an episode of sciatica in the past are at higher risk of having it again. These laminae are present on the back of the neck and the surgery is done through the back of the neck. Sciatic nerve is formed by the fusion of multiple nerve roots in the lower back. Sciatica is essentially treated symptomatically initially, but may need surgical treatment to remove the compression on the nerve root. The nerve root in the neck or the cervical spine is inflamed and irritated most commonly due to disk herniation in the neck. The body takes care of the inflammation of the nerve root and also the disk herniation in most patients.
The injury is essentially a chemical injury due to decreased blood supply to the nerve root leading to inflammation. The pattern of pain depends on the nerve root involved. Occasionally, the pain may not get better even despite all treatments. Patients usually get relives with short-term rest, antiinflammatory medications, corticosteroid medications and even possibly injections. Once the sciatic nerve is irritated and inflamed, the treatment essentially involves a short period of rest along with antiinflammatory medications and may be steroids. Sciatica pain usually takes four to six weeks to resolve with or without the help of medications and physical therapy or chiropractic care. Patients whose sciatica has not resolved in four to six weeks or those patients who have worsening pain or neurological deficits in the form of involvement of bowel or bladder or balance may need surgical intervention. Patients after back surgery are usually started on physical therapy, if they need, depending on physician’s advice, at two to four weeks after the surgery. If that is required, patients are provided with such equipment in the hospital before their discharge and are trained how to use them by the physical therapist and occupational therapist. The laminoplasty involves cutting of lamina on one side so as to open it up and fixing it in an open position with the use of mini plates so as to increase the size of the spinal canal and decrease the pressure on the spinal cord.
Sciatic nerve is on either side of the lower back. This can be performed from the front or from the back depending on the location of the compression on the spinal cord. A laminectomy is performed by spine surgeons or surgeons who specialize in doing spine surgeries. This surgery is usually performed for patients who have compression on their spinal cord in the thoracic spine. Laminectomy in the lower back is very helpful in patients who have radicular pain going down their legs. It presents with pain radiating down the one or sometimes both lower extremities along with tingling or numbness and rarely weakness or involvement of bowel or bladder imbalance. In case the patient is not getting relief despite continuous conservative measures, or if there is worsening of pain associated with or without weakness or involvement of bowel or bladder, the patient may need surgical intervention in the form of surgery. Patients who are not having any relief with any of the above-mentioned treatment plans, Yoga helps cure sciatica may need an MRI for confirmation of diagnosis and possibly surgery to relieve their pain. A thorough history and examination by the physician as well as diagnostic tests in the form of x-rays and MRI may be needed to confirm the diagnosis.
