Sciatica from a Herniated Disc - Causes and Treatments

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Find out if you're a candidate for a minimally invasive alternative to open neck or back surgery

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Sciatica from a Herniated Disc - Causes and Treatments

Sciatica is a painful condition in which the sciatic nerve in the lower back is compressed by a herniated disc, bulging disc, bone spur, or other tissue. This impingement inhibits the nerve’s ability to properly transmit the electric pulses it uses to communicate with the extremities for which it is responsible - namely the buttocks, backs of the legs, and bottoms of the feet. Because the nerve cannot communicate effectively, the sufferer will experience symptoms like numbness, tingling, weakness, burning, and pain in the buttocks; behind the thighs, knees, and calves; and on the soles of the feet. In the most severe cases, the person can lose the ability to walk.

There are many conservative treatment options that doctors often recommend to treat sciatica from a herniated disc. These include:

Spinal steroid injections
Rest
Physical therapy
Hot and cold compresses
Back braces
Pain medication

Surgery for Sciatica

However, if these fail to provide relief and your sciatic continues to inhibit daily life, then surgery may be presented as your final option. For these few cases, Laser Spine Institute offers an alternative to traditional surgery - endoscopic spinal surgery. These minimally invasive procedures can reduce or eliminate sciatica symptoms by removing part of the herniated disc that is causing the pain, but it does so using only a small incision and without cutting or tearing muscle. This type of herniated disc surgery results in a much shorter recovery period and the ability to perform the surgery under local anesthesia and IV sedation.

If you’re interesting in learning more about minimally invasive spine surgery at LSI and how they can treat sciatica from a herniated disc, contact us today, and one of our doctors will review your MRI or CT scan free of charge to determine if you’re a potential candidate.

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