Sciatica symptom relief has often been hit and miss, but a
new treatment option provides effective relief in the
majority of cases with minimal risks.
Sciatica (commonly misspelled as syatica) is an irritation
of the sciatic nerve which is formed by nerves that arise
in the low back. Most cases of sciatica are caused by
herniations or bulges of one or more spinal discs. The
discs are the soft tissue "shock absorbers" that separate
the spinal bones.
When a spinal disc is damaged through a single injury or
multiple small injuries over time, the outer wall of the
disc may not be able to contain the pressure from within
and the disc bulges outward into the canals where the
spinal nerves exit the spine. This places pressure on the
nerves and creates pain, often in the form of sciatica,
which begins in the buttock area and may extend down the
leg towards the foot.
The treatment options for sciatica symptom relief vary
depending on the case. The first line of sciatica
treatment is usually medication to reduce pain and
inflammation. Muscle relaxers may also be prescribed to
reduce muscle spasm. Medication may be effective enough to
provide relief short-term until inflammation subsides
and/or the disc stabilizes. In more severe cases, oral
medication may not be effective, and some patients may not
be able to tolerate the common side effects of
anti-inflammatory drugs and/or the diminished mental
alertness seen with pain killers and muscle relaxers.
The next line of sciatica symptom relief is often steroid
injections into the area of the damaged disc for the
purpose of providing strong anti-inflammatory effects.
While steroid injections often provide relief short-term,
the long-term effects are less favorable. Due to the fact
that the main effect of steroid injections is to reduce
inflammation, once those effects wear off, inflammation and
the resulting pressure on the nerves often builds up again,
and symptoms return. Steroid injections also carry
side-effects that include immune suppression, osteoporosis,
and soft tissue damage, so their use must be limited to
prevent causing other health problems.
Surgery is a commonly recommended sciatica treatment, and
it may be necessary in a few cases. Surgery has a poor
track record (about a 50% success rate overall), and in
some cases, symptoms may worsen following surgery.
Complications of surgery include problems from
post-surgical scar tissue formation and increased stress on
adjacent spinal discs which may result in additional
problems with other discs in the years following surgery.
Fortunately, there is a new option in sciatica symptom
relief that has a high success rate and a very low risk of
side-effects. Spinal decompression is a new, advanced form
of spinal traction that uses special computerized traction
motors to gently and slowly apply a decompressive force to
the spine, reducing pressure in the spinal discs. Spinal
decompression systems can comfortably create negative
pressure (suction) within the spinal discs that can pull
disc bulges and herniations back in and away from sensitive
nerve structures, as well as increase disc hydration and
nutrition to help with disc healing. Unlike the old forms
of spinal traction which could be painful due to the
traction pull triggering muscle spasm, spinal decompression
systems monitor and respond to the body to keep muscles
relaxed so the treatment is comfortable and effective.
Preliminary studies have shown a success rate for spinal
decompression of 80 to 90%, with the beneficial effects
holding up well over the long-term. The one-year
recurrence rate post-treatment is less than 5%. While
spinal decompression is not appropriate for everyone with
sciatica and is not effective in every case, it does
represent a big improvement in sciatica treatment.
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Dr. George Best has been treating sciatica patients since
1992. For more information about sciatica, spinal
decompression and other treatment options, please visit
http://www.SpineSA.com .
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