What Are the Common Triggers of Sciatic Nerve Pain?

Sciatica refers to pain that radiates along your sciatic nerve path, found from the lower back into the hips, buttocks, and down either leg. This occurs when a herniated disk, a bone spur on the spine, or narrowing of the spine compresses part of the nerve, which leads to inflammation, pain, and even numbness. Radiculopathy occurs when nerve roots are damaged or pinched. This can occur as either lumbar or cervical radiculopathy, depending on where the nerve is affected. Lumbar radiculopathy affects the lower back, while cervical radiculopathy causes symptoms in the neck. At Interventional Orthopedics of Atlanta, Dr. Christopher Williams is well-trained in diagnosing and treating sciatica throughout Atlanta, GA.

What triggers sciatic nerve pain?

Some risk factors for developing either sciatica or radiculopathy include:

• Age

• Obesity

• Prolonged sitting

• Some chronic conditions, including diabetes – diabetes affects the way your body uses blood sugar, which can increase your risk of damage to the nerves.

At Interventional Orthopedics of Atlanta, Dr. Williams treats radiculopathy to offer sciatica pain relief in Atlanta, GA. For some patients, symptoms may be constant, but they may notice times when their symptoms worsen or sometimes disappear. During your initial consultation, he can evaluate your symptoms to determine the best course of sciatica pain treatment for your health.

Causes of sciatica

Some of the most common causes of sciatica nerve pain include:

1. Degeneration: Degeneration can irritate or compress the sciatic nerve. It causes inflammation that may compress a nerve root.

2. Lumbar herniated disc: This compresses one or more nerve roots, affecting the sciatic nerve.

3. Spinal stenosis: Spinal stenosis is the narrowing of the spinal canal.

4. Spondylolisthesis: This happens when there is a small stress fracture that causes a disc to slip in front of another. This can lead to nerve compression too.

Once a nerve root is damaged or pinched, it will become inflamed, leading to tingling, numbness, stabbing pain in the back or leg, or weakness. When you’re experiencing radiculopathy pain due to sciatica, call Interventional Orthopedics of Atlanta to schedule an appointment with Dr. Williams as soon as possible.

Sciatica pain treatment

To treat sciatica and radiculopathy symptoms, the location and cause of the condition have to be identified. In some instances, more conservative approaches, such as medication, physical therapy are used first. These typically can reduce swelling and pain while also restoring movement to your spine. When these treatments are ineffective, Regenexx celluar therapy or minimally invasive surgery may be considered to help release the compression from the nerve root. Dr. Williams can also recommend lifestyle changes, including losing weight, to help resolve symptoms.

Learn more about treating sciatica symptoms

When you’re experiencing sciatica or radiculopathy symptoms, you want to find successful treatments that can resolve your symptoms quickly. At Interventional Orthopedics of Atlanta, Dr. Christopher Williams releases this compression from the nerve roots to allow space for the pressure giving you pain or discomfort. It’s important to seek medical help whenever you’re experiencing sudden or severe pain in your lower back or leg. To learn more about sciatica pain treatment in Atlanta, GA, call to schedule a consultation today.