FEATURE — Sciatica, with its unique characteristics, is the type of back pain that is usually easy for most people to identify.
“Generally, it follows a course of pain that will start in either their low back or in their buttocks and then will radiate down their leg and into their feet,” said orthopedic surgeon Dr. Mark Stouffer of Intermountain Healthcare, adding that one thing people will notice is an electric shock sensation in their back, especially when they bend over.
“An electrical type pain that runs down, all the way down their leg – that generally is going to be sciatica,” Stouffer said.
See all of Dr. Stouffer’s suggestions regarding sciatica in the Ask the Experts video in the media player above.
There are many ways to treat sciatic pain. One way is observation, Stouffer said.
“You don’t have to do anything,” he said. “You just watch and see if it’ll get better with time.”
However, Stouffer said for most people that doesn’t necessarily work, especially for those suffering from a compressed nerve or pinched nerve. Other nonoperative methods of treating sciatica – such as physical therapy, chiropractic care or steroid injections – can be beneficial to many patients and help decrease the irritation a certain nerve may be feeling.
“Then there’s always surgery to go in and remove whatever’s putting pressure on the nerve,” he said, which although more extreme, may help alleviate the pain a person is experiencing.
Stouffer said that at Dixie Regional Medical Center and the Southern Utah Neuroscience Institute, they take a global look at the patient to see how they are doing and make sure they are always treating the right area.
“We’re going to help them get better and get back into doing what they want to do and doing what they need to do.”
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