6 Noninvasive Ways to Manage Your Facet Arthritis Pain
Facet arthritis in your spine can result in back pain or neck pain. Keep reading to learn more about noninvasive strategies that really work to relieve facet arthritis.
Sciatica is a condition that occurs when your sciatic nerve becomes pinched, irritated, or inflamed. Because of the location of this nerve, sciatica pain may be felt in your lower back or radiating down your legs and feet. Sciatica can also cause sensations of numbness, tingling, and weakness.
Dr. Eric Miller and the team at The Spine Group are here to help with your sciatica symptoms. We provide sciatica treatment from our locations in Kyle, Floresville, San Antonio, La Vernia, and Gonzales, Texas.
Here are some highly effective and minimally invasive treatment options for sciatica that we want our patients from around Texas to know about.
Sometimes, the best way to address sciatica is by resting and taking pressure off your sciatic nerve. After a few weeks of rest, you might find that your symptoms have significantly improved.
In severe cases, you may even need a few days of bed rest to completely recover from an attack.
Gentle physical therapy exercises and stretches are a great way to relieve pressure on your sciatic nerve and bring relief to muscles affected by pain-related tension.
Your physical therapy plan for sciatica could include lower back and leg stretches. Physical therapy releases stress from tight muscles, and helps to build up muscular support for your spine and lower back.
You can relieve pain and inflammation safely and effectively at home using hot and cold packs.
First, focus on icing therapy. Use cold packs against your lower back for 20 minutes at a time. After several days of this, you can start to alternate with ice packs and heat packs.
You might find that using heat and ice packs is enough to relieve your sciatica pain completely.
Over-the-counter pain medications may help with sciatica pain for a few hours. But, if your pain is extended or chronic, you need other approaches to pain management.
Targeted injections of steroid medication or epidural injections may be able to give you relief. Muscle relaxants and anti-inflammatory medications are also an option for sciatica patients. Some sciatica sufferers even benefit from starting to take tricyclic antidepressants or anti-seizure medications for symptom relief.
If conservative approaches like rest, physical therapy, or heat and ice therapy don’t do enough to improve your sciatica, you may need surgery for complete symptom relief.
The team at The Spine Group can help you understand and evaluate all your treatment options for sciatica. Your sciatica treatment plan is completely customized, based on your symptoms, lifestyle, and other unique care needs. Imaging tests like X-rays may be needed to help us learn more about your condition.
For sciatica support you can count on, contact Dr. Miller and the spinal experts at The Spine Group today. Schedule your initial consultation appointment online or over the phone now.
