What is sciatica?
Sciatica is a condition that results when you have problems with your sciatic nerve. This large nerve runs from your lower back down into each of your legs, controlling muscle function in your knees, thighs, lower legs, and the soles of your feet.
When this nerve is compressed due to injury or disease, you may experience chronic low back pain and frequent numbness, tingling, and pain that radiates down into your legs and feet.
This pain can make it difficult to walk or sit comfortably and may increase your risk for falls if your legs unexpectedly go numb.
What causes sciatica?
Compression on the sciatic nerve can be the result of several factors, including:
- Tumors
- Obesity
- Bone spurs
- Herniated disc
- Narrowing of the spine
You may also develop sciatica due to nerve damage from chronic illnesses, like diabetes. Your risk for sciatica increases as you age, if you work a manual labor job, or if you tend to sit for long periods of time.
In some cases, sciatica pain can gradually go away without treatment. However, if pain persists and interferes with your quality of life, you may need medical treatment.
What treatment options are available for sciatica?
The expert medical team at Pain Medicine Consultants offers treatments to reduce the inflammation and radiating pain of the sciatic nerve. They provide nonsurgical treatments such as:
- Acupuncture
- Steroid injections
- Nerve blocks
- Anti-inflammatory medications
You may also benefit from long-term relief of sciatica pain using innovative stem cell therapies.
How does stem cell therapy treat sciatica?
Stem cell therapy uses your body’s own regenerative abilities to heal damage to the sciatic nerve and surrounding soft tissues. This type of treatment allows you to heal from the inside out, reducing your dependence on pain medications and enhancing your quality of life.
Treatment requires the removal of your bone marrow, which your Pain Medicine Consultants provider then prepares in a centrifuge to separate regenerative stem cells from other fluids. They re-inject this high concentration of cells back into the area around the sciatic nerve.
After treatment, the healthy new stem cells replace the diseased or damaged cells that contribute to your pain. Over time, new cells continue to grow and form muscle or nerve tissue to alleviate inflammation and radiating pain for the long term.
Stem cell therapy can eliminate your need for surgery to relieve sciatic nerve compression and requires little downtime or recovery.
Find out more about pain-relieving options for sciatica by calling the Pain Medicine Consultants office nearest you today or use the online booking feature.
