Sciatica Pain Treatment Specialist in Houston TX

Sciatica can be diagnosed by a primary doctor or a specialist in pain medicine. The professional will perform a physical exam to check your muscle strength, reflexes, and ability to perform simple exercises like squats. If a patient has sciatica, he or she will find these exercises difficult.

A professional might also order an X-ray, MRI, CT scan, or electromyography (EMG) test. These tests can confirm the professional’s diagnosis. After diagnosis, there are a couple of measures you can take, like self-care and seeing a specialist like ours here at InovoSpine.

Self-care can help a lot to manage symptoms, and many patients can be relieved entirely. However, self-care won’t necessarily treat sciatica. Still, it is important to do some self-care until you can see a specialist. This is because if you are inactive for a long period of time, the pain and other symptoms could get worse.

Cold packs can help to make the pain subside. If you don’t have a cold pack, you can improvise and use a bag of frozen peas wrapped in a towel. This can provide some relief but don’t use the cold pack for over 20 minutes. After a few days, hot packs can provide relief. Stretching can help as a limited form of physical therapy, and over-the-counter medications, like ibuprofen, can help to ease the pain.

With these methods, some patients will be relieved from their sciatica, while others may not. This is why it’s important to make an appointment with a specialist. If self-care doesn’t work and the symptoms continue, you’ll want to make an appointment.

For some patients, self-care can go a long way to relieving symptoms. For other patients, self-care might not be enough. If the pain is substantial, the professional might prescribe pain medication, like an anti-inflammatory, a muscle relaxant, a prescription narcotic, or another medication. Medication can address acute pain very effectively.

There are a number of additional treatments that can help manage or eliminate ongoing pain. One of the most effective, long-term treatments is physical therapy. Physical therapy consists of exercises that will help you improve your flexibility, strengthen your back muscles, and lessen the pain.

A patient might also benefit from steroid (corticosteroid) injections, which can suppress inflammation and pain. For patients with serious pain and symptoms, surgery can work very well. A procedure can effectively remove the bone spur or the portion of the herniated disc that’s affecting the nerve and causing the symptoms.

Come to InovoSpine! Our board-certified doctor is a specialist in pain management and treatment, so he is fully qualified to help you with your pain. If you’re suffering from sciatica, you’ll be in good hands with our doctor.

If you are looking for sciatic nerve pain management or suspect you have a painful sciatic nerve, you will be pleased to know that there are numerous treatment options available at InovoSpine. For more information, contact us or book an appointment online. We are located at 1140 Business Center Dr, Suite 110, Houston TX 77043. We serve patients from Houston TX, Hedwig Village TX, Meadows Place TX, Missouri City TX, Hunters Creek Village TX, Spring Valley Village TX, and surrounding areas.