Sciatica treatment has numerous options to choose from.

Sciatica is a major frustration for millions of people every year. If you're going to treat it correctly you must understand sciatica is a symptom of an underlying problem and not solely a condition. There is good news, which is that we start with this truth when treating sciatica.The bad news is that in sciatica treatment, many physicians will treat the condition without ever addressing the underlying cause.

Non-steroidal anti inflammatory drugs like Ibuprofen, or even stronger drugs such as Vicodin or Oxycontin often become the initial line of therapy for a sciatica treatment program. The problem with this method of treatment is that one is truly only masking the pain and not getting to the origin.

It would be like going to the dentist with a tooth ache, getting the Novocain injections into your mouth, and going home only to find that three hours later the pain returns because nothing was done to correct the cavity or the cause of the tooth pain. Too many times this is seen as an appropriate treatment. For this reason it's important to ensure the upfront diagnosis is accurate. This means understanding why the sciatic nerve is being irritated to begin with.

Sciatica occurs because of only a small number of reasons. One of the most common is called degenerative disc disease or dry disc disease. Statistics show sciatica effects about 85% of adults before age 55.

In this condition, the center portion of the disc looses fluid over time due to age, trauma or just plain hard work and gravity. When this occurs foramina stenosis sets in. This simply means the diameter of where the nerve exits the spinal cord (also referred to as neural foramina) gets smaller.

At the 4th and 5th lumbar vertebrae in the lower back region is where the large sciatic nerve exits. A patient will have pain from the buttocks to the foot when the weight of a dime puts pressure on the sensitive sciatic nerve. Sciatic symptoms are often the result of protrusions or resultant disc herniations and disc fluid loss.

No matter how much medication you take, no matter how much physical therapy treatments you participate in, no matter how many chiropractic treatments you get… nothing will relieve the pain until you get to the cause, that being the degenerative disc or herniated disc disease.

Sciatica treatment professionals need to redirect their focus to cause of sciatica and not just its symptoms. Sciatica sufferers are only going to continue suffering in pain if this treatment practice is continued. As a sciatica sufferer its important you understand your sciatica problem will only continue until the cause of your problem is addressed. By keeping this in mind when treatment options are explained to you it is certain to ensure a more satisfying and effective result.

Dr. Mark Schnitzer M.D.

Spine Specialist and Board Certified Neurosurgeon

Author of: Ultimate Sciatica Treatment Guide