What Is the Best Sciatica Pain Treatment near Me in Hackensack?

Sciatica Treatment Option #1 – Physical therapy

Physical therapy can be prescribed as a standalone treatment for sciatica, or to accompany other treatment methods and aid the recovery process. It usually involves a series of stretches and exercises meant to strengthen the core and can be performed either at home or under the supervision of trained physical therapists.

Typically, physical therapy should help you achieve the following:

• Strengthen back muscle to provide additional spinal support
• Improve core strength
• Improve flexibility and stretch tense muscles
• Encourage blood flow

In some cases, your doctor may recommend resting for a few days, but as soon as the resting period is over, you should start incorporating light exercise into your routine.

Sciatica Treatment Option #2 – Medication

The first piece of advice you will receive when dealing with sciatica is to pop an ibuprofen and wait for it to pass. For many people, this works wonders and they can get back to their pain-free life in a matter of days, but if over-the-counter medicine is inefficient, your sciatica doctor will prescribe a more viable option.

Some examples of medication that is usually prescribed for acute and chronic pain include:

• Prednisone and other oral steroids
• Ibuprofen and nonsteroidal medicine
• Amitriptyline and other tricyclic antidepressants
• Oxycodone or other opioid analgesics (only in small doses)

These medications are either used to alleviate pain altogether or reduce it so that patients can participate in other forms of treatment with minimal discomfort.

Sciatica Treatment Option #3 – Minimally invasive procedures

Minimally invasive procedures are considered by many to be the most effective way to treat sciatica without having to go to an orthopaedic surgeon. They can alleviate pain, aid other recovery methods, and even be used to properly diagnose what is causing the sciatic pain.

When it comes to minimally invasive treatment options, the most effective ones are:

Epidural steroid injections

These injections can help relieve pain caused by conditions such as herniated discs, degenerative disc disease, or spinal stenosis. With this form of treatment, your doctor will look to control the inflammation and reduce the activity of the immune system, to lower the production of inflammatory cells. By being injected into the epidural space, steroids spread to the nerve endings and reduce pain.

Selective nerve root blockers

Root blockers are injected close to the spinal nerve root, just at it exits through the bony openings between the vertebrae. The purpose of these injections is to reduce inflammation and inhibit pain so that the nerve will stop sending signs of discomfort to the brain. The procedure can be performed on multiple nerve roots during one session. Results can vary, with some patients reporting immediate pain relief and others needing more than 4 weeks of treatment to see results.

Sciatica Treatment Option #4 – At-home care

Besides proper medical treatment, your doctor will likely recommend making some lifestyle changes and provide special care for your condition at home. Hot and cold therapy can be effective in reducing inflammation and minimizing pain.

As for lifestyle changes, if you are required to sit for prolonged hours every day, your sciatica doctor may recommend taking frequent standing breaks, to reduce pressure on the lower back and avoid pain. Sleeping on the side, with a pillow between your knees is the recommended position if you want to decompress the nerve, but if you prefer to sleep on your back, place the pillow under your knees instead.

While it may sound counterproductive, the key to dealing with sciatica is to avoid sedentarism. You should develop a light workout routine to strengthen the muscles, provide more support for your spine, and prevent bone degeneration that comes with age.

Sciatica Treatment Option #5 – Chiropractic care

Chiropractic care, also known as manual manipulation, has the purpose to improve spinal alignment and reduce pain. For conditions such as herniated discs and spinal stenosis, chiropractic care has proven to be a very effective treatment method both when being used alone and together with other procedures.

As you can see, surgery is far from being the only treatment method available to reduce sciatica pain. Whether you are dealing with back, shoulder, hip, or neck pain, we are here to help you find a treatment option that allows you to have a pain-free life! Schedule an appointment with us today and we will handle the rest. Book an appointment in one of our conveniently-placed locations: in Paramus on Route 17, near the Paramus Park Mall, in Clifton, NJ, on Route 46 E, past the Ford dealership, and in West Orange, near the Essex Country Club, or at our Woodland Park clinic, on McBride Avenue, right next to Woodland Park Dialysis Center.