Millions of people experience back pain each year. In fact, studies show that around 80% of the American population will experience back pain at some point during their life. At Southeast Orthopedic Specialists we want to help you understand and treat your back pain. Living with back pain can negatively impact almost all aspects of your life including work, family life, hobbies, and more. We have spine care experts that focus on individualized treatment that will increase your function and decrease your pain. Our team of highly qualified orthopedic experts focuses on both surgical and non-surgical spine treatments so that you can receive exactly what you need, whether that’s physical therapy, chiropractic treatment, or surgery. We’ve seen all kinds of causes for back pain, but one we see frequently is sciatica.

Your sciatic nerve is the longest in your body, starting in your lower back and running down through your hips, buttocks, legs, and feet. As you can imagine, when pressure is placed on this nerve it can cause severe pain in your lower back and down through your lower extremities. Pressure is usually caused by a herniated disk in the spine that pushes against the nerve.

Sciatica will often get better on its own as the swelling in the disk goes down and pressure on the nerve is released. It may take a few weeks, but pain can be managed with over-the-counter medications like ibuprofen and acetaminophen. If the pain worsens, lasts longer than a few weeks, or is severe enough that over-the-counter medications can’t manage it, then talk to your doctor about your options. Prescription medications, steroid injections, acupuncture, or physical therapy might also help reduce or eliminate your pain.

For more information about sciatica and back pain, visit  www.se-ortho.com or set up a consultation with one of our orthopedic experts.