Please help! How do you treat a sciatic nerve injury?

Question

For last 7 weeks I have had severe pain in my right leg/butt which comes and goes. I have visited the chiropractor about 6 times and have just started physiotherapy, but neither has seemed to help. I have learned that in some people the sciatic nerve passes through the piriformus muscle in the hip region and if you injure the muscle the nerve can be affected. Is this a likely cause? How can I treat it? Please help it is killing me.

Answer 1

if a chiropractor has not helped you then you need to go to a orthpaeodist.

Answer 2

I have had both piriformis muscle inflammation and sciatic nerve inflammation. If it is piriformis, the treatments tend to be physical therapy, anti-inflammation medication and deep massage. Naproxyn (and Naproxen) is the same as that contained in Aleve which is sold over the counter at 220 mg. per tablet. I would continue with Naprosyn or Aleve (which doesn't need a prescription). The piriformis syndrome site with suggested treatment is below:

http://orthopedics.about.com/cs/sprainss...

Also icing the effected area would be helpful.

Answer 3

Treatment is aimed at maximizing mobility and independence. The cause of the nerve dysfunction should be identified and treated as appropriate. In some cases, no treatment is required and recovery is spontaneous.

Conservative treatment is usually appropriate if there was sudden onset, minimal sensation changes, no difficulty in movement, no history of trauma to the area, and no evidence of degeneration of the nerve axon.

Surgical removal of lesions that press on the nerve, such as a herniated disk, may relieve symptoms. In cases of severe injury to the nerve, such as laceration, recovery may be not possible or may be limited.

Injections can be used to reduce inflammation around the nerve. Over-the-counter or prescription analgesics may be needed to control nerve pain.

Various other medications may reduce the stabbing pains that some people experience, including phenytoin, carbamazepine, or tricyclic antidepressants such as amitriptyline. Steroids may help with nerve inflammation related to a herniated disk. Whenever possible, their use should be avoided or minimized to reduce the risk of medication side effects.

Physical therapy exercises may be appropriate for some people to maintain muscle strength. The use of braces, splints, orthopedic shoes, or other appliances may help compensate for lost or impaired function. Vocational counseling, occupational therapy, occupational changes, job retraining, or similar interventions may be recommended.

good luck!!!

Answer 4

It may or may not even be the sciatic nerve. Sometimes pain in the leg/butt can be from your low back, sometimes from the piriformis, sometimes from other nerve entrapments. Tell your physiotherapist that it isn't helping so he/she can reassess you. You can stretch the piriformis alot and see if that helps, or work on your posture, but both need to be addressed by a professional.

Answer 5

"Gabriell's" response is very thorough, almost like a textbook summary page. But, its missing the nuances of time lines. You may need some analgesic/anti-inflammatory medications now, as you are hopefully in the most painful time of your case. Ice can be significantly soothing. Early chiropractic and physical therapy may be equally effective in the absence of a significant disc injury. Stretching and massage of the gluteal muscles will help with a piriformis problem and lumbar problems, but piriformis syndrome is a pretty rare cause of back/buttocks pain. Give yourself about a month to assess the progress of your status, unless you develop difficulty with bowel/bladder control or start experiencing problems with imbalanced ability to walk or regarding imbalanced sensation in your feet.  In those cases, head to the MD or DO physician in a hurry.

Additionally, most orthopedists will not be the initial physician that you see, not even spine-orthopedists.  Expect to be triaged through primary care.