The shocking pain of sciatica can leave you scrambling for treatment solutions. The good news is that you can find lasting pain relief without surgery.
At Zephyr Medical, our skilled pain management specialists offer a range of nonsurgical sciatica treatments. We evaluate the severity of your sciatica and focus on strategies to treat the root cause of your condition.
Our goal is to help you achieve effective back pain relief so you get back to a physically active life without further complications.
Why you have sciatica
Sciatica describes lower back pain that results from inflammation and irritation in the sciatic nerve. This large nerve travels from your lower spine and through your hips and legs, providing sensations in these areas.
Inflammation or other pressure on the sciatic nerve causes jolting, shock-like pain sensations in your lower back. Pain can also radiate anywhere along the nerve and progress into tingling, numbness, and weakness in these areas.
Your risk for developing sciatica increases with age due to degenerative changes in your lumbar (lower) spine. You may also be at increased risk for sciatica pain due to:
- Obesity
- Bone spurs
- Herniated discs
- Spine injuries
- Sedentary lifestyle
- Degenerative disc disease
- Diabetes-related nerve damage (diabetic neuropathy)
If you work in a job that requires frequent heavy lifting or long periods of sitting, you may also be at a higher risk for experiencing sciatica symptoms in your lifetime.
Our experienced sciatica experts have extensive experience using medications and other therapies to relieve existing sciatica symptoms and prevent the condition from worsening. We also offer innovative strategies like lumbar disc gel sublimation to relieve long-lasting lower back pain.
How lumbar disc gel sublimation works for sciatica
Lumbar disc gel sublimation involves injecting a hydrogel into damaged spinal discs that press on the sciatic nerve. This treatment may be an option if your sciatic symptoms relate to degenerative disc disease or a herniated disc in your lower spine.
Our Zephyr Medical providers use fluoroscopy, a real-time X-ray technology, to ensure they place the gel injections in a precise location within the disc. After injection, the gel fills spaces and tears within the disc to strengthen its structure.
Lumbar disc gel sublimation restores the health and protective function of the disc and reduces pressure on the sciatic nerve. As the nerve heals, you can enjoy a better range of motion in your lower back without shooting pain, tingling, and other sciatica symptoms.
When to consider gel injections for sciatica
Lumbar disc gel sublimation may not be the first treatment strategy for sciatica. Our medical team may first recommend oral anti-inflammatories and pain relievers to address your symptoms.
We may also try epidural steroid injections that deliver a numbing medication and an anti-inflammatory directly into the epidural space of your spine for effective pain relief.
If these strategies aren’t working well, our providers assess your medical history and existing health to determine if lumbar disc gel sublimation is appropriate. After your treatment, we continue to evaluate its effectiveness and monitor the healing of your spinal discs.
Call Zephyr Medical in Brooklyn, New York, to schedule a diagnostic evaluation for sciatic pain or book an appointment online today.