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Sciatica Treatment - Condition vs. Symptom Treatment

Thursday, September 30, 2010

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. The good news is that we know this.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. This method of treatment only masks the pain rather than getting to its origin.

This method would be like a dentist who chooses not to focus on the cause of your tooth pain, but rather chooses to simply give you a Novocain injection to mask the pain. Inevitably, three or four hours later the pain only returns. Too many times this sciatica treatment practice is chosen as the best option. That's why it's vital your sciatica treatment program be focused on the correct diagnosis. This simply means clearly understanding why your sciatic nerve is being irritated in the first place.

Sciatica occurs because of only a small number of reasons. Perhaps the most common reason is dry disc disease or what can be called degenerative disc disease. This condition occurs approximately 85% of the time in adults by the age of 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. This effect results in a condition called foramina stenosis, which is when the neural foramina (the place where the nerve exits from the spinal cord) shrinks in diameter.

At the 4th and 5th lumbar vertebrae in the lower back region is where the large sciatic nerve exits. The sciatic nerve is very sensitive and will cause a patient pain when something as small as the weight of a dime presses against it. It is truly the loss of disc fluid and resultant disc herniations or protrusions that most often causes the symptom of sciatica.

All the medication in the world will not relieve your sciatica pain. You must first identify the cause. Quite often this is going to mean herniated disc disease or degenerative disc disease.

Sciatica Treatment has placed too much emphasis on symptoms. More emphasis needs to be placed on the actual condition that causes sciatica. Sciatica sufferers are only going to continue suffering in pain if this treatment practice is continued. Often this frustration stems from wondering when this problem will finally go away, not realizing that it is virtually impossible to get well until you can get down to the cause of the problem. By keeping this in mind when treatment options are explained to you it is certain to ensure a more satisfying and effective result.

Are you suffering from sciatica? Low back pain sufferers are simply a click away from discovering their sciatica treatment options. Check out the latest up-to-date guidance from our certified experts at Sciatica Treatment and get your life back with sciatica treatment options for fast recovery!

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