Sciatica

Sciatica services offered in Sarasota, FL

Sciatica is usually easy to recognize because it causes severe pain that suddenly shoots down one leg. If you struggle with sciatica, it’s time to turn to Peter Fernandez, MD, and Amanda Fernandez, DPT, MPH, CSCS, at Sunshine Spine and Pain Specialists, PLLC, in Sarasota, Florida. They have extensive experience in interventional, regenerative, and physical medicine, allowing them to provide personalized care that effectively eases your pain and improves mobility. To schedule an appointment, call the office or request one online today.

Sciatica Q & A

What is sciatica?

Sciatica refers to the symptoms that occur if your sciatic nerve is pinched. The sciatic nerves leave your spinal cord in your lower back and travel down both sides of your body, going through your buttocks and legs all the way to your feet.

If a problem in your lower back (lumbar spine) compresses the nerve, pain and other symptoms go through the nerve, causing sciatica’s hallmark symptom: sudden, shooting pain in one leg.

What causes sciatica?

You may develop sciatica after a sports or traumatic injury, but the pain is usually caused by a spinal condition that pinches the nerve, such as:

Herniated discs
Degenerative disc disease
Bone spurs
Thickened ligaments
Facet joint arthritis
Spondylolisthesis (slipped vertebra)
Spinal stenosis

Of all the possible causes, herniated discs are the most common, representing 90% of all cases.

What are the symptoms of sciatica?

In addition to low back pain and pain radiating down one leg, pinched nerves cause other sensations. Sciatica may cause tingling, burning, or numbness in the affected leg. Though everyone experiences sciatica differently, most people describe it as excruciating, debilitating, electric-shock pain.

How is sciatica treated?

If you haven’t already received sciatica treatment, your Sunshine Spine and Pain Specialists, PLLC, provider begins with conservative therapies. You may need to modify your activities, take pain-relieving and inflammation-reducing medications, and start a physical therapy program.

Patients struggling with sciatica after conservative care can still get relief from their symptoms with the treatments available from the experienced team at Sunshine Spine and Pain Specialists, PLLC.

Physical therapy

Interventional and regenerative treatments are combined with personalized physical therapy to restore strength, flexibility, and mobility.

Interventional treatments

Each person’s treatment is based on the source of their pain. Your interventional care may include:

Nerve blocks
Epidural steroid injections
Spinal cord stimulation
Radiofrequency ablation
Kyphoplasty
SpineJack®
Minimally invasive lumbar decompression (mild®)
Superion® Indirect Decompression System

These minimally invasive procedures target the specific nerves transmitting pain signals, or they treat the underlying spinal problem.

Regenerative medicine

Your provider may also recommend regenerative treatments, such as platelet-rich plasma (PRP) and stem cell injections. Platelets and/or stem cells may activate your body’s natural healing response, helping to ease your pain by reducing inflammation and repairing tissues.

Don’t let sciatica limit your ability to stay active and enjoy life. Call Sunshine Spine and Pain Specialists, PLLC, or request an appointment online today.