8 Stretches That Can Help Ease the Pain of Sciatica

8 Stretches That Can Help Ease the Pain of Sciatica

'My Search Stopped at SpineOne'

Read what first-time patient, Carl C., had to say about his experience at SpineOne.

"Out of 15 years of searching for a great doctor, my search stopped at SpineOne. You have the best staff I every dealt with. I have nothing to say, except your staff and facility are top notch.  Keep up the great patient relations."  -- Carl C.

http://dlvr.it/LGVCp8 

Sciatica: All You Ever Wanted to Know & More

What is sciatica?
Sciatica (also known lumbar radiculopathy) is a type of pain affecting one or more sciatic nerve roots, which extend from your lower back (lumbar spine) down into the back of each leg. 

What causes sciatica?

Sciatica occurs when the sciatic nerve(s) or its origins along the lumbar spine are pressured, irritated or damaged causing pain, weakness, numbness and/or tingling in the lower back and extremities. Sciatica is typically a result of other medical conditions such as a herniated disc, (Figure 1) disc degeneration or spinal stenosis.  There are also certain risk factors that may increase one’s risk of experiencing sciatica.

Figure 1: Comparison of a healthy vertebral and ruptured vertebral discs

What are the symptoms of sciatica? 

Common symptoms of sciatica:

• Lower Back pain, which may be a mild ache, or a debilitating-sharp, burning sensation
• Weakness, pain, numbness and/or tingling in the lower extremities
• Discomfort when sneezing, coughing or laughing
• Pain that may worsen at night, interrupting your sleep
• Heel walk, which is the decreased ability to bring your foot upward
• Drop foot (difficulty when flexing your ankle and bring up the front of your foot)
• Restricted ability to walk on your tiptoes, walk, drive and/or lift your heel off the ground

Figure 2: Mapped symptoms of sciatica by vertebrae number and extremity locations.

If you are experiencing any combination of these symptoms, you may have sciatica.

Watch this online video about sciatica.

How is sciatica diagnosed?
Procedures used to diagnose sciatica may include:

• A straight-leg raise test to induce pain radiating from the hip and down the leg.
• A foot-flex or Braggard’s Test to identify sciatic nerve symptoms
• Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is used to get detailed images of spinal discs. MRIs use a giant magnet that circles the body.
• Computerized tomography (CT) scan with myelogram is an X-ray used with a special dye injected into the spinal fluid. The CT scan is used to help identify the “bony” causes of spinal stenosis, while the dye helps diagnose soft tissue conditions such as disc herniation or a bulge.
• Selective nerve root block (SNRB) is when a local anesthetic is injected into a nerve root suspected of being affected by spinal stenosis. If the patient’s pain goes away after the injection, it can be determined that the compressed nerve is the cause of pain.

How is sciatica treated?
Typically, a combination of treatments works best to treat spinal stenosis. Treatment options may include:

•        Education—teaching patients spinal anatomy and basic body mechanics to help them manage their condition
•        Exercise
•        Activity modification
•        Medication
•        Physical therapy
•        Injections
•        Surgery

Does sciatica require surgery?
In some cases, surgery is required. SpineOne is dedicated to minimally invasive options whenever possible and will do everything we can to avoid surgery.

When can I expect to resume normal activities without sciatica?

Many people with sciatica are able to resume their normal activities after treatment. The goal of treatment for most patients is to have a healthy, active lifestyle free of sciatic pain. You’ll want to speak with a physician who specializes in spinal care to plan your particular treatment and get back in the swing of things.

Where can I get treatment for sciatica?
If you suffer from chronic or acute back pain and cannot find relief, you should always contact a spine specialist like the physicians at SpineOne.  SpineOne offers a comprehensive evaluation, diagnosis and treatment plan tailored to meet the needs of each individual patient. The physicians at SpineOne perform minimally invasive procedures combined with other practices to get you back on your feet and enjoying your life again.

SpineOne provides doctor consultations, MRIs and treatments all from the same facility for your convenience. Same-day appointments are also available upon request.

Visit www.SpineOne.com or call 303.500.8611 today.

Why Prolonged Sitting And Standing Is Unproductive by Anna Vital, author--Funders and Founders

We thought we would share this infograph that explains why it is not good for your neck and back (and other parts of the body) to sit or stand for prolonged periods of time by Anna Vital, author-- Funders and Founders.

If you suffer from chronic or acute back pain and cannot find relief, it may be time to contact a spine specialist like the physicians at SpineOne.  SpineOne offers a comprehensive evaluation, diagnosis and treatment plan tailored to meet the needs of each individual patient. The physicians at SpineOne practice minimally invasive procedures combined with other practices to get you back on your feet and enjoying your life again. SpineOne provides doctor consultations, MRIs and treatments all from the same facility for your convenience. Same-day appointments are also available upon request.

Visit www.SpineOne.com or call 303.500.8611 today.

How to Tell if You Have Sciatica

Sciatic pain (sciatica), symptomatic of other medical conditions, is when the sciatic nerve or one of its origins along the lumbar (lower) spine is irritated, pressured or damaged causing pain, weakness, numbness and/or tingling in the lower back and extremities.

While a spine specialist can officially diagnose whether you are showing symptoms of sciatica, you can also educate yourself about key sciatic pain indicators. To assist you, SpineOne has provided an online infographic that illustrates some of the sciatic pain symptoms and their locations. Simply click on the image to enlarge, save and/or print it.

If you or someone you know suffers from chronic sciatica and is unable to find a solution, it may be time to schedule an appointment with a spine specialist like the ones at SpineOne. The physicians at SpineOne provide each patient with a comprehensive evaluation, diagnosis and personalized treatment plan designed to meet their individual health needs. SpineOne offers both minimally invasive services for mild to moderate back pain and more advanced options for discomfort that is either severe or unresponsive to conservative techniques.

Call us at 303.500.8611 or visit www.spineone.com to learn more about our services.  For your convenience, SpineOne offers same-day appointments with consultation, imaging and treatment all within one facility.

Could Science Fiction Transform the Future of Spine Care?

It was just last night that I sat down with my 10-year-old daughter to watch one of her favorite shows, Star Trek Voyager. One of the main characters in the TV series includes an “Emergency Medical Hologram” known as “The Doctor.” The doctor, played by Robert Picardo, is Star Ship Voyager’s fully interactive, computer-generated, three-dimensional (3-D), resident physician who has saved the lives of numerous crew members.

While watching the series, I often wondered how cool it would be to have one’s own holographic physician available on demand. Imagine being seen for the flu right in your own home, or getting emergency care no matter where you are located. But we know that such technology is just science fiction, or is it?

Back to the Future
Earlier this year at the 2015 Build Developer Conference, Microsoft unveiled its HoloLens—a fully wireless, holographic computer that one wears like workshop glasses to work or play with 3-D content in the real world. HoloLens provides a more natural way to create, communicate and collaborate. There are no computer screens or peripherals. A simple gesture, gaze or one’s voice is used to interact with the 3-D subject matter and others in the room, or those across the globe.

“Wow, that sounds really cool, but what does it have to do with medicine?”
We are glad you asked.

Microsoft has partnered with Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine (CWRU) to build upon and create limitless learning possibilities using HoloLens. With this technology, medical students are now able to literally “see” in 3-D all the systems of the human body in an interactive, inter-functional and layered format—reducing the need for cadavers.

Most importantly, CWRU claims this technology will help develop medical students into the best possible professionals by allowing them to fail forward in a real-time learning environment. And as the HoloLens is being used as a tool to study medicine, it is hard not to imagine its potential for practical use across all types of medicine. 



The SpineOne Position
As one of Colorado's premier medical centers devoted exclusively to innovative spinal care, SpineOne is an advocate of new technology where it shows a proven benefit to the patient. If and when there are clinical trials that are able to show conclusively a proven benefit to a patient (along with continued trials by the rest of the medical community to acknowledge the medical advance's validity), SpineOne will consider this and other advances in technology. This being said, it should be fun to see where this type of technology takes medicine.

About SpineOne
Established in 2000, SpineOne Medical Center is a leading-regional medical center for minimally invasive spine care and has treated thousands of people in Colorado and surrounding states for back and/or neck pain. Many of these patients, who once had severe, even debilitating neck and back pain, are now living pain-free.

At SpineOne, our goal is to treat your pain symptoms with non-operative treatments whenever possible.

For your convenience, SpineOne offers same-day appointments and provides doctor consultations, MRIs and treatments all from the same facility.

Got Foot Pain? You May Have Sciatica.

We have all likely had foot pain at some point in our lives—albeit from causes such as arthritis, sports injury and/or flat feet.  However, we often times overlook the low back as the culprit for foot pain.  For instance, if you have pain in one or both of your feet as well as any of the following symptoms, your lower back may be the one to blame.  Many indicators may include:

• Back pain, which may be a mild ache, or a debilitating-sharp, burning sensation
• Weakness, pain, numbness and/or tingling in the lower extremities
• Discomfort when sneezing, coughing or laughing
• Pain that may worsen at night, interrupting your sleep
• Heel walk, which is the decreased ability to bring your foot upward
• Drop foot (difficulty when flexing your ankle and bring up the front of your foot)
• Restricted ability to walk on your tiptoes, walk, drive and/or lift your heel off the ground

If you are experiencing any combination of these symptoms, you may have sciatica.

What is sciatica?
Sciatica is a when one or more nerve roots along the lumbar spine are pressured, irritated or damaged and cause pain, weakness, numbness or tingling in the lower back and extremities.  Sciatica is a symptom of other medical conditions with the lower (lumbar) spinal column such as a herniated disc (can also be referred to as a slipped or bulging disc), degenerative disc disease, spinal stenosis, injury and/or piriformis syndrome.  
 
Sciatica is fairly common and studies suggest that as many as 40 percent of people will get sciatica at some point in their life.  You may watch this video to learn more about the causes of sciatica.  

What are the treatment options for sciatica?  
Treatment options may include:

• Activity modification
• Medication
• Physical therapy
• Heat and ice therapy
• Injections
• Surgery in some cases  

Typically, a combination of treatments works best to treat sciatica.  You can schedule an appointment with SpineOne and have one of our board-certified physicians diagnose your condition and help you get started on the road to recovery.
 
When can I expect to resume my normal activities without pain? 
Many people with sciatica are able to resume their normal activities after treatment.  The goal of treatment for most patients is to have a healthy, active lifestyle free of sciatic pain.  You’ll want to speak with a board-certified physician to plan your particular treatment and get back in the swing of things.
 
Does sciatica require surgery?  
In some cases, surgery may be needed.  That being said, SpineOne is dedicated to minimally invasive options whenever possible and will do everything we can to help you have a more pain-free life.
 
Where can I get treatment for sciatica?  
You will need to have a spine specialist like those at SpineOne assess, diagnose and recommend treatment for your condition. 

SpineOne spine specialists provide information about your condition and optional treatment plans in a straight and direct manner.  You use that knowledge to make a well-informed decision about how to best manage your pain, and a treatment plan is tailored to address your specific needs.

The physicians at SpineOne practice minimally invasive procedures combined with other practices such as physical therapy to get you back on your feet and enjoying life to the fullest again.

SpineOne provides doctor consultations, MRIs and treatments all from the same facility for your convenience.  Same-day appointments are also available upon request.

If you or a loved one is experiencing any of the above symptoms or chronic back pain, be sure to Contact us today!