The term Sciatica originated from Sciatic nerve, which is the main nerve controlling sensations and the movements of our lower limbs. Under certain situations this nerve gets compressed or irritated giving a sensation of pain running down in the legs. This pain in the legs is commonly referred to as Sciatica. It may affect people of any age group but it is mostly common among the working age group. Since sciatic nerve is made from different nerve roots, any irritation of a single root can also cause sciatica. Even a small inflammation affecting the nerve roots or anywhere along the course of sciatic nerve would cause sciatic pain.
What causes sciatica?
Slipped disc or disc herniation:
This the most common cause and one generally comes across in
working individuals. This is caused due to tear in the covering of the disc through which some of the disc material comes out. This initiates severe inflammatory reaction which irritates the adjoining nerves in the vicinity. The affected nerves get swollen in response, like injuries to any other part of the body. This results in chronic back pain with a pain running down the legs.
Degenerated spine:
This is more common among elderly population. Ageing brings some changes in form of overgrowth of tissues in the spinal canal. This narrows the spinal canal where the spinal cord rests. Eventually this starts compressing on the nerves so much so that the person gets pain or heaviness in legs after walking for some distance. This is a progressive condition where the person cannot move without pain.
Inflammation: Many a time inflammation in the lower back muscles from usage or some trauma leads to tensing of the muscles and generate pain in pelvis and legs. Other joints of pelvis and lower discs if inflamed due to some infection or trauma may also cause pain in the legs.
There are many methods apart from the clinical examination, which is the most important, for the diagnosis of sciatica. MRI of the spine and electrophysiological studies of the nerve helps in defining the area of conflict which is causing the pain. These areas are then specifically treated for the relief of the symptom due to the nerve compression.
The goal for the treatment for sciatica remains freeing the nerve from compression or irritation. The initial treatment always remain a conservative approach. Medicines are prescribed to either treat the infection or to reduce the inflammation. A pain which bothers even after a conservative management needs attention and should not be left untreated. In cases where a physical compression is causing the pain, the pain doesn’t go unless it is treated surgically. At Axis Clinics, Delhi, we do it strictly through minimally invasive methods. The entire procedure is focused to the conflicted area and done under the influence of local anesthesia. This increases the safety of the procedure and helps in precisely identifying the culprit disc and the nerve. People who live with their worsening pains due to the concerns over a spine surgery can have a sigh of relief as these advanced novel interventions are extremely safe.
All the treatment available for spine at Axis Clinics considers safety of the patient as the single most important deciding factor while treating any pain of spinal origin.This quest has led to intensive research and training to understand the genesis of pain in the spine and the safest way to treat it effectively.
A precise targeted endoscopic treatment for slipped disc, sciatica, and back pain done under local anesthesia with immediate relief and promising outcomes. The procedure is extremely safe and has no collateral damage to other tissues in the body.
A minimally invasive endoscopic surgery intended for spinal canal stenosis wherein the cramped spinal nerves are freed from the pressures of overgrown yellow ligaments within the spinal canal.The increasing numbness and heaviness in legs happening on walking for a distance, gets better immediate after the surgery.
A precision intervention where a chronically inflamed or irritated nerve root is treated selectively with a low voltage and high frequency radio frequency current to modulate the electrical conduction of painful signals or certain drugs intended to break the pain cycle.
A highly skilled intervention for patients having pain as a result of entrapment of the nerve in the scar after a spine surgery. The procedure involves navigation in the spine with a device under image guidance and loosening the scar tissue to make room for the entrapped nerve.
A pin-hole intervention done under X-ray guidance to ablate certain nerves carrying pain signals from joints of spine.
An image guided intervention to remove disc material in selected patients of slipped disc. The procedure is done through a needle under local anesthesia.
A procedure done to fix the vertebral fractures by injecting cement through a needle under the effect of local anesthesia. The relief in back pain due to the fracture is immediate.
A 360 degrees minimally invasive spine surgery to treat an unstable spine (spondylolisthesis) with disc prolapse and spinal canal stenosis. The entire surgery is minimally invasive and is done through small cuts under local and regional anesthesia.
This is a pin-hole intervention done under image guidance to treat the damaged and sensitive disc covering which causes chronic back pain in patients having slipped disc.
A highly advanced intervention to treat chronic back pains persisting even after spine surgeries or for complex pain syndromes. In this a small electrical device is implanted in the body like a pace maker which gives continuous stimulations to the nerves through the implanted wires in the spine and stops the pain signals to be perceived in the brain.
A procedure very much similar to Adhesiolysis wherein a selective nerve root is treated to relieve it from pressures due to entrapment.
This is a technique to treat any nerve and modulate its conduction of impulses. It involves passage of a high frequency radiofrequency current at a low voltage to the selected nerve which changes the perception of pain.
Axis Clinics boast to have very experienced and well trained specialists in the field of interventional pain medicine, regenerative medicine,advanced orthopedics , rehabilitative medicine and clinical psychology to treat pains related to spine,joints and sports injuries.
