SCIATICA

to sleep.

Corticosteroids are another treatment option. These potent anti-inflammatory drugs are delivered via an injection that places the medication just where it is needed. You have an imaging exam, such as a CT scan or an MRI, before a corticosteroid injection, so your health care provider can see where the medication should go. Imaging also is used to guide the injection as it’s being delivered to ensure safety and accuracy.

In about 90 to 95 percent of sciatica cases, the problem is successfully resolved with time and conservative, nonsurgical treatments. If sciatica persists despite these treatments, though, surgery may be considered.

Although uncommon, surgery may be recommended as a first step in treatment if weakness associated with sciatica is moderate to severe, if weakness gets worse over time, if symptoms affect both legs or if you are experiencing incontinence due to sciatica. Very rarely, sciatica can lead to extensive numbness in the buttocks and pelvic floor. When that happens, prompt surgical intervention is often required.

When sciatica is the result of a disc problem — as it is in most typical cases — and surgery is required, it can be quite effective. The procedure involves removing the portion of the disc that’s affecting the nerve. This surgery usually takes about 75 minutes and requires only one day in the hospital.