Highly Effective Treatments for Sciatic Nerve Pain

Steroid Injections

Epidural steroid injections may provide patients with relief from sciatica by reducing inflammation around sciatic nerve roots. Steroids are delivered to the area immediately surrounding nerve roots, along with a solution to flush out any inflammatory proteins that have accumulated. Injections typically include fast-acting anesthetics for immediate relief. Injections are recommended if the pain is severe and interferes with the patient's ability to perform daily tasks. Pain relief is only temporary, however, and patients will need to return for weekly, monthly, or annual treatments. Doctors may recommend combining steroid injections with a comprehensive treatment plan, including exercise, for best results.

Surgery

While surgery is highly invasive and has many risks, it the most effective form of treatment for patients suffering from sciatic nerve pain. Unrelenting pain over a period of one month to six weeks that does not respond to alternative treatments may be cause for surgery. The procedure involves the removal of parts of the herniated disk that put pressure on the sciatic nerve. Minimally invasive procedures for partial removal allow patients to recover more quickly. More severe cases may necessitate extensive removal of disk material to alleviate pressure on the nerve. In drastic cases, the entire disk must be removed and replaced by an artificial one.