Sciatica

Dear Ask The Doctor: I am 19years old fit young girl and i have sciatica its my first physio sessions today should i go to work straight after of have bed rest please help chelsea mcfatter.

Dear Chelsea: There are many causes of sciatic nerve inflammation: blunt injury, compression by the surrounding muscles, intervertebral disk degeneration or lumbar disk disease, all of them can produce pain along the sciatic nerve. The conventional treatment for Sciatica is aimed to relieve the pain and besides the use of anti-inflammatory drugs (as “motrin”, “aleve”) and vitamin B complex, a physical therapy program definitely can benefit you, with stretching of the hip muscles and local heat or ultrasound application. It is very important also avoid activities that place stress on the lumbar spine, so if you feel like you can go to work after the session, you can try avoiding activities that can cause you discomfort or pain.. Sometimes the pain and discomfort can persist for several weeks before to improve. The local corticosteroid injection may be considered for patients who show limited response to oral medication and physical therapy.