Sciatica Specialist

Ohmedica Joint and Spine Health Specialists Miguel D Attias, MD Our Services Sciatica

Ohmedica Joint and Spine Health Specialists

Miguel D Attias, MD

Interventional Pain Medicine located in Tampa, FL

Sciatica pain can shoot down your leg from your lower back with such intensity that it's hard to move. If sciatica is causing you problems like this, interventional pain management specialist Miguel Attias, MD, of Ohmedica Joint and Spine Health Specialists can help. At locations in Seminole and Tampa, Florida, Dr. Attias delivers a range of effective solutions to sciatica, from epidural steroid injections to minimally invasive lumbar decompression (MILD®). Find out how to relieve sciatica pain by calling Ohmedica Joint and Spine Health Specialists today, or book an appointment online.

Sciatica Q & A

What causes sciatica?

Sciatica is an impingement of your sciatic nerve. This nerve, the longest in your body, begins in your lower back and branches out through your hips, buttocks, legs, and into your feet. If there’s pressure anywhere along this nerve, you feel extreme pain. 

Sciatica can stem from several issues and injuries, but the most common causes or risk factors include:

  • Prolonged sitting or sedentary lifestyle
  • Blood sugar spikes from diabetes
  • Trauma, such as a car accident
  • Being overweight or obese
  • Age-related spine changes
  • Spondylolisthesis
  • Spinal stenosis
  • Bone spur

You’re also more likely to develop sciatica if you work in a field that puts continuous strain on your lower back. Carrying heavy loads or regularly having to bend or twist, for example, can all increase your risk of sciatica. 

When should I see a doctor for sciatica?

The pain you experience with sciatica often begins in your lower back. Depending on the severity of your pinched nerve, you may also experience:

  • Burning
  • Tingling
  • Throbbing
  • Electric-like sensations

Sciatica discomfort can be minor or severe and can extend down the back of one of your legs, all the way to your heel. But sciatica sufferers often report that the pain seems to stem out of nowhere. You may be going about your normal daily activities, and then excruciating, jolting shocks occur. 

How is sciatica treated?

Physical therapy, medication, and steroid injections can often help with sciatica symptoms. If these measures are insufficient, Dr. Attias offers further options such as:

Nerve blocks

Nerve blocks are injections of local anesthetic that temporarily relieve pain in a specific area of your body. The effect is short-lived, as the injection wears off within a few hours. However, patients may find that their pain doesn't reach the same level of intensity after a nerve block.

Radiofrequency neurotomy

Radiofrequency neurotomy or ablation involves delivering heat from radio wave energy to the nerves responsible for your pain. The heat destroys the target nerves, although they do eventually grow back.

Minimally invasive procedures

Minimally invasive lumbar decompression (MILD) and Vertiflex™ interspinous spacers may be useful in relieving nerve pressure in your lower back.

Spinal cord stimulation

Spinal cord stimulation uses electrical impulses delivered via an implantable device that interfere with nerve function.

Intrathecal pain pumps

Pain pumps are another type of implantable device. They deliver medication to the nerves causing your symptoms using a hand-held device that you control.

Dr. Attias can help you recover from serious sciatica pain. Call the office or request your consultation online today.

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