Supportive Therapy:
In Sciatica especially of the Acute type, application of hot and cold packs alternately help to control the pain for the time being. The 20-2-20 rule applies here.
First: Application of ice pack for 20 minutes 2-3 times a day for 2 days.
Second: Hot pad application for 20 minutes 2-3 times a day for 2 days.
Conventional treatment for Sciatica
Conventional physicians generally prescribe a combination of 2 or more drugs given below:
- Pain killers to control the pain
- Muscle relaxants to alleviate the spasm in lower back muscles
- Spinal injections, generally steroids are used to reduce the inflammation of the nerves.
The effects of these medications are at best temporary and do not serve the purpose of long-lasting relief.
Surgical treatment for Sciatica
In protracted (chronic) cases of Sciatica, conventional prescribers recommend surgical intervention. The type of surgery depends on the cause of Sciatica.
If the cause of Sciatica is a herniated intervertebral disc, a Discectomy is performed wherein part of the herniated disc is removed to ease compression on the nerve.
If a spinal tumor is the cause of Sciatica, surgical removal of the tumor is carried out to relieve sciatic pain.
