5 Ways to Prevent (or Better Manage) a Sciatica Flare-Up

If you’ve had a sciatica flare-up in the past, you’re familiar with the parade of symptoms that can make life uncomfortable. If you’ve never had sciatica, take our word for it — this is one condition best resolved quickly. 

As many as 40% of people will develop sciatica at some point, so understanding the early signs and what actions you should take is important. To that end, Dr. Maziar Massrour,  Dr. Naveen Reddy, and the team at Apex Pain Specialists discuss five tips that help steer you away from a painful and prolonged sciatica flare-up.

Sciatica 101

Before we get into prevention and management techniques for sciatica, let’s quickly review this common condition.

Your sciatica — the largest nerve in your body — starts in your lower back, splits, and travels down either side of your buttocks into your legs and feet. When you have sciatica, something presses on the nerve and may lead to localized and radiating symptoms, including pain, numbness, tingling, and weakness.

That ”something” pressing your sciatic nerve might be a herniated disc, spinal stenosis, arthritis, pregnancy, or other conditions that lead to nerve compression.

Preventing sciatica and managing flare-ups

If you want to prevent a painful and prolonged flare-up of sciatica, we have a few tips:

1. Know your risk factors 

The first key to preventing sciatica is to familiarize yourself with some of the better-known risk factors, which include:

• Being overweight
• Standing or sitting for prolonged periods
• Bad posture
• A weak core

These conditions create more pressure in your lower back, potentially pinching your sciatic nerve.

 2. Know the warning signs

Sciatica can come on strong right out of the gate or develop slowly. It’s critical to notice and take action however quickly the symptoms come. These signs typically include pain, numbness, and tingling, which you might feel in your lower back, down one side of your buttocks, and into one leg. This pain often flares with certain positions or actions, such as lying down or getting up from a chair.

3.  Take action

We recommend that you see us at the first signs of sciatica trouble so we can help you find immediate relief and guide you to the next steps. Some of our interventional techniques for sciatica pain relief include:

• Epidural steroid injections
• Facet joint injections
• Radiofrequency ablation
• Nerve blocks

Once we address your discomfort, it’s your turn to focus on your sciatica.

 4. Physical therapy

After we manage your pain, targeted exercises that strengthen the muscles in your back and take the pressure off your sciatic nerve are extremely helpful. We can provide a list of exercises or point you toward a physical therapist.

 5. Mitigate your risk moving forward

If you want to prevent sciatica from flaring up in the future, it’s necessary to stick with your physical therapy exercises and address your risk factors. If you’re carrying too much weight, losing some pounds is helpful. If you’re sitting too much, incorporate a new routine in which you get up and stretch every hour. If your core is weak, target this area to support your spine better. And, like your parents told you, mind your posture!

To learn more about sciatica, contact our office in Chandler, Arizona, at 480-820-7246 or book an appointment online with Apex Pain Specialists today.