The treatment for sciatic nerve pain or sciatica, can be carried out with different remedies, which should always be prescribed by the doctor, such as analgesics, anti-inflammatories, muscle relaxants, tricyclic antidepressants or corticosteroids, for example.
In addition, when sciatica is very severe and the person is not even able to stand, sit or walk, because the spine is 'locked', as if there was a sciatic nerve clamp, it may be necessary to use steroid injections, which must be administered by a health professional.
Some of the medications that can be prescribed by the doctor to treat sciatica are:
| Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs | Ketoprofen (Profenid), ibuprofen (Alivium), naproxen (Flanax) |
| Pain relievers | Paracetamol (Tylenol) |
| Opioid analgesics | Codeine (Codein), tramadol (Tramal) |
| Muscle relaxants | Cyclobenzaprine (Miosan), orphenadrine (Miorrelax) |
| Anticonvulsants | Gabapentin (Gabaneurin), Pregabalin (Lyrica) |
| Tricyclic antidepressants | Imipramine (Tofranil), nortriptyline (Pamelor) and amitriptyline (Amytril) |
Generally, the drugs that are initially prescribed for the relief of sciatica are paracetamol and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs. If these remedies are not enough, the doctor may prescribe stronger ones, but only if their use is justified, since they have more side effects.
Sciatica is characterized by a kind of burning, which can go from the bottom of the back, affecting the butt, the back or the front of the thigh to the foot. It is usually caused by compression of the sciatic nerve, due to changes in the lumbar spine, such as a herniated disc or deviation of the spine, but it can also happen because the nerve passes through the piriformis muscle, and whenever it gets very tense, the sciatica crisis can appear, causing pain, tingling or burning in the bottom of the back, buttocks and legs.
Learn how to identify piriformis syndrome.
How to cure sciatica pain faster
The treatment to prevent sciatica can be done with sessions of physiotherapy, osteopathy, acupuncture, water aerobics and clinical Pilates. In the most severe cases, surgery is needed to decompress the inflamed sciatic nerve or reduce the herniated disc, if this is the root of the problem, but about 90% of people do not need surgery and achieve healing through physical therapy. Learn all treatment options for sciatic nerve pain.
Find out how to do the most appropriate exercises to cure the inflamed sciatic nerve in the following video:
Signs of improvement and worsening
The signs of improvement appear right after the start of taking the medications indicated by the doctor, with the relief of pain and the sensation of a stuck leg, which facilitates the performance of movements and daily tasks.
Possible complications
If the nerve continues to have a low blood supply, complications can occur, such as permanent nerve damage, which can make you feel a lot of pain along the entire sciatic nerve path, or even loss of sensation in these places. When the nerve suffers a serious injury, due to an automobile accident, for example, the best treatment is surgery and when the surgeon is unable to completely repair the injury it may be necessary to undergo physical therapy for long periods.
