Identifying optimal treatment of common and complex sciatica pain

Received: June 05, 2017; Accepted: June 22, 2017; Published: June 23, 2017 Sciatica is one of the most common disorders affecting the peripheral nervous system, 90% of which is associated with a herniated disc and nerve compression. Vast majority of sciatica patients experience a favorable prognosis, with only ~30% experiencing a reoccurrence within their lifetime. Patients often present with unilateral lower extremity pain in the distribution of the L5 or S1 dermatome, originating from acute or chronic descent. Sciatica is traditionally diagnosed within patients presenting with primary complaints of unrelenting sharp pain, which travels profusely down the leg. Cases of mild to moderate sciatica are witnessed but at a much rarer occurrence, with patients presenting with mild to moderate pain and paresthesias [1-10]. Ordinary patients may present with or without neurological deficits such as numbness and weakness of the leg and/ or foot, in more severe cases patients may present with foot weakness causing difficulty and/or inability to ambulate. The etiology for sciatica is quite commonly a lumbar disc herniation, as briefly mentioned, that puts pressure upon the descending S1 nerve root. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is typically utilized to obtain high resolution images leading to the diagnosis by which a physician identifies the offending agent compressing the nerve root. Given how commonly this pathology presents to primary care physicians and neurosurgeons, it is of no surprise that lumbar microdiscectomy remains as one of the most popular surgical procedures performed within the United States. Patients presenting with sciatica endure copious amounts of pain during most forms of physical activity, thus leading to their inability to work for extended periods of time. Utilization of healthcare resources and inability to work both integrate to cause significant depletion in healthcare resources while increasing treatment-costs and unemployment-subsidies all of which adversely affect the United States economic status [1-6].