Back nerve pain, also called sciatica, is a common condition affecting about 40 percent of the U.S. population.
It’s characterized as having mild to severe pain in the lower back, hips, buttocks, and even down your legs, along with an unpleasant tingling sensation in your foot and toes.
Fortunately, about 90 to 95 percent of sciatica cases are successfully resolved through treatment. Your first step is to see a health professional specializing in this condition.
If you’re wondering what doctor to see for back nerve pain, read on to find out. We’ll also walk you through the varying treatment options for sciatica.
What Is Sciatica?
Back pain comes in varying shapes and sizes. It can occur immediately after an injury or slowly appear over several weeks or months.
It might be sudden or short-lived, or long-lasting.
Over-the-counter painkillers can help with some types of back pain, but only surgery and powerful prescription drugs can fix the others.
Sometimes, it’s difficult to identify the source of your back pain. However, sciatica is one of those that are easy to identify.
Sciatica is a painful condition affecting the sciatic nerve, the major nerve in the lower end of the spinal cord that extends down the back of the thigh.
It’s the longest and thickest nerve in the body, made of five nerve roots that connect to mostly the lower back region, including the lumbar spine and the sacrum.
The sciatic nerve runs through your hips, buttocks, and leg up to just below the knee.
Sciatica usually starts with a herniated disk in the lower spine. When a disk herniates, it can put pressure on the nerves around it.
This pressure can cause so much pain, especially when it happens to be the sciatic nerve.
Symptoms
The most distinctive sciatica symptom is pain radiating from your lower back to the side of your legs.
You may feel a mild ache to sharp, severe pain, along with tingling, numbness, and weakness in your leg and foot.
Risk Factors
Sciatica can happen to anyone, but older people are more likely to experience it. People who are overweight are also at risk of sciatica.
Excess weight can put pressure on your spine, increasing your chance of getting a herniated disk.
Additionally, pregnant women are at risk of sciatica. Diabetes may also trigger the onset of sciatica as it causes neuropathy, leading to nerve damage in the hands, legs, and feet.
What Doctor to See for Back Nerve Pain?
There are many variables to consider when it comes to back pain; how it’s treated depends on what’s causing it.
Since the symptoms and degree of pain vary from person to person, sometimes it can be difficult to know whether it’s sciatica or something else.
If you’re unsure what doctor to see for back nerve pain, your first option should be a physiatrist.
Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation (PM&R) physicians or physiatrists are the primary care doctors of the back.
They help people treat and manage different kinds of pain. They focus on the diagnosis and non-surgical treatment of muscle, bone, and nerve issues.
Even if you’ve already consulted your primary physician, it’s still a good idea to talk to a physiatrist, especially if what you’ve been trying is not working.
Then, the physiatrist can refer you to the right person who can create the best treatment plan for you.
Depending on your back nerve pain severity, you might need to work with different healthcare providers, such as a physical therapist, chiropractor, orthopedic, or neurologist.
Chiropractor
Chiropractors specialize in realigning the spine and body to their natural state.
Rather than using medication-based or invasive treatment, a chiropractic specialist focuses on improving your body’s ability to heal.
They will help reduce or eliminate the pressure on your nerves, which is a very effective treatment.
Interventional Spine Specialist
Some cases of sciatica might be caused by a condition outside the treatment scope of a chiropractic practitioner.
In this case, your doctor might recommend interventional treatment, including facet injections, epidurals, or stimulators.
Orthopedic
Orthopedic surgery might be the best option for herniated discs, bone spurs, and other tissues creating pressure against the nerves. Thus, the need to visit a trusted ortho.
Neurologist
Neurologists specialize in navigating treatments for the nervous system.
Since sciatica is a condition affecting the nerve, a neurologist is a go-to specialist when getting to the root cause of your symptoms.
Pain Medicine Specialist
Pain medicine specialists deal with different types of pain, whether caused by nerve damage, injury, or conditions like diabetes.
They also treat pain that doesn’t have a clear cause.
What Are the Treatments for Nerve Back Pain?
Treatments for sciatica vary, but they often involve a combination of medication and physical therapy.
Most people with sciatica don’t require surgery, and about half of patients get better within a few months with only rest and medication.
To determine the best treatment plan for your condition, your doctor will conduct a series of physical exams.
They will pinpoint the affected nerves and determine the root cause of your sciatica.
In some cases, you might need to undergo spinal X-rays, MRI or CT scans, and a myelogram to see if a disk or vertebrae is causing the pain.
Medicine
Over-the-counter painkillers like Ibuprofen, acetaminophen, aspirin, and naproxen sodium can help alleviate pain, although they are only short-term solutions.
If OTC options don’t help you, your doctor might prescribe stronger muscle relaxants or anti-inflammatories.
Injecting steroids into the irritated nerve can also provide you with limited relief.
You may even be prescribed antidepressants for chronic low back pain.
Physical Therapy
Your doctor may refer you to a physical therapist. They can develop a stretching and exercise routine that should help you manage pain and take pressure off the sciatic nerve.
Since it helps reduce inflammation and pain, physical therapy can improve your physical function and prevent the reoccurrence of sciatica symptoms.
During the treatment, your therapist will also teach you interventions to manage the pain. They include exercising regularly, applying heating pads or cold compress, and observing proper posture.
Alternative Therapy
Many people turn to alternative approaches for back nerve pain relief. These include yoga, massage, and acupuncture.
Yoga can help strengthen your core muscles and increase flexibility in your spine and hips, which leads to reduced back pain.
However, it’s important to work with a licensed yoga teacher to ensure you only do the poses that suit your condition.
Meanwhile, massage can soothe tense muscles, loosen knots, and relieve pressure on your nerves.
What’s more, it stimulates the release of hormones that alleviate sensations of pain.
Varying massage techniques are used to help address sciatica, such as Swedish, deep tissue, myofascial release, and neuromuscular massage.
Lastly, acupuncture has been shown to be an effective treatment for sciatica. It works by stimulating the acupoints in your lower back and leg, thereby reducing muscle tension and improving blood circulation.
Studies show that acupuncture works better than NSAID treatment in improving sciatica symptoms.
Get Help With Your Back Nerve Pain Today
If sciatica interferes with your daily activities, it’s best to consult a doctor today.
Again, many specialists can help you find the best treatment plan for your nerve back pain.
Depending on your sciatica’s severity and root cause, your treatment plan can include a combination of medicines, therapy, and other procedures.