what kind of doctor do you go to for sciatica pain
An appointment with your md to discuss your sciatica symptoms and handling options tin can often feel like a race against fourth dimension.
Video: Sciatica Handling
Sciatica handling unremarkably starts with nonsurgical methods and includes some combination of physical therapy, medications, therapeutic injections, and alternative therapies. Watch Now
With many consultations lasting 15 minutes or less, here are 6 insights and tips on how to make the most of your time with your physician:
one. Write down your symptom history to save time during the appointment.
Your doctor is going to ask you several questions about your symptom history, and then writing it down in accelerate will relieve time during your engagement and ensure you don't leave out whatsoever important information. When you accept a well-maintained pain diary, y'all will likely provide more precise and complete data, and avoid missing of import symptoms or factors that can be crucial in your diagnosis.
See Preparing to Run into A Doc for Back and Neck Pain
Symptom-related questions your doctor is likely to ask you:
- How would you describe your symptoms—is the pain throbbing, searing, electric-like, or ho-hum and localized?
- Practice your symptoms extend below the knee joint?
- How long accept you had these symptoms?
- Are they getting worse or staying the same?
- What causes a flareup in your symptoms (activities, sports, inactivity, sitting for prolonged periods, etc.)
- Practice you take neurological symptoms, such equally difficulty in lifting your foot (human foot drib), numbness, or weakness?
- Does a specific position offer temporary relief or beal the pain further? For example, does bending forward make your symptoms better (may be spinal stenosis) or worse (may be a herniated disc)?
Maintaining a pain diary can be helpful when yous have sciatica. The diary doesn't take to be an actual book—utilize the notes app on your phone so that y'all can have the data accessible at all times. Make a notation every time you experience a symptom of sciatica—write downwardly the type, severity, and duration of the symptom.
See Diagnosing the Cause of Sciatica
(larger view)
2. Empathise the medical vocabulary in advance.
Sciatica is a lay term that describes a fix of symptoms that originate in your lower back and travel down your sciatic nerve. There are specific terms associated with sciatica and learning the vocabulary ahead of time tin assist you save time and avoid defoliation during your consultation.
Come across What You Demand to Know About Sciatica
Commonly used medical terms are:
- Nervus root. Several spinal nerves branch off your spinal string at different levels. A nervus root is the part of the spinal nervus that leaves the spinal string, passes through a bony opening, and exits the spinal canal.
See Sciatic Nerve Beefcake
- Radicular pain. This pain originates from the spinal nerve roots.1 In sciatica, radicular pain may occur when ane or more nerve roots from L4 to S3two are inflamed, irritated, or compressed.
See Radiculopathy, Radiculitis and Radicular Hurting
- Lumbar/lumbosacral radiculopathy. This term refers to neurological deficits, such as numbness or weakness that typically accompanies radicular hurting in sciatica.1 , three
Come across Lumbar Radiculopathy
Your doc may use these terms to describe the underlying cause of your sciatica.
Read more virtually Sciatica Causes
three. Find a doc with extended appointments.
Certain doctors offer special, extended appointment times, sometimes as long as 1 hour or weekend appointments (likewise referred to every bit concierge service). Other doctors offering extended times for all patients as a function of their regular schedule.
See Specialists Who Treat Back Hurting
Don't limit yourself to a single doc; feel free to shop effectually for someone who offers extended appointments. To observe out if a specialist offers such benefits in your expanse, peruse the websites of various medical practices or talk with your principal care doctor.
See Chief Care Providers
iv. Bring a friend to your sciatica appointment.
If your sciatic hurting is severe, it may exist difficult to concentrate. Bringing a friend or family member to your appointment to have notes tin allow you lot to focus on the conversation with your doctor without having to worry about forgetting something later on.
A friend tin can also help you prioritize your give-and-take topics and ensure you don't forget to talk with your doc well-nigh an important matter.
Run across Preparing to See A Doctor for Back and Cervix Pain
5. Ask about specific red-flag symptoms.
While rare, sure types of sciatic nerve pain may indicate a medical emergency and require immediate treatment. Ask your dr. if there are specific red-flag symptoms that you need to look out for. Understanding these symptoms tin can assistance you make a timely visit to the dr. and prevent serious complications.
See When Sciatica Pain Is a Medical Emergency
Every bit a general dominion, if yous take worsening neurological signs and symptoms, if neurological deficits occur in both legs, if you have bladder or bowel incontinence, or if symptoms occur after an blow or trauma, yous should seek firsthand medical attention. These signs and symptoms may indicate serious medical conditions such as cauda equina syndrome, which must exist treated on an urgent ground to preserve leg function.4
See Cauda Equina Syndrome
6. Bring your list of medications and previous medical records.
Provide an accurate history of your medical and surgical treatments and bring all your test results or relevant documents that yous may take received from previous doctors. These details are crucial in deciding your course of treatment and besides saves the fourth dimension and endeavour to conduct new tests.
Consulting a physician will provide y'all with a greater benefit if you're well prepared. With these tips, you can more than actively participate in the diagnostic and handling process and are more likely to find healing and hurting relief.
Larn more than:
Sciatica First Aid
Myths About Sciatica Treatment Options
References
- one.Dydyk AM, One thousand Das J. Radicular Back Pain. [Updated 2019 Aug 22]. In: StatPearls [Internet]. Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing; 2019 Jan-. Available from: https://world wide web.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK546593/
- ii.Giuffre BA, Jeanmonod R. Anatomy, Sciatic Nervus. [Updated 2018 Dec 16]. In: StatPearls [Internet]. Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing; 2019 January-. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK482431/.
- 3.Alexander CE, Varacallo K. Lumbosacral Radiculopathy. [Updated 2019 Mar 23]. In: StatPearls [Internet]. Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing; 2019 January-. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK430837/
- four.Petr O, Glodny B, Brawanski K, et al. Immediate Versus Delayed Surgical Treatment of Lumbar Disc Herniation for Acute Motor Deficits. SPINE. 2019;44(7):454-463. doi:x.1097/brs.0000000000002295
Source: https://www.spine-health.com/blog/6-tips-have-productive-doctor-s-visit-if-you-have-sciatica
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