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‘Shooting’ Pains in the Leg: Pain Management in Red Bank, NJ ‘Shooting’ pains in the leg may be indicative of sciatica. Sciatica is the term used to describe a set of symptoms caused by any one of a number of conditions, including disc problems, spinal stenosis, or trauma to the lower back. Monmouth Pain and Rehabilitation, located in Red Bank, NJ, provides comprehensive and multi-disciplinary programs of pain management for the issues that cause sciatica symptoms. We are committed to providing the very best in care so that patients can experience relief and a return to normal movement without surgery or long-term drug use. Sciatica is generally described as pain in the left or right leg—this pain may be minor or severe. For many patients, sciatica pain is a ‘shooting’ pain similar to electricity. It may be felt as a ‘burning’ sensation or even numbness or tingling. These abnormal sensations are sometimes similar to the feelings experienced when your leg ‘falls asleep,’ and are, for some sufferers, completely unbearable. Others live with mild symptoms that are merely annoying. Because the sciatic nerves travel from the lower back, under the buttocks, and down the legs, symptoms may affect any of these areas. Muscle weakness also occurs in some patients. The symptoms of sciatica are caused by the compression of one or more of the five sets of paired nerve roots in the lower back that give rise to the sciatic nerve. Sciatica is a condition known as a lumbar radiculopathy, a type of neuropathy (a condition whereby one or more nerves is negatively affected and can no longer work properly). A radiculopathy affects the nerve at or near the root. Treatment for Sciatica in Red Bank, NJ Our pain management office provides a number of treatment options for the pain management and rehabilitation of sciatica. For sciatica patients, our office would first perform a full diagnosis in order to determine the exact cause of symptoms. Our office provides electrodiagnostic nerve testing—this is the gold standard in testing to determine conditions affecting the nerves. We also provide traditional x-ray, fluoroscopy, ultrasound, and—for patients with hard-to-treat disc problems—we are also affiliated with several local medical centers in order to perform discograms. After diagnosis, patients begin a personalized program of pain management and rehabilitation specifically tailored to their specific needs (and overseen by our medical director— a medical doctor specializing in pain management for musculoskeletal and neurological conditions). Treatment for sciatica may include any of the following: • Physical Therapy, including therapeutic exercise, lumbar decompression traction, and low level laser therapy; • Acupuncture, for pain relief, faster healing, and better mental health during rehabilitation; • Chiropractic; • Epidural Steroid Injections. No patient should ever feel hopeless or frustrated. However, some sciatica symptoms make it impossible for patients to use physical therapy and/or chiropractic care. In such cases, our office uses Epidural Steroid Injections to provide very real pain relief. This minimally invasive procedure—which is performed right in our Red Bank, NJ pain management office—reduces compression on the nerves by relieving inflammation. For many patients, Epidural Steroid Injections provide sufficient pain relief so that patients may benefit from healthy rehabilitation practices such as chiropractic or PT. To learn more about our progressive approach to sciatica rehabilitation in Red Bank, NJ, contact our Monmouth County office. |
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