Sharp, shooting pain from your lower back through your buttock and down your leg is one of the most recognizable symptoms in orthopedic medicine — and one of the most treatable. Our spine and pain management specialists offer a full range of evidence-based sciatica treatments.
The sciatic nerve is the largest nerve in the body, running from the lower back through the buttock and down each leg. Sciatica describes pain — and sometimes numbness, tingling, or weakness — along this nerve's path when it becomes compressed or irritated.
The most common causes include a herniated lumbar disc, bone spurs from lumbar arthritis, and spinal stenosis — narrowing of the spinal canal that presses on nerve roots.
Sciatica typically affects one side of the body. Symptoms can range from a mild ache to severe, incapacitating pain. Accurate diagnosis — including imaging of the lumbar spine — helps guide the most effective treatment approach.
Sharp, shooting pain from the lower back into the buttock, thigh, or calf
Numbness or tingling in the leg or foot
Muscle weakness in the leg — difficulty flexing the foot or standing on tiptoe
Pain that worsens with prolonged sitting or when sneezing or coughing
Seek immediate care if you experience bowel or bladder dysfunction — this may indicate cauda equina syndrome, a surgical emergency.
Targeted physical therapy — including core strengthening, nerve mobilization, and postural training — is often the first line of treatment for sciatica. A well-designed PT program reduces nerve compression, improves pain, and helps prevent recurrence.
An epidural steroid injection delivers anti-inflammatory medication directly to the affected nerve root, often providing significant pain relief for weeks to months. Injections are image-guided for precision and can be combined with physical therapy to maximize benefit.
Anti-inflammatory medications, muscle relaxants, and nerve-specific medications can help manage acute sciatica. Activity modification — avoiding positions that worsen symptoms — is an important part of initial conservative management.
When conservative care has not provided adequate relief after 6 to 12 weeks, or if neurological deficits are progressing, minimally invasive lumbar decompression — such as microdiscectomy for a herniated disc — may be recommended.
Fellowship-trained spine surgeon experienced in lumbar disc herniation, sciatica, and minimally invasive decompression procedures.
Board-certified orthopedic spine surgeon specializing in lumbar conditions including sciatica, disc herniation, and spinal stenosis.
Pain management specialist offering image-guided epidural steroid injections and interventional treatments for sciatica and nerve pain.
Most sciatica episodes caused by a herniated disc improve within 4 to 12 weeks with conservative care. Chronic or recurrent sciatica may benefit from interventional treatment such as epidural steroid injections or, in select cases, surgical decompression.
See a specialist promptly if your pain is severe, if you have progressive leg weakness, or if your sciatica does not improve after a few weeks. Seek emergency care immediately if you develop bowel or bladder dysfunction — this can indicate cauda equina syndrome, a surgical emergency.
MRI of the lumbar spine is the most useful imaging study for most patients with typical sciatica. It clearly shows disc herniations, spinal stenosis, and nerve root compression. We have on-site MRI and X-ray at Restore Orthopedics.
Epidural steroid injections do not cure the underlying cause, but they can significantly reduce inflammation around the nerve root and provide meaningful pain relief — often long enough to allow effective physical therapy.
Herniated discs — one of the most common causes of sciatica — and how they are evaluated and treated.
Image-guided epidural steroid injections, nerve blocks, and other interventional pain management options at Restore.
Spinal stenosis is a common cause of sciatica-like symptoms — learn how it is diagnosed and treated at Restore Orthopedics.
Restore Orthopedics & Spine is located in Orange, CA, serving patients throughout Orange County including Irvine, Anaheim, Santa Ana, Fullerton, Tustin, Huntington Beach, Newport Beach, Costa Mesa, Garden Grove, Yorba Linda, Brea, and Placentia, as well as Los Angeles County communities including La Habra, Whittier, Downey, Cerritos, and Long Beach. We also welcome patients from Riverside and San Bernardino counties.
Same-week appointments. Conservative and surgical options. On-site imaging.