Sciatica

Sciatica options, weighed by what they ask of you

Someone with sciatica usually has several choices on the table at once: wait and manage it at home, book a hands-on or needle-based treatment, or see a doctor. Each one asks for a different amount of time and follow-up, which is the part a headline price hides. Open the group that matches the choice in front of you today: the first for home care, the second for a treatment you would book, and the last for how long it lasts and when to get help.

Sciatica questions, grouped by commitment

What you can try on your own

• Can home remedies help my sciatica?
• What should you do when sciatica flares?
• Can sciatica be prevented?

A treatment you would book

• Can acupuncture ease your sciatica?

What is behind the leg pain

• How does a herniated disc cause leg pain or sciatica?
• What causes piriformis syndrome?
• Can sciatica occur down both legs?
• What are the risk factors for sciatica?

How long it lasts and when to get help

• How long does sciatica take to heal?
• What are possible complications of sciatica?
• When should I see a doctor for sciatica?

Which option commits you to the most

Start with the symptom, since the choice follows from it. Spine-health notes that sciatica pain may be accompanied by numbness in the back of the leg. Write down where yours sits, because that is the detail a clinician will ask about first.

Then ask each option the same three things: how many visits it plans for, what the agreement says if you stop early, and where the written fee schedule is. The option with a repeating schedule and a signed term commits you to the most. Home care carries no signed term, but nobody checks it for you either. For general reading, MedlinePlus has a sciatica page, the AAOS sciatica overview on OrthoInfo covers causes and treatment, WebMD's pain management center has wider pain coverage, and the American Academy of Pain Medicine is the pain physicians' society. Our comparisons stop short of medical advice.