Are you experiencing shooting pain in one of your buttocks? Does your pain sometimes run from your lower back and down your leg or worsen after sitting or standing for long periods? If so, sciatica might be the cause.
As you age, it’s normal to experience some aches and pains. But the debilitating pain associated with sciatica can make completing daily activities nearly impossible. David Berkower, DO, and the caring team at Berkower Pain and Spine Rehabilitation want to help.
Dr. Berkower is experienced and highly skilled at alleviating the symptoms associated with sciatica, like buttock pain. He can get to the root cause of your sciatica for effective and lasting relief. Read on to learn if sciatica could be the cause of your buttock pain and what you can do to put it behind you for good.
Sciatica is a symptom of compression of your sciatic nerve. The sciatic nerve is the largest in your body — you have two, starting in your lower back and continuing over each of your hips, buttocks, and down the backs of your legs.
When the sciatic nerve is irritated or compressed, you experience pain. This pain is referred to as sciatica or sciatic neuritis, and it usually radiates from your buttock into your lower leg on one side of your body.
Sciatica is often triggered when something puts pressure on your sciatic nerve. A disc herniation, tight piriformis muscle, spinal stenosis, pregnancy, inflammation, infection, and spondylolisthesis are all possible causes of sciatica.
The condition also occurs due to the regular wear and tear associated with aging. Sciatica is most often experienced by people age 30-50.
Everyone has had buttock pain at one time or another, but if sciatica is the cause, you’re likely to know something is different. One telling sign of sciatica is pain that starts in the buttock and runs down the back of one leg.
Sciatica pain ranges from dull and achy to shooting and stabbing. You might also have numbness or tingling sensations, and it’s often worse after sitting or standing for long periods, after coughing, or when walking.
Episodes might last only a few hours, or they can come and go for months. Where you feel the symptoms in the body, their severity, and the duration of each episode helps Dr. Berkower determine the root cause of your pain.
For the best diagnosis, Dr. Berkower conducts a physical exam and goes over your medical history as well as any possible triggering events. Once he confirms sciatica and pinpoints the problematic area, he works with you to create a customized treatment plan.
In mild cases, sciatica may disappear on its own relatively quickly. Other times, it’s beneficial to seek medical treatment to help manage symptoms and get you back on your feet fast. Common treatments include:
One or more of these treatments may be used to alleviate your pain. Rest assured that Dr. Berkower treats all disc, joint, or muscle problems to prevent sciatica from returning or becoming chronic pain.
You don’t have to put up with acute buttock pain. Find immediate relief by visiting Dr. Berkower and the team at Berkower Pain and Spine Rehabilitation. Call our office in Pembroke Pines, Florida, or book an appointment online today.
