Both back pain and sciatica pain can be very uncomfortable and dramatically impact your quality of life. However, differentiating between the two is important to understand your treatment options. Here, we help you understand the difference between back pain and sciatica pain, as well as potential back and sciatica treatment options you may have at our pain and wellness center to alleviate your discomfort.
What Is Back Pain?
Back pain involves any discomfort of the spine. If you have back pain, you could experience pain in your lower back, middle back or upper back. Injured muscles, nerves and bones in the spine can all cause back pain, which can be chronic or acute. Back pain can also be caused by conditions such as osteoarthritis, disc herniations and spinal stenosis. The pain can range from an aching, constant discomfort to sharp, intermittent pain, both of which can impact your mobility and quality of life.
What Is Sciatica Pain?
Your sciatic nerve starts in the lower back and goes through the hips and down both of your legs to your calves. It’s the longest nerve in the human body. Sciatica pain, while it can technically feel like back pain, differs in a few respects.
Sciatica pain can be a sudden, intense pain that can also be accompanied by burning, tingling or numbness. However, some people experience sciatica pain as a dull, consistent pain. People who experience sciatica discomfort usually experience it on only one side of their body, but they may feel weakness in the affected leg and, in some cases, even the foot.
Back problems such as a herniated disc, bone spur or even tense muscles in the buttock can compress the sciatic nerve and lead to this discomfort.
How Are They Treated?
Depending on the cause of your back pain or sciatica pain, they may be treated differently. For example, sciatica pain that is caused by a herniated disc will be treated differently than sciatica pain treatment resulting from muscle tension. Sciatica treatment may include physical therapy and targeted procedures to address the cause of your sciatica.
Back pain will also be treated according to its cause, whether you have a bone spur, a condition such as scoliosis, or spinal stenosis or arthritis. Our team can help you identify the source of your pain and put a plan in place to target your discomfort and get you feeling better again.
Come to Your Local Pain & Wellness Center
With multiple locations throughout Georgia to serve you, Summit Spine & Joint Centers provides back and sciatica treatment to help you live your best life. Contact our pain and wellness center today to learn more about your options for improving your pain. Call us at (770) 962-3642 or contact us online!