Sciatica symptom relief has been hard to come by for many sciatica sufferers, but a new treatment option is now available that brings fast relief with a minimal risk of side effects to the vast majority of sciatica sufferers.

Sciatica (commonly misspelled as syatica) is an irritation of the sciatic nerve which is formed by nerves that arise in the low back. Most cases of sciatica are caused by herniations or bulges of one or more spinal discs. The spinal discs are soft tissue structures that separate the spinal bones (the vertebrae) and act as shock absorbers.

When a disc becomes damaged, the cartilage wall on the outside of the disc may be too weak to fully withstand the pressure coming from inside the disc, and the result is a protrusion of the disc into the passageways where the nerves branch off from the spinal cord and exit the spine. This places pressure on the nerves and creates pain, often in the form of sciatica, which begins in the buttock area and may extend down the leg towards the foot.

The treatment options for sciatica symptom relief vary depending on the case. The first line of sciatica treatment is usually medication to reduce pain and inflammation. Muscle relaxers may also be prescribed to reduce muscle spasm. Medication may be effective enough to provide relief short-term until inflammation subsides and/or the disc stabilizes. In more severe cases, oral medication may not be effective, and some patients may not be able to tolerate the common side effects of anti-inflammatory drugs and/or the diminished mental alertness seen with pain killers and muscle relaxers.

The next line of sciatica symptom relief is often steroid injections into the area of the damaged disc for the purpose of providing strong anti-inflammatory effects. While steroid injections often provide relief short-term, the long-term effects are less favorable. Due to the fact that the main effect of steroid injections is to reduce inflammation, once those effects wear off, inflammation and the resulting pressure on the nerves often builds up again, and symptoms return. Steroid shots come with a number of side-effects including bone thinning, damage to soft tissues, and suppression of immune function, so doctors limit the amount of steroids used in order to avoid adverse health effects from the treatment.

Surgery is a commonly recommended sciatica treatment, and it may be necessary in a few cases. Surgery has a poor track record (about a 50% success rate

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overall), and in some cases, symptoms may worsen following surgery. Surgery may be followed by various complications such as scar tissue development and abnormal mechanical stres on the spinal discs above and below the area of surgery, which often results in damage to additional discs over a period of time.

Fortunately, there is a new option in sciatica symptom relief that has a high success rate and a very low risk of side-effects. Spinal decompression is a new, advanced form of spinal traction that uses special computerized traction motors to gently and slowly apply a decompressive force to the spine, reducing pressure in the spinal discs. Spinal decompression systems can comfortably create negative pressure (suction) within the spinal discs that can pull disc bulges and herniations back in and away from sensitive nerve structures, as well as increase disc hydration and nutrition to help with disc healing. Unlike the old forms of spinal traction which could be painful due to the traction pull triggering muscle spasm, spinal decompression systems monitor and respond to the body to keep muscles relaxed so the treatment is comfortable and effective.

Preliminary studies have shown a success rate for spinal decompression of 80 to 90%, with the beneficial effects holding up well over the long-term. The one-year recurrence rate post-treatment is less than 5%. While spinal decompression is not appropriate for everyone with sciatica and is not effective in every case, it does represent a big improvement in sciatica treatment.