When To Call A Professional

Contact your doctor if sciatica pain grows worse over a few days, or if it begins to interfere significantly with your daily activities. Call your doctor immediately if you experience sudden, extreme weakness in a leg, numbness in the groin or rectum, or difficulty controlling bladder or bowel function. These symptoms may indicate that nerves leading to the pelvis are compressed. This condition can cause permanent damage if not treated promptly.

Prognosis

The vast majority of sciatica cases can be controlled with simple home care. For most people, basic preventive measures are enough to keep sciatica from coming back although it can be chronic or recurrent. A relatively small subset of people with sciatica eventually require surgery, such as those with severe or persistent symptoms caused by a bulging disk.

Additional Info

American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS) 6300 North River Rd. Rosemont, IL 60018-4262 Phone: (847) 823-7186 Toll-Free: (800) 346-2267 Fax: (847) 823-8125 http://www.aaos.org/

National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases Information Clearinghouse 1 AMS Circle Bethesda, MD 20892-3675 Phone: (301) 495-4484 Toll-Free: (877) 226-4267 Fax: (301) 718-6366 TTY: (301) 565-2966 http://www.niams.nih.gov/

National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke P.O. Box 5801 Bethesda, MD 20824 Toll-Free: (800) 352-9424 http://www.ninds.nih.gov/