If its a sciatica pain is it necessary to do mri? What are other treatment lines.

Dr. Poonam Patel VasaniPain Management Specialist11yrs exp

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Mri is definitely needed to diagnose cause of sciatica like intervertebral disc prolapse. Mri scan helps to find the cause, level of damage and guides treatment too with clinical correlation. Below is a brief outline of sciatica. (for further details read my health tip on" non- surgical treatment for sciatica") sciatica is the term used to describe compression of sciatic nerve (major nerve supplying most muscles of leg) due to some pathology in spine commonly disc prolapse (slip disc). Sciatica may be just associated with pain but in severe cases nerve compression can lead to paralysis of legs. In simple cases of sciatica patients can benefit from procedure called epidural steroid injections. The drug is injected in epidural space (surrounding the spinal cord) which decreases the inflammation and pain of disc pressing on nerve. The procedure is done in operation theatre by interventional pain specialist using x ray machine. It relieves pain of sciatica and patient can easily start physiotherapy after this. Sciatica associated with leg weakness, loss of control over urine and stools requires urgent decompression surgery. In your case you should get consultation with a pain specialist and get mri lumbo sacral spine done and proceed accordingly with further treatment. 

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Dr. Satish SawaleAyurveda19yrs exp

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All it depends on your severity and how you want to lead your active life. Though you found ayurveda therapies are traditional and just external ones but still comparatively productive on clinical and significantly effective as well to lead you on every front of life. For that you can consult at ayurveda college hospital in your city. Yoga basti, jalaukavcharan, agni karma and nasyam therapy is choice in accordance with clinical status. 

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