Lumbar Radiculopathy: Treatment, Cost and Side Effects

Lumbar radiculopathy is a condition wherein a pain travels from the lower back down the leg either through the front or through the back. The pain is caused as the sciatic nerve, body’s largest nerve gets affected either due to pelvic fracture or a ruptured intervertebral disk or due to pressure put on the sciatic nerve due to narrowing down of the spinal canal. Lumbar radiculopathy may also occur due to age like bone spurs and herniated disks that occur with increasing age, obesity that puts pressure on the nerve, several occupation that involves carrying heavy loads, continuous driving of vehicles, sedentary jobs and sometimes even diabetes. Lumbar radiculopathy causes numbness, tingling and pain on the lower back and gradually or suddenly travelling down the leg. Generally, only one side of the body is affected. Most cases of lumbar radiculopathy resolve without any treatment. Treatment may be required if the condition worsens and causes significant problems that affect not only the muscles of the legs and back but also that of the intestines and the bladder. Diagnostic tests included imaging tests like MRI, X-ray, electromyography and CT scan. Treatment may not require surgery initially. The condition can be treated with medication, physiotherapy and some steroid injections. In case the condition does not improve with these conservative treatment procedures, surgical option may be adopted.

Treatment of lumbar radiculopathy is initially done with the help of medications, physiotherapy and steroid injections. Drugs prescribed for treatment are muscle relaxants, over-the-counter painkillers, anti-inflammatory medicines like ibuprofen, acetaminophen, some steroid injections. For treating mild pain oral cortisone can be prescribed and sever pain can be treated with corticosteroids epidural injections. Tricyclic anti-depressants, narcotics and anti-seizure medications have also proved to be useful in relieving pain. Apart from medication physical therapy is another method of lumbar radiculopathy treatment. The physiotherapist helps the patient to learn exercises for posture correction and strengthening the muscles to improve flexibility. Surgery is done when the aforementioned methods do not work to relieve the pain. in surgical procedure the bone spur or the herniated disc can be fixed or removed which is responsible for exerting pressure on the nerve. Herniated disc is removed with a procedure called laminotomy which involves cutting a small hole in the affected bone of the lumbar spine. Another procedure through which it is done is called laminectomy wherein the bony wall is removed with the help of a needle and by dissolving the disc by a procedure known as cheminucleolysis. Apart from these surgical procedures, spinal fusion is another method by which lumbar radiculopathy can be corrected.

People who experience sever pain due to sciatica are eligible for the treatment.

Sometimes the pain due to lumbar radiculopathy resolves o its own. In such cases, treatment is not required.

Medications generally do not have any serious side effect. But there can be some side effects like blurred vision, loss of appetite, muscle weakness, diarrhoea etc due to muscle relaxants, drowsiness, sleepiness ad nausea due to anti-seizure medication, fatigue, insomnia, constipation, weight gain etc. due to anti depressants and so on. Physical therapy generally does not have any side effect.

Post treatment guidelines for lumbar radiculopathy are light exercises, hot and cold packs and bed rest as recommended by the doctor.

It may take a few weeks for lumbar radiculopathy to resolve after treatment has been done.

The price treating lumbar radiculopathy in India ranges from Rs. 5,000 to Rs. 25,000.

Yes, the results of the treatment are permanent.

Alternative treatment for lumbar radiculopathy can be acupuncture or chiropractic. In acupuncture, the therapist uses needle to prick specific points on the skin that helps in controlling the pain. stretching, hot and cold packs can also give relief.