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Best Doctor for Slip Disc and Sciatica Treatment in Delhi

Sciatica is a phrase used to describe discomfort that radiates from the lower spine to the legs. Sciatica is most frequently caused by irritation or shrinkage of the nerves as they exit the spine and travel to the legs. It may be accompanied by numbness, tingling and weakening in the afflicted nerve's distribution. Are you looking for the best sciatica treatment in Delhi? Dr. Hamza Shaikh is a recognized sciatica and slip disc doctor in Delhi. He provide best sciatica treatment in Dwarka, Delhi, Najafgarh, Palam, Janakpuri, Subhash Nagar, Delhi NCR and Paschim Vihar.

Slip disc/Lumbar disc herniation & Sciatica

‘Sciatica'' commonly refers to any pain that originates in the lower back and radiates down the leg which corresponds to the sciatic nerve pathway in the body (hence the term). It refers to the symptom of pain rather than a specific condition, illness, or disease.

Sciatica pain is frequently described as acute, shooting, stabbing, burning, or electric in nature. There are several medical conditions that give rise to sciatica pain, which includes: herniated or slipped disc, spinal stenosis, spondylolisthesis and other rare causes include - pyriformis syndrome (spasm of pyriformis muscle), trauma, tumour and infection in the spine.

A herniated or slipped disc is the most common cause of sciatica, which accounts for more than 90% of cases. The disc is the cushioning pads between two vertebrae in the spine. Each disc is made up of an inner gel-like material called the nucleus pulposus and an exterior thick fibrous ring called the annulus.

When the inner nucleus bulges out (herniates) due to a weakening in its outer shell and presses on one of the sciatic nerve roots, sciatica pain occurs. Also, recent studies have established that the cause of pain is not only mechanical compression but associated inflammation (swelling) of nerves by the disc material.

Clinical presentation

Sciatica pain caused by a herniated disc usually worsens when sitting, bending forward, sneezing or coughing; however, walking is somewhat superior. Weakness or numbness in your buttock, lower back, leg or feet may accompany pain. Sciatica normally only affects one leg at a time. However, it’s possible that pain occurs in both legs. It’s simply a matter of where the nerve is being pinched along the spinal column. Disc herniation can occasionally cause loss of bowel and bladder control (owing to cauda equina compression).

Clinical Diagnosis

Clinical evaluation includes evaluation of the site of back and leg pain, neurological examination, and special clinical test for sciatica which includes- Straight leg raise test, also called Lasègue's sign. The examiner raises the patient's leg when the knee is straight while they are laying on their back on an examination table or examination floor. Radiating leg pain is replicated by a successful straight leg test.

Depending on the results of the examination, imaging and other tests such as
  • Spinal X-rays
  • Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI): diagnosis of choice for disc-related pathology
  • Computed tomography (CT) scans
  • Nerve conduction velocity studies/electromyography to examine how well electrical impulses travel through the sciatic nerve and the response of muscles.
  • The majority of individuals with disc herniation-related sciatica pain improve symptomatically and return to work within six weeks of non-surgical treatment.
Non-surgical options include
  • Rest for a short period, however, absolute bed rest is not advisable, in fact, it is recommended that people continue with normal activity to the best of their abilities
  • Applying ice and/or hot packs
  • Pain medicines: non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), includes ibuprofen, Aceclofenac or naproxen, etc
  • Other medications- Gabapentin and Pregabalin have shown effectiveness in improving nerve-related leg pain
  • Performing gentle stretches and normal walk

Spinal Epidural Injection
  • A corticosteroid injection with local anaesthesia straight into the spine surrounding the nerve roots has been demonstrated to alleviate pain and edoema around the afflicted nerve roots. Many studies have demonstrated that pain alleviation after injection can endure for more than a year in the majority of patients, avoiding surgery.

Surgical Management
  • Surgery is required when pain is severe and unrelenting and interferes in standing or working or when pain is associated with progressive weakness of leg(s) or associated with loss of bladder or bowel control. Only 8-10% of all patients with disc herniation may eventually need surgical intervention for pain relief.

Surgery for disc removal is one of the most commonly performed surgeries on the spine. In the 21st century, with better technology and better-trained spine surgeons, the success rate of spine surgery has improved considerably with a significantly reduced complication rate. The myth of every patient becoming paralysed or permanently disabled after spine surgery does not hold true in today’s world. Individuals are able to walk independently the next day after surgery.

The exact cause of the disc herniation is still unknown. Therefore it is not possible to prevent it from occurring in the true sense, however, common back pain can be prevented by taking the following steps

  • Maintain good posture while sitting, standing, lifting objects
  • Avoid smoking: Nicotine reduces the blood supply to bones. It weakens the spine and the vertebral disks, which puts more stress on the spine and discs and causes back and spine problems
  • Eat healthily and exercise regularly: Exercise includes: aerobic-based exercise-Walk/jogging, Zumba, pilates for 1 hour daily for core muscle strengthening and Yoga (Surya namaskar) for flexibility of the spine are the ideal exercises for back pain prevention
Case-1: Microdiscectomy-L5-S1 disc herniation

Case-2: Posterior decompression and fusion Surgery

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Manipal Hospital

Sector 6, Dwarka,
Delhi - 110075

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