Dr. Siddharth Katkade
Sciatica & Nerve Health
When a Spine Nerve Gets Compressed: Causes & Symptoms
Experiencing tingling in your foot, numbness in your toes, burning sensations along your calf, or an electric shock sensation when standing up? These symptoms are classic signs of lumbar radiculopathy.
The sciatic nerve is formed by nerve roots emerging from L4, L5, and S1 spinal levels. When a herniated disc, bone spur, or thickened ligament impinges upon these nerve roots in the lumbar canal or neural foramen, normal nerve impulses are interrupted, causing sensory deficits and motor weakness downstream in the leg.
Key Treatment Pathway:
- Accurate Clinical & MRI Diagnosis: Identifying the exact nerve root involved (L4, L5, or S1).
- Conservative Anti-Inflammatory Care: Reducing chemical nerve irritation with neurotropic medications and physical therapy.
- Targeted Transforaminal Nerve Root Blocks: Precision image-guided injection delivering localized anti-inflammatory medication directly to the compressed nerve root.
- Endoscopic / Microscopic Decompression: When conservative therapy fails, keyhole decompression frees the nerve root with instant symptom relief.