When Sciatica Lasts Past Six Weeks: A Guide for Long Beach Patients

Sciatica pain may start in the lower back or buttock and travel down the back of the thigh, sometimes to the calf or foot, often with tingling or numbness. For Long Beach patients who sit in traffic on the 405, spend a shift on their feet at the port, or lift for a living, it can make ordinary tasks harder.

Sciatica describes a pain pattern, not a diagnosis. It happens when the sciatic nerve or a nerve root in the lower spine is irritated or compressed, whether by a herniated disc, spinal stenosis, degenerative disc changes, a slipped vertebra, a tight piriformis muscle, or sacroiliac joint dysfunction. These causes can feel similar but don't always respond to the same treatment.

Mild sciatica often improves within a few weeks with activity changes and home care. When leg pain lasts beyond roughly four to six weeks, keeps returning, or limits walking, work, or sleep, a specialist evaluation can help identify which structure is most likely producing the pain.

Depending on the diagnosis, options may include physical therapy, an epidural steroid injection or selective nerve root block, or sacroiliac joint injections when the SI joint is involved. Not every patient is a candidate, and relief varies from person to person.

If leg pain comes with loss of bladder or bowel control, numbness in the groin or inner thighs, or worsening leg weakness, seek emergency medical care right away.

Long Beach patients can schedule a consultation at the clinic's Long Beach location, or call (833) 476-7377. The same care is also available at Integrative Sports & Spine's Riverside, Alhambra, and City of Industry locations.

Integrative Sports & Spine Locations

Long Beach Clinic: 2650 Elm Ave, Ste 210, Long Beach, CA 90806
Riverside Clinic: 3975 Jackson St, Ste 201, Riverside, CA 92503
Alhambra Clinic: 925 S Garfield Ave, Alhambra, CA 91801
City of Industry Clinic: 18605 E. Gale Ave, Ste 222, City of Industry, CA 91748

Phone: (833) 476-7377
Website: https://www.integrativesportsandspine.com/
Email: contact@issrehab.com