833-377-7325

Peak Spine Sports Medicine Logo mark Gold Color
Sciatica

Sciatica Treatment in Marlton and Collingswood, NJ

Sciatica can make sitting, standing, walking, driving, sleeping, working, exercising, or traveling difficult. Pain may start in the lower back or buttock and travel into the hip, thigh, calf, foot, or toes. For some patients, the pain feels sharp and shooting. For others, it feels burning, electric, numb, tingling, or weak.

At Peak Spine & Sports Medicine, our team evaluates whether sciatica is coming from an irritated spinal nerve, herniated or bulging disc, spinal stenosis, foraminal narrowing, degenerative disc disease, inflammation around a nerve root, or another focal pain source. When pain follows a specific nerve pathway, diagnosis and treatment should be just as specific.

We provide opioid-free, interventional pain care in Marlton and Collingswood, NJ, with a focus on careful diagnosis, targeted treatment, and quality of life. Care is led by Dr. Milind Patel and Dr. Jill Kalariya, double board-certified pain management physicians, with support from Brian Brown, PA.

Their concierge, white-glove model gives patients a more personal and organized experience, with thorough consultations, clear communication, thoughtful treatment planning, and a team that helps reduce the burden of navigating pain care.

To schedule a sciatica consultation in Marlton or Collingswood, NJ, call Peak Spine & Sports Medicine at (833) 377-7325 or request an appointment online. Telehealth consultations are available when appropriate. We serve patients in Marlton, Collingswood, Cherry Hill, Medford, Moorestown, Mount Laurel, Voorhees, Philadelphia, and nearby communities.

Quick Links

What Is Sciatica?

Sciatica is pain that travels along the sciatic nerve pathway.

The sciatic nerve begins in the lower back, passes through the buttock and hip region, and continues down the leg. Sciatica often happens when one or more nerve roots in the lower spine become irritated, inflamed, pinched, or compressed.

This is why sciatica is often related to lumbar radiculopathy. The pain may begin near the spine, but symptoms can travel into areas far away from the lower back.

Sciatica may involve:

  • Low back pain
  • Buttock pain
  • Hip pain
  • Pain down the back or side of the leg
  • Calf pain
  • Foot or toe symptoms
  • Burning pain
  • Sharp or shooting pain
  • Electric pain
  • Numbness or tingling
  • Pins and needles sensations
  • Weakness in more severe cases
  • Pain that worsens with sitting, bending, lifting, coughing, or sneezing
  • Pain that worsens with standing or walking in some spinal stenosis cases

Sciatica is not a diagnosis by itself. It is a symptom pattern. The more important question is what is irritating the nerve.

Sciatica can feel intense, unpredictable, and difficult to ignore.

Some patients feel pain that shoots from the low back into the buttock and down one leg. Others feel burning, tingling, numbness, or electric sensations in the hip, thigh, calf, foot, or toes. The symptoms usually affect one side, although both sides may be involved in some conditions.

Sciatica symptoms may include:

  • Sharp leg pain
  • Burning pain
  • Electric shock-like pain
  • Pain that travels below the knee
  • Numbness or tingling
  • Weakness
  • Pain with sitting
  • Pain with standing or walking
  • Pain when bending forward
  • Pain with coughing or sneezing
  • Difficulty driving
  • Difficulty sleeping
  • Difficulty exercising
  • Difficulty walking comfortably

 

The location, direction, and behavior of the pain help the team determine which nerve root or spinal structure may be involved.

Sciatica develops when the sciatic nerve pathway or the nerve roots that form it become irritated or compressed.

Common causes may include:

  • Herniated disc
  • Bulging disc
  • Degenerative disc disease
  • Lumbar spinal stenosis
  • Foraminal stenosis
  • Bone spurs
  • Facet joint arthritis
  • Spondylolisthesis
  • Inflammation around a nerve root
  • Prior spine surgery
  • Scar tissue in selected cases
  • Trauma or injury
  • Muscle guarding or deep gluteal irritation in selected cases

Sciatica can also overlap with other conditions, so the treatment plan should be based on the full pain pattern rather than the MRI report alone.

Sciatica and lumbar radiculopathy are closely related, but they are not always used interchangeably.

Sciatica describes a pattern of pain that travels from the lower back or buttock into the leg. Lumbar radiculopathy refers to irritation or compression of a nerve root in the lower spine. Lumbar radiculopathy is one common reason sciatica occurs.

This distinction matters because treatment should focus on the involved nerve root and the structure causing irritation. A patient with sciatica from a contained herniated disc may need a different plan than someone with spinal stenosis, foraminal narrowing, post-surgical nerve pain, or overlapping neuropathy.

Diagnosis begins with a careful conversation and physical exam.

The Peak Spine & Sports Medicine team asks where symptoms begin, where pain travels, what the pain feels like, what makes it worse, what improves it, what treatments have already been tried, and what daily activities are being limited.

The evaluation may include:

  • Strength testing
  • Sensation testing
  • Reflex checks
  • Spine movement testing
  • Straight leg raise or nerve tension testing when appropriate
  • Walking and balance assessment
  • Review of pain with sitting, standing, bending, or walking
  • Assessment for muscle guarding or trigger points
  • Review of prior imaging

MRI may be recommended when symptoms suggest a herniated disc, spinal stenosis, foraminal narrowing, nerve root irritation, or another soft-tissue or structural issue. X-rays may help evaluate arthritis, alignment, instability, or spondylolisthesis. CT scans or nerve testing may be used in selected cases.

The key is connecting symptoms with exam and imaging. A scan may show more than one abnormality, but treatment should focus on the nerve root or structure most likely driving the current pain.

Why Choose Peak Spine & Sports Medicine for Sciatica?

Peak Spine & Sports Medicine was built around a simple standard: this should be the kind of pain management practice we would want our own family members to visit.

Patients come to our Marlton and Collingswood offices because they want more than a quick visit and another prescription. Our team takes time to understand where sciatica starts, where it travels, how it affects daily life, what has already been tried, and which activities the patient wants to return to.

For one patient, the priority may be sitting through work without leg pain. For another, it may be driving comfortably, walking through an airport, sleeping through the night, exercising, golfing, traveling, or playing with children or grandchildren.

Peak Spine & Sports Medicine offers:

  • Concierge, white-glove pain management care
  • A non-opioid approach to pain care
  • Focal pain evaluation and targeted treatment planning
  • Ivy League-trained professionals
  • Double board-certified pain management physicians
  • Cutting-edge interventional techniques and technology
  • Advanced spine and nerve pain evaluation
  • Image-guided spine procedures when appropriate
  • Epidural Steroid Injection evaluation when nerve inflammation is involved
  • Nerve Root / Selective Nerve Block evaluation when a specific nerve root is suspected
  • Disc Decompression evaluation for selected contained disc herniations
  • MILD Procedure evaluation for selected lumbar spinal stenosis patients
  • Neuromodulation evaluation for selected chronic nerve pain patterns
  • Telehealth consults when appropriate
  • A helpful staff that works to reduce the burden on patients
  • Insurance access for eligible PPO/POS patients with out-of-network benefits

Care is led by Dr. Milind Patel and Dr. Jill Kalariya, double board-certified pain management physicians who perform advanced interventional procedures in the outpatient surgery center. Brian Brown, PA, supports conservative care, diagnostic workups, imaging coordination, therapy recommendations, and follow-up planning.

Our practice is selective with insurance because the model is built around quality, time, and individualized care. Peak Spine & Sports Medicine primarily works with PPO and POS plans with out-of-network benefits and does not participate with EPO, HMO, Medicare, or Medicaid plans.

Visit our Why Choose Us page to learn more.

How Is Sciatica Treated?

Sciatica treatment depends on what is irritating the nerve, how severe the symptoms are, whether weakness is present, how long symptoms have lasted, and how much daily life is affected.

Some patients improve with time, activity modification, outside physical therapy referral, home exercise guidance, posture changes, strengthening, and non-opioid medication coordination when appropriate. Others may need image-guided procedures when nerve pain continues or limits function.

Treatment may include:

  • Outside physical therapy referral
  • Activity modification
  • Home exercise guidance
  • Non-opioid medication coordination when appropriate
  • Epidural Steroid Injections
  • Nerve Root / Selective Nerve Blocks
  • Disc Decompression in select contained disc herniation cases
  • MILD Procedure when lumbar spinal stenosis is involved
  • Facet Joint Injections when overlapping facet pain is present
  • Medial Branch Blocks when facet joints are suspected
  • Radiofrequency Ablation after successful diagnostic blocks
  • SI Joint Injections when SI joint pain overlaps with sciatic-type symptoms
  • Trigger Point Injections when muscle guarding contributes to pain
  • Spinal Cord Stimulation in select chronic nerve pain cases
  • DRG Stimulation in select focal neuropathic pain cases
  • Peripheral Nerve Stimulation when a localized nerve target is identified
  • Surgical evaluation when symptoms, imaging, or neurologic findings suggest it is needed

The right plan depends on the source of nerve irritation. A patient with sciatica from a herniated disc may need a different approach than someone with spinal stenosis, foraminal narrowing, SI joint dysfunction, or pain after spine surgery.

Epidural Steroid Injections for Sciatica

Epidural Steroid Injections may be considered when sciatica appears related to inflammation around a spinal nerve root.

During an epidural steroid injection, anti-inflammatory medication is placed near the irritated nerve pathway using imaging guidance. This may help reduce radiating leg pain and make movement, sleep, therapy, work, or daily activities more manageable.

Epidural Steroid Injections may be considered for:

  • Lumbar radiculopathy
  • Sciatica
  • Disc-related nerve irritation
  • Spinal stenosis-related nerve inflammation
  • Pain that travels from the low back into the buttock or leg

For some patients, the injection helps reduce symptoms enough to participate more comfortably in therapy and strengthening. For others, the response helps clarify how much nerve inflammation is contributing to the pain pattern.

Nerve Root / Selective Nerve Blocks for Sciatica

Nerve Root / Selective Nerve Blocks may be used when symptoms suggest that a specific lumbar nerve root is involved.

The injection is placed near the suspected nerve root with imaging guidance. This may provide temporary relief and useful diagnostic information.

Selective nerve root blocks may be especially helpful when imaging shows more than one possible level of concern. If more than one nerve root could be causing symptoms, a targeted block may help identify which nerve is driving the pain.

These blocks may be considered when sciatica follows a defined pathway into the buttock, hip, leg, foot, or toes.

Overlapping Pain Sources That Can Mimic Sciatica

Pain in the buttock, hip, thigh, or leg may also come from the SI joint, hip joint, facet joints, muscle trigger points, peripheral nerves, diabetic neuropathy, or vascular conditions. Some patients have more than one pain source at the same time.

This is why Peak Spine & Sports Medicine evaluates the full pattern before recommending treatment. If the pain is not primarily coming from a lumbar nerve root, a different treatment path may be more appropriate.

Depending on the findings, treatment may involve SI Joint Injections, Facet Joint Injections, Medial Branch Blocks, Trigger Point Injections, Joint & Extremity Injections, nerve blocks, or referral to another specialist.

Neuromodulation for Chronic Sciatica or Nerve Pain

Neuromodulation may be considered for selected patients with chronic nerve-related pain that has not improved enough with conservative care, injections, procedures, or prior surgery.

Spinal Cord Stimulation uses an implanted device that delivers controlled electrical impulses near the spinal cord. These signals can change how pain signals are processed before they reach the brain.

DRG Stimulation targets the dorsal root ganglion and may be considered for selected focal neuropathic pain patterns.

Peripheral Nerve Stimulation may be considered when a localized nerve target is identified.

Neuromodulation is not the first step for most patients with sciatica. It may be discussed after careful evaluation of the diagnosis, imaging, prior treatments, functional goals, and readiness for an implantable therapy. Temporary trials are often used before permanent implantation is considered.

When Does Sciatica Need Prompt Medical Evaluation?

Some sciatica symptoms should be evaluated promptly.

Patients should seek urgent medical care when sciatica is associated with:

  • Loss of bowel or bladder control
  • Numbness in the groin or saddle area
  • Progressive weakness
  • Foot drop
  • Difficulty walking
  • Worsening balance
  • Fever with severe back pain
  • Pain after major trauma
  • Severe pain that is rapidly worsening

Most sciatica is not an emergency, but these symptoms may suggest a serious nerve, spinal cord, infection, fracture, or medical concern that should not wait.

The cost of sciatica treatment depends on the evaluation, imaging or diagnostic needs, treatment plan, procedures recommended, facility, insurance benefits, and medical necessity requirements.

Peak Spine & Sports Medicine primarily serves patients with PPO or POS insurance plans that offer out-of-network benefits. Operating out-of-network for most plans enables us to provide a more personalized model with longer visits, tailored treatment plans, and comprehensive education, without the pressure to rush care.

Many patients find that out-of-network care with PPO or POS plan benefits is more accessible than expected. Our team can review benefits, explain the process, and help determine if our practice is the right fit.

Peak Spine & Sports Medicine does not participate with EPO, HMO, Medicare, or Medicaid plans. This enables our office to accommodate new and existing patients promptly.

Patients visit Peak Spine & Sports Medicine in Marlton and Collingswood from Cherry Hill, Medford, Moorestown, Mount Laurel, Voorhees, Philadelphia, and surrounding areas because they want high-level interventional spine and nerve pain care without an opioid-first approach.

At Peak Spine & Sports Medicine, we do not use opioids as a shortcut for pain care.

Sciatica often involves a specific irritated nerve root, disc problem, narrowing around a nerve, inflammation, or overlapping spine condition. Long-term opioid reliance can make care more complicated without identifying or treating the nerve pathway or structure driving symptoms.

Our practice focuses on education, careful diagnosis, and targeted interventional procedures when appropriate. For the right patient, sciatica care may include therapy coordination, non-opioid medication coordination, epidural steroid injections, selective nerve root blocks, disc procedures, minimally invasive spine procedures, radiofrequency ablation when overlapping facet pain is involved, or neuromodulation evaluation for chronic nerve pain.

The purpose is to help patients move better, sleep better, reduce severe radiating pain when possible, and return to daily life with more clarity and support.

Schedule a Sciatica Consultation in Marlton or Collingswood, NJ

Meet Dr. Jill Kalariya , Dr. Milind Patel and Brian Brown PA-C at Peak Spine & Sports Medicine in Marlton, NJ

For sciatica treatment in Marlton and Collingswood, NJ, contact Peak Spine & Sports Medicine at (833) 377-7325 or schedule a consultation online today. Our team will help determine whether the pain pattern, goals, and insurance benefits make our concierge interventional pain model the right fit.

We proudly serve patients in Marlton, Collingswood, Cherry Hill, Medford, Moorestown, Mount Laurel, Voorhees, Philadelphia, and surrounding communities.

Meet Our Providers
Request an Appointment

Sciatica Marlton, NJ – FAQs

Yes. Sciatica may cause numbness, tingling, pins and needles sensations, or weakness when the involved nerve root impacts sensation or muscle function. Progressive weakness should be evaluated promptly.

Diagnosis may include a symptom review, physical exam, neurologic testing, review of prior treatments, and imaging when appropriate. MRI may help identify herniated discs, spinal stenosis, foraminal narrowing, or nerve root irritation.

Sciatica should be evaluated urgently if it is associated with loss of bowel or bladder control, saddle numbness, progressive weakness, foot drop, difficulty walking, worsening balance, fever with severe back pain, or pain after major trauma.

Patients receive specific post-procedure instructions based on the treatment performed. In many cases, patients may be advised to avoid standing water, including pools, hot tubs, baths, lakes, or oceans, for 1 to 2 days after the procedure, or as directed by the clinical team. Showers may be allowed sooner depending on the procedure and aftercare instructions.

Some patients benefit from physical therapy or strengthening after pain is better controlled. Peak Spine & Sports Medicine does not provide physical therapy in-house, but the team may refer patients to outside providers when mobility, posture, strength, or functional restoration is part of the plan.

In many cases, yes. Telehealth consults may be available to review symptoms, discuss prior imaging or treatment, and determine whether an in-person exam or procedure consultation is appropriate.

Peak Spine & Sports Medicine accepts insurance and primarily works with PPO and POS plans that have out-of-network benefits. The practice does not participate with EPO, HMO, Medicare, or Medicaid plans. The team can help determine whether benefits may apply.