Expert: Dr. Timothy N. Ramos - 11/13/2000

Question
I have sciatica in both legs, although primarily in the left leg. Although not incapacitating, pain can be severe at times, particularly when waking up early in the morning. Orthopedist states pain sciatic pain is being caused by arthritis and not a herniated disk. Can accupuncture provide relief from sciatica pain and if so, for how long a period? Thanks, Dave Guthrie

Answer
The severity of your case would dictate the length of treatments, and the chances of a positive outcome. Some spinal re-structuring may need to be performed, to decrease nerve impingement, if present. Since the pain lateralizes to the left more prominant. This sounds like the situation. Not a disk problem, a hip and vertebrae mis-alignment :) But to answer your question, yes it can decrease-stop-cure, the sciatica.