Sciatica And The Use Of MRI

In patients with sciatica, there is little relief with conventional therapies. The problem is usually treated effectively with physical therapy, manipulation of the sacroiliac joint and stretching. At Rehabilitation & Spinal Care of Rockford, the symptom of sciatica is a complaint that is commonly described as a sharp, shooting pain that travels down the posterior part of the thigh, into the calf and sometimes into the foot.

The use of MRI is an essential component of any orthopedic, chiropractic or physical therapy based medical practice in the diagnosis of a wide-range of conditions. However, the use of MRI should be judicious based on both the cost and benefit of the information obtained, as a recent study found.

The sciatic nerve travels down both legs

A Medpagetoday.com article noted that "follow-up MR [Magnetic Resonance] images obtained among patients treated for sciatica found no discernible benefit for the repeat imaging study." For patients with sciatica, obtaining an MRI is usually indicated, but this study found that there was no benefit in obtaining a follow-up MRI following treatment. Following one year of treatment, the study found, "disk herniation could be seen on MRI in 35% of patients who reported clinical resolution of the symptoms and in 33% of those whose symptoms persisted." Essentially, the symptoms of sciatica are present in both those who have discernible disc herniation and those without discernible disc herniation at similar levels.