Lidocaine for sciatica is an increasingly common pharmaceutical product used to treat a variety of back and leg pain conditions. Lidocaine is a time tested and versatile anesthetic which is used for many specific and general medical purposes. For sciatica treatment applications, it is used both in transdermal patch form as a topical therapy, as well as injected directly into painful structures in the spine or muscular anatomy.
This essay will discuss the increasing usage of Lidocaine in the sciatica therapy industry. We will examine how the drug works and why it is so effective for some types of symptoms.
Lidocaine Facts
Lidocaine is a very popular local anesthetic used to treat the symptoms of many painful syndromes, dental applications and even minor surgical procedures.
The drug is used to treat sciatica mostly in topical patch form, called Lidoderm. These patches work at the site of pain when the source is superficial tissue, but will not penetrate deeply in order to effectively treat many spinal or deep muscular causes of sciatica.
For deeper applications, Lidocaine is used via injection or intravenous drip. These injections often provide only short term relief, but can be useful in overcoming acute pain or sciatica spasms.
Lidocaine is a major ingredient in many types of epidural injections and is one of the drugs which actually provide efficacy for these common moderate treatment methods.
Lidocaine for Sciatica Risks
Lidocaine is so useful due it its very few risks, especially compared to many other comparable products. The most common side effect is a localized allergic reaction. Other more serious, but extremely rare effects include: drowsiness, dizziness or cardiovascular complications.
The most common negative effect of Lidocaine is either a poor treatment result or an acceptable result with an extremely short duration.
Of course, when the drug is administered via injection, other risks are present, including possible infection, nerve damage or spinal fluid leak, in the case of an epidural application.
Lidocaine for Sciatica Guidance
Lidocaine has many uses in modern medical science. However, it is not an enduring cure for any painful concern. Sciatica is known as a chronic problem and Lidocaine is simply symptomatic treatment which will only work for some cases.
I do not recommend getting started with Lidocaine use, since your results are not likely to be positive and even if they are good, the benefits will be short lived. It is far better to seek a longer term solution for your pain without any potential for complications, interactions or dependency.
However, if it comes down to transdermal patches versus oral pain management drugs, I would recommend the Lidocaine patches nearly 100% of the time. They simply have far less risk factors and will at least only work on a localized area of the body, rather than poison the anatomy systemically like many drugs can and will do.
