“Burning from the hip to the foot.”
Nerve irritation with several distinct causes. Identifying which one you have changes the entire treatment path.
Where a torn, leaking disc is the driver, this procedure treats that disc directly.
Whatever the diagnosis on your report says, the treatable question is whether a disc is torn and leaking. An annulogram answers that directly — and a review of the MRI you already own is where it starts.
How the procedure worksSciatica is not a diagnosis; it is a symptom — pain along the sciatic nerve, from the low back through the buttock and down the leg. Several different problems cause it, and the right treatment depends entirely on which one you have.
What sciatica is
The sciatic nerve forms from the L4, L5, and S1 nerve roots (with contributions from S2 and S3) and runs down each leg. Anything that irritates those roots can produce pain along the nerve's path: a herniated disc pressing on them, material leaking from a torn disc onto them, narrowing of the spinal canal, a vertebra that has slipped forward, or the piriformis muscle in the buttock.
How it tends to feel
Burning, shooting, or electric pain from the buttock down the back or side of the leg, sometimes to the foot; tingling or numbness in a strip of skin; usually on one side. Sitting, coughing, and sneezing often make it worse.
Weakness in the leg or foot, or any change in bladder or bowel control, needs prompt assessment.
What imaging shows — and misses
An MRI can show a herniation or narrowing that explains the pain — or show several findings and leave you no wiser about which one matters. A torn disc leaking onto a nerve root can irritate it without visibly pressing on it, and that is a finding an MRI often does not show. The annulogram does.
How the FibraDisc Procedure addresses it
Where sciatica is driven by a torn, leaking disc, the procedure places fibrin sealant into that tear through a needle, at the levels the annulogram identifies. It does not treat sciatica caused by canal narrowing, a slipped vertebra, or the piriformis muscle, and it is not a substitute for urgent surgical assessment where there is weakness.
Fibrin sealant's use inside the disc is off-label; the published evidence is pilot and observational data; outcomes vary and are not guaranteed.
When it is not the answer
Foot drop, progressive weakness, numbness in the groin, or bladder or bowel changes are emergencies. Sciatica from stenosis, spondylolisthesis, or the sacroiliac or piriformis region is a different problem. Part of candidacy screening is ruling those out.
Questions about sciatica
Yes. Material leaking from a torn disc can inflame a nerve root chemically, without compressing it, and produce the same pain down the leg. That is one reason a “normal” MRI and real sciatica can coexist.
It is not right for everyone. We will say so.
Often a good fit
- Chronic low back or neck pain that has not resolved with conservative care
- A recent MRI showing disc degeneration, bulging, or herniation
- Pain after a failed spine surgery, including fusion
- You have been told fusion is the next step and want another option first
- You want to avoid hardware and preserve your own disc
Not a fit, or not yet
- No recent MRI — we cannot assess you without imaging
- Progressive weakness, foot drop, or loss of bladder or bowel control (seek care now)
- Active spinal infection or cancer involving the spine
- Severe spinal instability or high-grade slippage
- Expecting insurance to cover it — the procedure is self-pay
Is your sciatica actually a torn disc?
A physician screens the MRI you already have and tells you in writing whether you appear to be a candidate — before you spend anything, least of all a flight.