Severe Sciatic and Back Pain Can Be Relieved

Dr. Steven Hardage, Eastern Oklahoma Orthopedic Center, helps patients overcome sciatic and back pain without surgery.

Dr. Steven Hardage and his staff at Eastern Oklahoma ­Orthopedic Center in Claremore are ready to address all areas of non-operative orthopedics from head to toe. (L to R): Dr. Hardage, Aila Biesen, Lisa Welsch and Jennifer Campbell. (Not pictured: Jennifer Dunlap.)

If you’ve ever experienced back pain, you know it can be debilitating, often leading to missed work or forgoing your favorite activities. It is one of the number one reasons for job absenteeism, and one of the most common health complaints in the United States today. In fact, 8 out of 10 people will have back pain in their lifetime and seek a doctor, according to Dr. Steven Hardage with Eastern Oklahoma Orthopedic Center in Claremore. “Most suffering from back pain fear surgery,” says Dr. Hardage, “but in reality, most don’t need surgery for back pain.”

    Dr. Hardage specializes in sports medicine, and he addresses all areas of non-operative orthopedics, including back pain. “Our focus is on the non-surgical treatment of back pain,” he says. “Typically, we deal with true pain in the back or sciatic pain, which goes down the leg.”

    Many things can lead to back pain. For example, says Dr. Hardage, “It could be ­simple strain or pulling of a muscle, which usually resolves itself without intense therapy or treatment.” However, other things like herniated and bulging discs, as well as degenerative disc disease, can cause intense and chronic back pain. “When a patient first comes to our office with back pain,” he says, “we go through a process to ­determine what needs to be done.”

    The first step in the process is to determine the source of the pain. “I start with getting a history by ­visiting with the patient to find out when the pain began, how it might have happened, and determining if the pain has increased or gotten ­better,” says Dr. Hardage. “I also find out what the patient has already tried to eliminate the pain.”

    After a physical exam, Dr. Hardage uses those results as well as the patient’s history to determine nerve function as well as limitations. “I then make a decision about what I believe to be the source of pain. Is it a bone, disc or ­muscle problem? If necessary, we use X-rays and MRIs to help further delineate the problem.”

    When a patient comes into the office with back pain, he or she wants relief. “Initially,” Dr. Hardage says, “we want to calm down the acute flare-up of pain with either oral medication or an epidural steroid injection.” Dr. Hardage is trained to administer the injections, which saves patients a trip to Tulsa. “We want to put out the acute fire – calm things down – and then get them back to baseline with ­rehabilitation, physical ­therapy, and strength and core ­stabilization.”  

    After determining the problem, Dr. Hardage outlines the treatment options for each patient. “I think it’s important for each patient to understand what options are available concerning their ­specific back problem and what plan we will follow so we can get them healed.”

    “Even more importantly,” he adds, “is to work with patients on prevention by strengthening and stabilizing the back through rehabilitation and strength activity modification. We educate our patients on back health to keep the back strong and ­prevent further injuries. My goal is to use conservative methods to get people well and avoid surgery.”

For more information, contact

Eastern Oklahoma Orthopedic Center

www.eooc.com

About Author Carol Beck-Round

After 30 years in public school education, Carol Round retired and moved from Grand Lake to Claremore, Oklahoma in 2005, where she writes a weekly faith-based column which runs in 14 Oklahoma newspapers as well as several national and international publications. Three volumes of her columns have been compiled into collections: A Matter of Faith, Faith Matters and by FAITH alone. She has also written Journaling with Jesus: How to Draw Closer to God and a companion workbook, The 40-Day Challenge. This past year she has written three children’s books, a series called Nana’s 3 Jars, to teach children about the value of giving, saving and spending money. All of Carol’s books are available through Amazon. In addition to writing her weekly column, authoring books and speaking to women’s groups, she writes for Value News. She also blogs regularly at www.carolaround.com. When she is not writing or speaking, she loves spending time with her three grandchildren, working in her flowerbeds, shooting photos, volunteering at her church or going on mission trips overseas, and hiking. She is also an avid reader and loves working crosswords and trying to solve Sudoku puzzles.