Lower back pain and sciatica: how best to manage them.

In this age of easy access to non-invasive computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging, the clinician is faced with the dilemma of whether or not to remove the patient's intervertebral disc herniation in order to relieve the pain caused by lumbosacral nerve root compromise. This review outlines the rationale for instituting a series of epidural injection techniques, before resorting to surgery.