If you have dealt with sciatica for more than a few weeks, you already know the pattern. The pain eases, you return to your routine, and then it comes back — sometimes worse than before. You have probably been told to stretch, strengthen your core, and avoid bending at the waist.

If you have lumbosacral radiculopathy, you already know the particular frustration of a pain that does not stay in one place. It radiates. It changes character. It interrupts your sleep, your concentration, your ability to sit through a meal or walk around the block.