The pain will often go away on its own but can take days/weeks/months and sometimes it doesn’t go away. A short burst of a steroid often helps with symptoms. I will often prescribe a nerve pain medicine like gabapentin or pregabalin and this often takes the edge off. Exercises or PT can often be helpful. Need to examine you to determine the right types of exercises.

If pain is severe or not getting better in a month or so or there is any weakness on exam, I end up ordering an MRI of the lower back. Most of the time there is a disc issue at L5/S1 compressing the exiting nerve on the affected side.

Sometimes there is spondylolisthesis, a cyst, a disc extrusion, an annular tear, or facet/laminar hypertrophy. But it’s usually a disc bulge/herniation.

If it doesn’t get better and there is a clear cause, spinal injections and sometimes surgery are indicated.