Posts Tagged ‘sciatica surgery’

Surgery For Sciatica

Monday, March 12th, 2012

Surgery for sciatica is often the last option for treatment for sciatica. Surgery for sciatica may only be available for particular cases of sciatica. Below is some information on surgery for sciatica.

When Should I Consider Surgery For Sciatica?

Surgery for sciatica is usually reserved for situations when the compressed nerve causes significant muscle weakness, loss of bowel or bladder control, or severe pain that gets progressively worse. It is generally reasonable to consider sciatica surgery if your symptoms haven’t improved after 2 to 3 months of conservative, non-surgical treatments.

What Are the Available Sciatica Surgery Options?

The main purpose of sciatica surgery is to decompress the nerve. Sciatic nerve decompression can be achieved with an open procedure or a minimally invasive (endoscopic) procedure. An open sciatica decompression procedure requires that the surgeon cut open the skin with a large incision to gain access to the compressed nerve. Open procedures are invasive and, depending on the procedure, may require up to a year of recovery. However, with a minimally invasive procedure, the surgeon needs only a tiny incision to decompress the troubled nerve.

Sciatic nerve operation success rates for both types of procedure are about equal. But minimally invasive procedures are associated with less pain and faster recovery than open procedures.

Because sciatica can be caused by many different conditions, the sciatica surgery that would bring relief to you may be different than what would help another patient. Surgery for sciatica may relieve your symptoms of sciatica. If you think you should get surgery for sciatica is is best to consult your doctor.

 

Treatment for Sciatica: Different Ways for Relief

Wednesday, February 1st, 2012

Before choosing your treatment for sciatica you must know the real cause of the sciatic nerve pain. The sciatic nerve is connected to the brain and travels all through the entire length of the spine, down the hips and divided in the buttocks area, and down through each leg. Treatment for sciatica is dependent on where the pain. If you are suffering from sciatica, below are some suggestions for treatment for sciatica!

Sciatica is caused by four main conditions such as vertebral misplacement, disc degeneration, sacroiliac joint dysfunction or piriformis syndrome. Due to the fact that many different things trigger sciatica, it is best to be aware of the problem of the causes so you can avoid them in the future!

Sciatica Exercises: Exercises are used to help ease the pain from sciatica and strengthen the muscles in the lower back. This treatment for sciatica lessens pain when the sciatic never gets irritated. Exercises also help prevent pain from occurring in the future.

The best exercise for treatment for sciatica should strengthen and stretch the muscles in the hip area, buttocks and legs. It should also loosen the muscles in the affected area so that it will not put pressure on the nerve to release pain. Most exercises designed for sciatica are short and to the point so they will not take much of your time, but they are still very effective.

Sciatica Stretches: Sciatica stretches are another type of treatment for sciatica. They are more focused on stretching the muscles along the buttocks to loosen the pressure on the sciatic nerve caused by muscles.  Sciatica stretches can also reduce the bulging of the spinal disc in the lumbar region or relieve the soft tissues adhering to the sciatic nerve.

The muscles that give you the most painful symptoms need to be stretches to release the pain. Depending on the muscles found in the low buttocks, each person might have different orientations related to the sciatic nerve. One great stretch is to bend the leg, pull the knees toward the chest and then across to the opposite shoulder.

Sciatic Medications: When sciatica develops, it is best not to take any pain relievers. Unfortunately, the pain relievers would not eliminate sciatic nerve pain. It is best to use anti-inflammatory medications instead. If you do not have any anti-inflammatory medicine available at home, you can use a hot or cold compress for sciatica relief. Apply the cold compress where you feel the pain, once the pain begins to diminish, apply a hot compress.

Sciatica Surgery: The last form of treatment for sciatica is surgery. Even though this may not always be the best option, sometimes it is the only choice left for some sufferers. The pain a person feels in the legs and lower back may become epidemic. Patients find it hard to get healed no matter how many treatments are available to sciatica. Surgeries are costly and there are some instances where surgery does not relieve the condition and may even worsen the pain.

Above are four different types of treatment for sciatica. Before finding the right treatment for sciatica it is best to diagnose exactly where the pain is in order to have the best results. Remember, treatment for sciatica depends on the location of the pain and the person!

 

Sciatica Treatment: 5 Questions To Ask Before Surgery

Wednesday, November 2nd, 2011

sciatica treatment - surgeryIf you suffer from chronic lower back pain or sciatica pain you know that finding an effective sciatica treatment can be frustrating to say the least! Your doctor may recommend surgery as a sciatica treatment, if so, ask these 5 important questions before you commit to going under the knife!

 

1. What is the root cause of my pain?

Make sure your doctor can identify the root cause of your sciatica, or low back pain, before he or she determines the best sciatica treatment for you. Once the root cause of sciatic pain is determined, your doctor should know the best type of sciatica treatment or operation for your particular condition. Jeffrey Goldstein, MD, director of Spine Service at the New York University Hospital for Joint Diseases, advises patients to make sure that their doctor has found a well-defined source of pain that shows up on an MRI or some other test.

2.Is surgery the BEST form of sciatica treatment for my condition?

Everyone’s back pain is different and some conditions respond better to surgery than others. Make sure you discuss the risks and success rates of surgery as a sciatica treatment with your doctor before making a decision.

3. What are my other options vs. sciatica surgery?

Make sure you explore all of your options before having a major surgery. The spine can be a complicated place to operate and you will want to be confident that the surgery is necessary for your sciatica treatment. Some doctors may recommend other alternatives before opting for surgery as a sciatica treatment.

4. Should I get a second opinion?

All doctors have a different methodology for the treatment of their patients. It is highly recommended with any serious surgery that you get more than one opinion before actually committing.

5. What should I expect in my recovery?

In all the fuss of the surgery specifics we often forget to ask, “What should I expect in recovery.” This is an important question – How long will your recovery be? Will you need assistance for days or weeks? How long will you need to stay in the hospital? Will physical therapy be needed. When you consult with your doctor bring along a notebook with all of these concerns and write down the answers during your visit.