from the article:
"Sciatica tends to run in families and occurs when the soft gel-like material inside a spinal disk protrudes through the outer lining of the disk like a bubble on a bicycle tire. That compresses and inflames a nerve root that forms the sciatic nerve.
The resulting pain can feel like a burning fork in the buttocks, Dr. Weinstein said. Or it can be a searing pain down the back of a leg. The pain can be so intense that some people cannot walk. Some cannot sit. Some, Dr. Weinstein said, “can barely crawl.” "
that's where i was, and after close to nine months with sciatica and nearly a year of discomfort, surgery became the only option - for me. i have a desk job and even that became painful. PT did not help, multiple drugs did not help, three epidurals in my spine did not help. the chance of getting better decreased and decreased for me, as a small number of patients with my symptoms get to nine months still having the pain.
i was told, however, that i could risk permanent nerve damage if i waited beyond nine months, and that did prompt me to act sooner rather than later.
i did feel immediate relief after the surgery, and only now do i have a slight ache in the back of my knee - but i think that may be from overdoing it since it's been eight weeks since my surgery and most of my restrictions have been lifted.
if nothing else, the article is great since it appears to take away the threat of permanent damage if you wait too long to have surgery. thanks mamie, that article you posted is slightly different from the one my coworker forwarded to me (the story was picked up by newsweek, but it presents more of a clouded view of surgery.)
XING
PED
Updated On: 11/22/06 at 11:35 AM
.jpg?format=auto&width=300)
