Sciatica Nerve surgery :WHEN WE SHOULD OPERATE?

Your sciatica makes you more and more suffer? It may be the time to operate ... 

What are the risks? Can we remain paralyzed? What is the percentage of success of the operation?

In which cases the surgery is required?

To know: Most sciatica by disc herniation resolve spontaneously. The hernia (protrusion of the spinal disc) dehydrates and is 'eaten' by white blood cells, which explains that the surgery is not (except in emergencies) immediately  envisaged.

Sciatica: when should you operate emergency

- Weakness or paralysis of the foot, 'This is a neurological complication of hernia compresses nerves such kinds they paralyze' explained Prof. Charles Court, orthopedic surgeon.

- An inability to urinate, incontinence, difficulty restrain: 'When the hernia is large, it can compress the nerves that go to the bladder, perineum, rectum and genitals, and cause particular sphincter disorders' says our interlocutor.

Note: 'these complications are rare and mainly concern the initial phase of sciatica or during a brutal agrravation' said Prof Court.

Sciatica: do not wait too much!

Explanation: a nerve that was compressed for months retains a painful memory. It continues to send a pain message to the brain when we lifted the compression during the surgery. ' Result:  it still hurts when we have been operated.

What is the best surgical technique?

What is the best? Difficult to say. It mostly depends on the operating surgeon and technique that he has learned. The most used are those 'open sky' and endoscopy. They both involve an incision in the lower back allowing access to the spine. The interest of the operation by endoscopy is that it is less invasive (it is done via camera, microscope and magnifying glass). "It limits the size of the incision (which is 3 to 4cm usually), decreases postoperative pain and bleeding, 'says Professor Charles Court, orthopedic surgeon. However we must be honest, the results are substantially similar between the two techniques', recognizes the specialist.

And laser? 'We have no evidence that the laser brings something more, there are no comparative studies,' says Prof Court.

In what consists the sciatica surgery?

Note: the sciatica surgery aims to relieve the pain of sciatica, not the lumbago that is asssociated

Sciatica: can we remain paralyzed?

Note: the risk of infection would concern less than 1% of surgical patients of sciatica. To 1-3%,there may have delay of standing due to a breach of the dura mater (bag filled with cerebrospinal fluid containing the nerve roots). Rarely, a nerve irritation resulting a small loss of sensation or strength after surgery and / or the occurrence of a compressive hematoma can be observed.

Are there  many failures?

Note: some factors such as smoking and diabetes increase the risk of bad surgical outcomes of sciatica. The first abyss discs and encourages low back pain. The second damages the nerves.