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In my experience, at least half of all lumbar laminectomies are done for the wrong reason-- back pain. Spinal fusion, as you point out, is anti-physiological and should be reserved for severe spondylosis-- the sliding of one vertebrae off the vertebrae it's sitting on. Results are often disappointing and often just substitute one set of symptoms for another.
With advent of CT & MRI, we're finding that an amazing number of people have herniated discs and don't know it.....and that most people with back pain don't have herniated discs.
If a disc is herniated chronically and impinging on the sciatic nerve in such a way as to cause a paresis (weakening) of a muscle (foot drop is most common) that muscle will atrophy (shrink away) and never return to normal if surgery is delayed.
If your sciatic pains were relieved by deep gluteal injections, you probably had the obturator spasm I mentioned and not herniation of a disc as the cause of pain....It's one thing to be blind due to optic nerve damage, and another to be blind because your eyelid droops shut.
I'm not big advocate of disc surgery. They scrape away the disc material that has crept down into the nerve root canal, but any surgery leaves scaring, and that scaring may be as bad or worse than the original disc problem. It's a crap shoot...
As I said, most spinal surgery is not needed...It depends on how badly your life is affected by the problem. Most cases of acute sciatic resolve on their own with adequate rest.
I don't think you said which surgery he could get, they all have good and bad outcomes. I had laminectomy first, made me worst, think it's a 50/50 shot of better/worst lol
Think before any surgery, trading one issue for another like you said
OP, eight sessions with the chiropractor is not sufficient enough for the severity you describe. For whatever reason people expect a quick fix after years of misalignment and expect presto-changeo results which is highly unreasonable.
All good posts.
I have not seen anyone mention the piriformis muscle.
Look that up to see it...the sciatic n. runs underneath it (usually).
When it gets spasmed or just tight it really hurts the sciatic n.
If you want to try this yourself...lay on the floor on your back, knees bent -
Use a soft ball to gently roll on to loosen it or just place it and don't move, you will control how deep you go....or
see a massage therapist that knows how to work there..ask them first.
I was visiting someone...I found a tuna fish can, dug into the glut muscles with it on it's side....Ahhhh...next morning I was fine...takes a while for the muscles surrounding the nerve
to relax...like in a few hours after going deep in there.
Try it and see, works for many people...Ha, we even had a Chiro on TV talk about the piriformis being a simple reason for sciatic pain.
Here, see, I didn't make this up, lol 'The piriformis is a flat, narrow muscle. It runs from your lower spine through your butt to the top of your thighs. Your piriformis muscle extends to each side of your body and aids in almost every movement of your lower body. The sciatic nerve most commonly runs underneath the piriformis.'
Laying on your back with knees held, hugged to your chest can help a lot, also.
Hold that...let things relax slowly.
Take care.
OP, eight sessions with the chiropractor is not sufficient enough for the severity you describe. For whatever reason people expect a quick fix after years of misalignment and expect presto-changeo results which is highly unreasonable.
My experience with chiropractors is that the relief only lasts as long as you keep going. After the car accident I described above, my insurance paid for a number of visits. After that, the chiro booted me out. He was a neighbor, too. As soon as I stopped going, the pain came back. That's why I'm generally not a fan of chiropractic. I'm not lying when I say that acupuncture saved me. It really does work. 1/2 hour treatment on front, 1/2 hour treatment on the back.
All good posts.
I have not seen anyone mention the piriformis muscle.
Look that up to see it...the sciatic n. runs underneath it (usually).
When it gets spasmed or just tight it really hurts the sciatic n.
I mentioned it twice, and explained why it's not relevant IF the OP is over a certain age. If he's had any disc issues in the past (no matter the age), it's also likely that his current sciatica isn't due to a tight piriformis. We don't have quite enough info on the OP to determine that, though.
So I had your basic, annoying sciatica for about a week. Then three weeks ago it turned really nasty. I can barely walk, even with a walker. My left leg drags because it hurts too much to lift it in trying to walk. I've been to the chiropractor for 8 sessions so far and so far no relief. I've been trying to get into a spine clinic but a computer shutdown makes them unavailable. I'm supposed to start physical therapy next week and do exercises - really? Hopefully I will be getting an MRI and I can get into a pain management clinic and get epidurals. Or maybe I'll get lucky and they'll just stick a needle in my brain and get it over with.
I've gone through 20 tablets of oxycodone in 10 days with another prescription for 40 more. One pill just mitigates the pain enough so I can get out of bed and do things like wash up, throw something in the microwave, maybe get to the store. I can't clean or cook at this point. Two pills allow me to get to the library and get on the computer to complain here about it.
The pain starts in my butt, goes down the back of my thigh, behind the knee, the back of the calf, and now is hurting me in the ankle and in the arch of my foot.
My life is just basically on hold till this $(*^ goes away.
Everybody I know has had or knows someone who has had sciatica.
So what have your experiences been and how the H E double hockey sticks long does it take to go away?
Get the MRI and then see a chiropractor that works with athletes. Their goal is to get people functioning quickly. If after 8 sessions your Chiro has done nothing for you MOVE ON. Please. You don't need to be in pain.
Sports chiropractor. See if there's one that works with local university. Go. Now. Get better.
[had similar situation. After 1st visit with sports chiro my pain reduced by 80%. Not even exaggerating.]
My experience at old age. Horrible pain across lower and upper back and down legs. Had to use walker or crawl to bathroom. Went to chiropractor, said it was sciatica, wasted time and money for 3 months. Chiropractor gave up and recommended a pain management doctor/clinic. Pain doctor got me an MRI. MRI showed severe arthritis and loss of cartilage between all lower joints and stenosis of spine. Said it was bone on bone creating pain. Doc gave me series of injections on one side (lower back/hip area) then another series of injections on the other side. Got off the medical table and immediately walked out of the office with absolutely no pain and stored the walker in the closet at home.
I had sciatica really bad about 35 years ago. It got to the point where I could not sit on my right buttock, so I was doing my work standing up or sitting only half-way on my office chair, which was dangerous. Then, I couldn't sit at all because the pain would spread out and flash down my leg.
I had to take a month off work and just find a position that didn't hurt and stay there. I also wore very spongy shoes that cushioned the jolting of walking.
Injections didn't work; it just seemed to get better on its own after staying home and taking it easy during that time.
Oh, and hot baths helped, too.
I still have "twinges" occasionally, but nothing as bad as before.
I mentioned it twice, and explained why it's not relevant IF the OP is over a certain age. If he's had any disc issues in the past (no matter the age), it's also likely that his current sciatica isn't due to a tight piriformis. We don't have quite enough info on the OP to determine that, though.
Oh! I really thought I went thru everything! Gosh!
All good posts. I have not seen anyone mention the piriformis muscle.
Look that up to see it...the sciatic n. runs underneath it (usually).
When it gets spasmed or just tight it really hurts the sciatic n.
It's in one of the posts I linked to. It's my issue too.
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This is my take :)
