Sciatica overview

Inflammation of the sciatic nerve can be very painful and bothersome but for some lucky patients this pain can be kept under control with medication but for others the best and only way to stop the pain is by having Los Angeles spine surgery. The sciatic nerve sends signals about movements to the legs and about sensation to the brain. The sciatic nerve is also the largest peripheral nerve in the body. The sciatic nerve is formed at the lower part of the spinal cord and made up of the lumbar and nerve roots from the spine. The sciatic nerve is positioned at the lower end of the spinal cord passes behind the hip joint, and runs down the back of the thigh.

The sciatic nerve is there to perform the two functions mentioned above: Send signals to the muscles from the brain, and collect sensory information from the legs back to the brain. For a person with sciatica condition is that the affect of the nerve will alter one or both of these functions by causing weakness in the leg muscles and pain in the legs, thighs or both and even the hips. Sciatica can be cured with Los Angeles back pain surgery but it is left to the patient to decide whether he or she can live with the symptoms with include:

• Bowel or bladder dysfunction (generally occurs with spinal cord compression)
• Spinal stenosis
• Neuroloic dysfunction including severe weakness
• Extreme pain

These symptoms are all reasons to have Sciatica surgery Los Angeles leading surgeons say, because sciatica is generally caused by a herniated spinal disk the pain is likely to linger and most patients find the greatest relief through surgery. a herniated disk is when the cushion between the vertebra of the spine ruptures. The ruptures causes disc to push in to areas where the nerve usually reside. The nerves are then compressed causing different pain levels, weakness, and numbness.

There are four most common types of Los Angeles Spinal surgery to relieve patients of sciatica pain.

· Discectomy- in this procedure the surgeon removes all or part of the herniated disk pushing on the sciatic nerve causing the sciatic symptoms

· Microdiscectomy- this procedure entails the same as the one above but is minimally invasive. The surgeon makes tiny incisions and uses a microscopic magnification to work inside the body and never cut the patient open. Because this procedure is minimally invasive healing quicken and the recovery time is much shorter.

· Laminectomy- removes the entire lamina

· Laminotomy- Removes part of the lamina both of these procedures create more space for the nerves preventing compression or pinching.

Recovery from sciatica requires that the patient be on medication from two to four weeks, but he or she may be out of bed within twenty-four hours. One must be taught how to sit, rise and stand and he or she may not do so for a while without help. Sports maybe avoided for quite a while with minimal twisting or moving the spine.

Proper steps to healing from back surgery

Spinal surgery is surgery which is done on the neck or spine in order to stabilize the spine and or fix a slipped disc and relieve pain. Spinal surgery consists of several which include bone graft, disc removal and stabilizing the spine with wires. The goal for spine surgery is to keep the vertebrae from dislocating and damaging the spinal cord and nerves. Spinal surgery is serious, and when not healed properly can be very painful and affect every day activities such as walking, sitting, and standing. Because the spine is fragile after surgery and be damaged easily it is essential for those undergoing the surgery to know the steps to recovery.

In Many places around the world including Los Angeles back pain surgery can be done several ways including a minimally invasive ways which decrease hospital stay time and even recovery time, but for most Spinal surgery Glendale leading spine surgeons require a hospital stay of at least two weeks which can be more depending on the complexity of the surgery. After spine surgery the patient will not be able to get in and out of bed on their own, so the family or friends should be present as the patient is being released from the hospital. During the hospital stay the surgeon or physical therapist will give the patient a set of reclining exercise that should be done three to four times a day. These exercises are prescribed to keep circulation in the legs as normal as possible during the recovery period. No movement increases the risk of postoperative complications, so although no strenuous activity is allowed following through with the exercises slowly and walking around the hospital room is advised.

Most patients when discharged from the hospital are discharged with a neck or back brace and will need assistance in removing either of these for showering and/or bathing. After having spine surgery Los Angeles spine surgeons tell their patients not to resume with any physical activity under no circumstances unless the surgeon gave a go ahead. The patient is not to lift weights or any other heavy objects. Lifting anything over the head and twisting exercises can cause great damage to the spine.

Los Angels Spine surgeons do: however, slow walking after surgery. Walking helps the spine to settle in its natural position and become more flexible over time. For patients who had bone graft this is especially important because too little walking for any patient can cause the spine to become rigid. Be concerned if anything feels uncomfortable or painful, and observant to how your spine and overall back respond to activity. Also, take note of any other medications that have been taken prior to surgery and are not for the back because some might interfere with pain relievers and the healing process. The stitches or staples will fall off on their own after due time, but if any fall off immediately after being released call the doctor. The healing process for spinal surgery will be painful and take about two months, but if you follow all the proper steps healing will be speedy and worth all of the precautions.

Golfing and the Lumbar spine

Back injuries are common for athletes of all kinds, but golfers are prone to back injury because golfing asks for an enormous amount of torque. Leading spine surgeon Los Angels say professional golfers are not the only golfers at risk for these injuries anyone who golf’s is it at risk of a lumbar back injury. Golfing begins with a back swing and then move through the follow through. The twisted area of back pressures the lumbar spine repeatedly. As a result of reoccurring pressure on the lumbar spine and twisting of the back golfers generally experience a variety of back injuries.

most common back surgeries for golfers are lumbar spine discectomy and lumbar fusion. A lumbar spine discectomy has to be performed when the golfer has a herniated disc. When herniation occurs a fragment of the normal spinal disc is dislodged, and the fragment presses against the spinal cord or the nerves that surround that spinal cord. A herniated disc can be very painful and cause numbness and tingling that can shoot down to the legs. The discectomy removes the fragment of the herniated disc releasing the pressure in that area. In order to perform a lumbar fusion the condition must be so extreme vertebrates have become unstable. With lumbar fusion, surgery places bone graft or synthetic connectors to connect the problematic vertebrate and the body fuses them together over an extended period of time. Golfers generally become impatient and diligent about getting back to golf but leading Los Angeles spine surgeons say taking the corrects steps to spinal surgery recovery is crucial.

Lumbar discectomy and lumbar fusion have very different recovery periods and therefore have different wait times before being able to get back to regular activity and a bit longer to be able to get back to golf. With any Spine surgery Los Angeles leading spine surgery say twisting the back must be put off till surgeons are certain of full recovery. A discectomy has a much shorter recovery time compared to lumbar fusion. A discectomy requires about six weeks of healing when lumbar fusion requires about six months for the site to heal. For both recovery periods twisting will be limited in fear of injuring the site. Although six weeks or six months maybe the recovery time for the site to heal it is not the time is which a golfer can get back out on the field. Because when healing from any spinal surgery Los Angeles movement must be monitored in order to get back to golfing the time must double and sometimes even triple. After 12 weeks of healing from discectomy and 16 months of healing from Lumbar fusion then the patient will be allowed back to golfing but not playing full games unless very little to no pain is felt.

Such back injuries are so common for golfers because generally golfers do not stretch. Stretching is the best prevention medicine for back injuries. Warming up all the muscles makes the body more flexible and less prone to pain. The back becomes more flexible and then less pressure is applied when twisting.