Discectomy Spine Surgery: Will It Cure Your Chronic Sciatic Nerve Pain?

By Choll Kim

Suffering from sciatica is no joke and leaves thousands of people in pain each year. When a patient seeks out medical intervention for sciatic nerve pain, they are typically referred to a physical therapist before any surgical or invasive procedures are performed. Sometime, anti-inflammatory and pain medications will also be prescribed.
If the aforementioned treatments do not produce a significant decrease in pain, a surgical procedure called a discectomy might be in order. This is something a patient and their surgeon will discuss together and weigh the risks versus the benefits.
Most people are more than happy to go under the knife when they have sciatica. Sciatic nerve pain extends from the lower back and shoots down the back of the legs. This pain can be severe and produces sensations of numbness, weakness, tingling, and other undesirable symptoms.
When a patient has a ruptured or herniated disc, a discectomy is typically the main course of action. These problems affect the lumbar spine and when patients have not responded to medication, physical therapy, traction, spinal decompression, or epidural steroid injections, surgery becomes almost inevitable.

When a disc becomes herniated, the exterior of the disc becomes compromised, weakened, and can sometimes tear. When this happens, jelly-like fluid leaks out of the disc and puts pressure on the surrounding sciatic nerve tissue. This is why sufferers feels pain and other symptoms in their lower backs and legs.
Traditionally, an open discectomy is performed, which involves an incision being made in the patient's back over the herniated disc. During the procedure, muscle tissue is cut away from the herniated disc and removed. In some cases, a retractor might be utilized in order to keep the muscle tissue and flesh pulled back so they surgeon has an easier way of performing the surgery.
In extreme cases, the surgical team will take away some of the vertebrae bone, which is referred to as the lamina. When this happens, the procedure is called a laminectomy. Once all bone fragments have been removed, the surrounding tissue is repaired and put back into place and the surgeon closes the incision up with stiches.
A less invasive procedure that only the most equipped surgeons are using is called a micro-discectomy. This surgery is far less invasive than the traditional discectomy. The procedure only requires a small incision to be made on the patient's back as a small instrument called an endoscope is inserted into the area.
An endoscope is a very small tube that has an even smaller camera attached to the end of it. The tube is inserted into the incision and allows the doctor to see inside of the spinal cavity via TV screen that the scope is attached to. Sometimes, other small instruments are also attached to the endoscope that the surgeon utilizes.
This procedure is typically performed under general anesthesia in a hospital or surgical suite. Having a minimally invasive micro-discectomy comes with fewer risks than a traditional procedure does and the recovery time is often weeks to months shorter. Most patients are able to leave the hospital the same day the surgery was performed or at least within a few days.

Determining whether a patient can have a micro-discectomy is dependent upon the type of problem being treated. Most people suffering from sciatica are prime candidates for the procedure but need to discuss the ins and outs of having the surgery before any decisions can be made. In most cases, a patient who opts for an endoscopic surgery achieves the results they are looking for.
In order to determine the severity of a patient's sciatica problem, a surgeon will most likely order an MRI to be performed or a CT scan. These procedures allow a surgeon to see inside of the patients back by using special imaging devices and will help the doctor make an informed decision.

http://ezinearticles.com/?Discectomy-Spine-Surgery:-Will-It-Cure-Your-Chronic-Sciatic-Nerve-Pain?&id=9168659