Recovery Times and Tips After Laser Spine Surgery

By Choll Kim

Laser spine surgery is the least invasive option when it comes to having any form of spinal surgery. Unfortunately this type of technique cannot be used on all spinal injuries, so you will have to discuss the options with your surgeon to identify which techniques will work best based on your particular spinal issues. In most instances laser spine surgery is only used on small back issues.
It is important, as with any surgery, that you prepare in advance. Ensure you have plenty of groceries at home with someone who can cook and care for your family while you recover. Recovery time varies from patient to patient, so staying active and fit for as long as possible before your surgery can help you recover that little bit quicker moving forward.
The cause and severity of your spinal issues will determine what surgery is the best solution for you. There are two types of laser spine surgery; the first is decompression surgery and the second is stabilization surgery. Both will have similar recovery times.

On the day of your surgery, ensure you have someone who can drop you at the hospital at the agreed time, this can reduce your need to drive. Remember after the surgery you will not be driving for a while, until you are recovered and feel comfortable and confident in the driver's seat.
After the surgery, you may stay over night for observation. This is usually a decision which is made by your surgeon and medical team. Staying over night for monitoring ensures that your pain medication is working and you are not experiencing any unnecessary pain, which may get worse once you get home.
When you have been discharged, don't expect to be running any marathons any time soon or spend a day playing football with the family. Recovery time can feel slow, though with laser surgery it is much faster than if you had traditional surgery.
Take your surgeons recovery tips seriously. Write them down if you have to so that you know what you can and cannot do and what you should be doing to aid your recovery. Depending on what your surgery was for, your surgeon may encourage you to get up and get moving within a few hours of surgery. Again, you are not expected to run a marathon, but you should move around the home just to get some movement in your body.
Take it easy for the next few weeks and don't over exert yourself. Up to eighty six percent of patients who have this type of surgery return to work in three months and can resume all their normal daily activities within the three month period. This is a massive difference between the six to twelve month recovery period if you were to have traditional surgery.

Start with baby steps. Ensure you keep a chair nearby when cooking, so if you feel you have overdone it, you can sit down and rest. Do a little more each day building your confidence and managing your pain accordingly.
The good news with laser spine surgery is that you don't have a large incision on your back which means that you don't have a long scar which has been stitched to deal with. You will have one or two small incisions which will heal within days, so all you have to focus on is getting up and moving and returning to daily life as quickly as possible.

http://ezinearticles.com/?Recovery-Times-and-Tips-After-Laser-Spine-Surgery&id=9228464

Sciatica Nerve Pain Relief

By Anna Peterson


Sciatica, also known as lumbar radiculopathy, is a serious form of pain that has a variety of causes and symptoms that are usually only felt on one half of the body. It has been prevalent since ancient times, and is fairly widespread and recognized. Symptoms include shooting or burning pain either in one of the five spinal nerve roots, usually leading to lower back, hip, buttock and leg pain. In addition to this pain, a feeling of numbness or weakness usually accompanies sciatica.
Causes of sciatica are diverse, but they include a lumbar disc herniation pressing on a nerve, which usually accounts for most of the cases. However, practically any type of irritation that impacts the nerve can be held liable: other causes include tumors, infections, and internal bleeding. Many women also contract sciatica during pregnancy, as it can aggravate the sciatic nerve, but it usually has no traumatic impact on the fetus. For those with sciatica, risk factors include degenerative arthritis of the lumbar spine.
Sciatica nerve pain relief is dependent on several factors. Since the sciatic nerve is the biggest nerve in the body, it can sometimes be a lengthy process for it to be repaired to optimal function. However, there are times when sciatia resolves itself after a short time span of weeks, but this usually occurs specifically when the cause is a lumbar disc herniation.
The most common form of sciatica nerve pain relief is medication that is specifically used to relieve inflammation and pain, though evidence about the helpfulness of medication is still being debated. Nonetheless, among the most popular prescribed medications are muscle relaxants, botulism toxin and cortisone injections, and other forms of painkillers. On occasion, epidural steroid injections are often employed, though these agents are more controversially used.
Bed rest is the traditional form of treatment for sciatica, as walking or exercising with these symptoms is not advised. There has much research conducting on the effectiveness of bed rust in helping patients with sciatica nerve pain relief. Usually, after a span of three to four months, the majority of patients suffering these symptoms report slight improvement. However, this improvement is roughly analogous to patients who did not receive bed rest; thus, the case for bed rest as a form of sciatica nerve pain relief is not significant.
Some people in desperate need of sciatica nerve pain relief turn to surgical methods to remove part of the disc in a process called disectomy. While this may be an appealing option to some, the majority of research shows that the long-term benefits do not show a significant improvement. In the short run, pain may be alleviated, but otherwise it seems to have no enormous effect on the pain.
Though these are some of the most prevalent forms of sciatica nerve pain relief, other opportunities abound. These include stretching exercises, physical therapy, and naturopathic remedies.
Ultimately, though sciatica is painful and quite serious, there is still hope for those who are suffering from it. Over time, symptoms may abate completely, and even if it may not completely go away, scientists are researching it and striving to come up with a more effective cure.

http://goarticles.com/article/Sciatica-Nerve-Pain-Relief/7905113/

Here's A Question - What Relieves Sciatica?

By Stuart Ward

Save your relationships I hear you say! Yes, that's right. For one thing I've discovered is, left untreated, sciatica not only affects you, it affects those close to and around you too.
Thankfully, I've never suffered with sciatica (touch wood), but my wonderful girlfriend and partner has.
Seeing her constantly suffer and struggle with the pain made me feel sad. But after a while, the constant sleepless nights where she would be tossing and turning because of the discomfort would leave us both feeling tired and drained in the morning.
Not exactly what you want before starting a day's work!
So, my girlfriend being Thai has several friends that practice Thai massage and pressure point therapy. They shared with us stretches and acupressure massage that, if practiced daily, really helped to relieve my girlfriend's sciatica pain.
What we discovered was a three-step process towards relieving sciatica and lower body pain.
Many fellow sufferers have since asked me: "what relieves sciatica?"

With that in mind allow me to share this three-step process with you.
Stretching
We were shown specific stretches that target certain muscles along with the sciatic nerve itself. Daily stretching not only helps relieve sciatica, it also keeps your spine fluid and flexible.
When stretching it's important to keep things balanced. What I mean by this is after completing one particular stretch you need to follow-up with an opposite stretch.
For example, when stretching the spine in one direction follow-up by stretching your spine in the opposite direction.
Two stretches I like to do every morning to start my day is the "cat stretch" followed with the "cobra stretch." This ensures my spine is stretched in opposite directions keeping it balanced, fluid and flexible.
One common cause of sciatica is piriformis syndrome. This is a small muscle buried deep within our buttocks and it sure hurts if it gets damaged or inflamed. It'll put pressure on your sciatic nerve and you'll feel a stabbing pain in your buttocks and back of legs.
If piriformis syndrome is causing your sciatica then you'll need to stretch this tiny muscle.
Taken from yoga, the "pigeon pose" or stretch is ideal for stretching the piriformis muscle as well as opening your hips and loosening your lower body.
Acupressure Therapy
This was the eastern secret my girlfriend's friends shared with us. Manipulating and massaging certain pressure points really helped to relieve her sciatica pain, especially when used in conjunction with stretching exercises.
We tend to turn a blind eye to this type of therapy in the west but acupressure has been practiced for thousands of years in the far east. And the beauty of this is, you can do this alone in the privacy of your own home.
I used to have my doubts but I'm happy to say I'm a firm believer now.
Diet
"You are what you eat." Food is probably the most underrated therapy in the western world.
After seeing what my Thai friends eat everyday I now realize why they always appear healthy and look younger than they really are.

They always eat foods that are known to combat inflammation and boost our immune systems.
Every Thai meal comes packed with spices including chili, turmeric, garlic and ginger along with leafy greens. If you add these to your daily diet you really don't need a medicine cabinet!
Nature gives us everything we need, it's all too easy to overlook that in today's world.
So, Back To Our Question - What Relieves Sciatica?
Well put simply, nature does!
I know sciatica can be debilitating but you really don't have to keep popping pills everyday to stop your pain. Do things the way nature intended and you can't go too far wrong.
Follow a daily routine of stretching and acupressure, eat the right healthy foods and you'll be surprised how quickly you can stop your sciatica pain - and for good!
Surely that must be worth it to get the quality of your former life back - wouldn't you agree?

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