Sciatica Sufferers - Avoid These 3 Common Mistakes!
Posted: Tuesday, March 25, 2008
by George Best
http://www.discpainbook.com
Because of pain and a lack of understanding of their condition, sciatica sufferers may make some costly long-term mistakes when it comes to handling their problem.
The first mistake is rushing into a surgery. Although the vast majority of surgeons are not anxious to perform surgery on sciatica cases, there are a few who do recommend surgical treatment right from the start, and without even attempting any other type of treatment. Statistics indicate that sciatica goes away 80% of the time without the use of surgery. Even when surgery is successful initially, the development of scar tissue and abnormal mechanical stresses on the spine adjacent to the surgery often lead to future problems. Given that low back spine surgery overall has about a 50% long-term success rate and people treated surgically often wind up worse than they were prior to surgery, it should be reserved as a treatment of last resort.
The second mistake sciatica sufferers often make is returning to normal activities too quickly once symptoms improve. The vast majority of true sciatica cases are due to bulging or herniation of one or more discs in the lumbar spine, and the inflammation that typically is associated with such disc problems. An amazing amount of symptomatic improvement is often achieved with just a small reduction in inflammation. Many sciatica victims mistakenly believe they are back to normal as soon as they feel better, but the reality is that the bulging/herniated disc is far from fully healed, and too much exertion too soon can easily trigger a recurrence of symptoms - sometimes even more severe than they were to begin with. Even professional physical therapists sometimes make the mistake of pushing a patient to do too much too soon, with the result being a return or increase in sciatica symptoms.
The third mistake people, including doctors, often make regarding sciatica is to view it as a condition that can be "cured". Due to the fact that the majority of people wind up returning to the activities that resulted in the development of sciatica to begin with, most people who experience one episode of sciatica will wind up having multiple episodes over the course of their lives, often with the problems returning more more frequently and with greater severity each time. This is due to the fact that the disc issues that initially produce the sciatica tend to grow worse over time if they are not managed appropriately. Once again, it is not safe to assume that a resolution of symptoms means that the problem has gone away. In fact, what happens in many cases is that the spine and discs gradually degenerate over time, making the person more and more susceptible to sciatica episodes. Eventually, the degeneration can become so severe that there really is no effective treatment, and many people are left with chronic, debilitating pain.
The good news is that for most people, sciatica can be effectively managed long-term with awareness and simple home exercises. Long-term pain and disability are avoidable, if one makes the necessary effort to perform the necessary exercise regimen on a regular schedule and to avoid movements, activities, and postions that can be damaging to the discs of the spine, such as incorrect bending and lifting, and poor posture (especially sitting posture). Long-term problems can be avoided by putting forth just a small amount of effort to manage sciatica on an ongoing basis over time.
--------
Dr. George Best has been treating people with sciatica and piriformis syndrome for over 15 years. To receive a free ebook on sciatica exercises and video information program on managing sciatica, visit his website at http://www.sciaticaselfcare.com.
This Article has been viewed 1,394 times. (Not updated in real-time.)
No comments yet.We want your comments! If you can read this, you don't have javascript enabled, so you can't use this comment system. Please enable javascript.