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Back & Neck Pain Blog

By Anne Asher, About.com Guide to Back & Neck Pain since 2005

Herniated Disk and Sciatica - Surgery v Conservative Treatment.

Sunday June 3, 2007
Surgery or Conservative care for sciatica due to herniated disk?
Illustration:
(c) Anne Asher 2007
A new study, published in the New England Journal of Medicine found no real difference between recovery rates from back surgery for sciatica, as compared with conservative treatment. The study did find that those treated with surgery felt better faster. But by the end of one year it was estimated that 95% of all study participants recovered from their disk problems.

In the study, standard microdiscectomy was performed.

Sciatica is a symptom of herniated disk. It is characterized by radiating pain down the leg. Surgery for sciatica is usually tried after conservative methods have failed.

Comments

June 6, 2007 at 5:45 pm
(1) Dr. Eben Davis says:

Degenerative Spondylolisthesis is very difficult to treat, and it can be very unstable. The results do not surprise me. However, two years is not a long time. We need to see how they are doing in five or ten years. Sciatica and herniated discs are another story. I know first hand there are nonsurgical methods that have a really good success rate with certain patients. And, for some patients surgery is just not an option at all. In addition, doctors need to consider emotional and nutritional components. They say you could pull 10 people off the street and six of them would show herniated discs. Of those six, maybe one or two have symptoms. We must consider everything.

August 27, 2009 at 10:07 pm
(2) Kim says:

I had a herniated L5 S1 disc removed 6 years ago. For the past 2 days I have had severe sciatic pain from my buttock down to my left ankle as before. Is there a chance that I have somehow herniated another disc.

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