What Is Sciatica?

More than half of Americans will experience sciatica in their lifetime. Usually occurring between the ages of 45 and 64, sciatica symptoms are characterized by low back pain that radiates into the legs and feet and is often accompanied by numbness and tingling in the feet and toes.

90% of sciatica cases are the result of a herniated disc in the lumbar spine, or lower back, that causes compression of the nerve root resulting in the odd symptoms such as the numb or tingling toes. Other risk factors for sciatica include excess body weight, height, mental stress, diabetes, prolonged sitting, smoking, and occupational factors such as driving and high physical activity such as bending and twisting.

Osteoarthritis is a degenerative joint disease where the cartilage that acts as a cushion to the tops of bones wears down. As a result, swelling and pain occur. When spinal osteoarthritis develops, the cartilage breaks down in the discs and joints in the neck and lower back. Often, bone spurs may develop that cause additional problems as they press against nerves that lead to the arms or legs from the spinal column, causing pain and weakness.

A common symptom of lower back injury or strain is feeling pain when standing. You may be inclined to avoid standing or other physical activity; however, unless your doctor has recommended bed rest, you will want to try to continue some level of activity within reason. Becoming sedentary may work against you in your recovery because it could cause you to lose muscle tone and flexibility, which can make your lower back pain worsen.

Advanced Arthroscopic Spine Surgery is now available for professional athletes with herniated or bulging discs. Professional football, baseball, golfers, basketball players, and others can't afford to be off the field.

Deuk Laser Disc Repair is a minimally invasive (1/4 inch incision) fully arthroscopic surgery for curing back and neck pain coming from damaged spinal disc(s) or spinal stenosis. This minimally invasive laser spine surgery has a 95% success rate, complication rate under 1%, fast recovery and patients go home the same day.

If you are a professional athlete and have neck or back pain that is keeping you from playing at your full potential, then you need to contact Deuk Spine Institute, 1-800-FIX-MY-BACK, so you can get back in the game. Deuk Laser Disc Repair has a peer reviewed and published average pain relief of 95% with no surgical complications to date. Results are available here.

If non-surgical options haven’t provided you with relief from your neck or back pain, your doctor may recommend laser spine surgery as your best option to return to normal function. While laser spine surgery is less-invasive than conventional spine surgery, there are still certain preparations that you will need to go through before your surgery. Most importantly, you should discuss your options with your surgeon and ask questions about what you can expect during and after your surgery and what your expected outcome will be.

It’s unsettling when your doctor has just informed you that you will need open spine fusion surgery to alleviate your back pain and allow you to return to your normal activities. Spinal fusion is considered one of the most invasive of all spine surgeries. It will entail permanently attaching hardware to your spine to stabilize its damaged areas. What you might not be aware of at first is that the same stabilizing results may be achieved through minimally invasive laser spine surgery.

Patients with painful spine conditions may now be candidates for laser spine surgery. Using minimally invasive techniques, surgeons can perform several different types of surgical procedures that allow patients to take advantage of faster recovery times, less pain and reduced blood loss.

Pain in the lumbar or lower back area can be caused by numerous reasons that stem from the lumbar spine. Problems with nerves, discs, bones, muscles or tendons in the lumbar area are generally culprits for causing lower back pain or pain that may radiate to other parts of the body. The level of pain can vary greatly from a minor dull ache to a pain that is so excruciating that even the slightest movement will bring you to your knees.