Herniated disc and Sciatic pain?

i am very active and still in my teen years. I hearniated my disc (L4 L5) and have sciatic pain in my left leg and numbness in my foot and knee. The worst part of all is that i am unable to stand up straight and when i am standing i cant lift my head. the tear is 7mm by 17mm. About 3 months ago after a hockey game i noticed what felt like a pulled muscle, so i just ignored it but over the next month, it got worse and worse. For 4 weeks now i have been going to physio therapy where we have been useing laser treatment, electrio therapy, and traction and so far it is the same pain wise but i am able to stand up slightly straight but i still cant raise my head and i still have the numbness . my docter mentioned surgery and i am a little sceptical about that because i am only 18 years old. i would like to know how long people are out for with this injury?
Answer:
Listen up. Is your doctor a Orthopedic S. or Neurologist? How did the injury happen. What you are describing definitely sounds like sciatic. Typically it starts from the lumbar region and goes inferiorly over the gluteal area stop right above the knee, and in severe cases it can cause tingling and numbness in the big toe and foot (Parasthysia and Hyperesthsia). When you describe the herniation as 17mm its almost unheard of. there is a condition that's called sequestration that's when the nuclear material (pulposis) protrude outside of the annular fibers and this is pretty severe. Consult a Chiropractor as well you may get more relief aside from the physical therapy. Good Luck.
Dr. Ali, DC

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The sciatic injury and herniated disk injury are two different injuries.The sciatic joint is an ear shaped joint that helps your uper leg bone attach to the pelvis. It can be treated with a minor surgical proceedure that takes about 40 minutes, doesn't hurt and is done while you are awake. Using a flouroscope Doctors guide a wire to the damage and can usually clear up the damage unless the joint is so damaged they can not get the wire to the inside.The herniated disk is like a thick jello encased in a membrane and that membrane has become herniated (torn) causing the disk to shrink in thickness. Look at a diagram of the human nervous system and you will see that nerve bundles get to your spinal cord through various openings in your spine. The disk helps to hold open these openings and if the disc becomes ruptured, the entrance way for the nerve bundle becomes smaller, irritatating the nerves. This requires an operation to fix as well so the Doctors can stabalize the opening and stop the irritation. Sometimes these are inoperable and you are just stuck. You should always get a second opinion before getting any kind of operation, but in both cases, the only cure. The sciatic operation is painless and you can go home right away and no recovery time is required. The herniated disk repair is a much more complicated operation.Chiropractors can not help either injury.

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