A: Absolutely nothing!
Picture this. You wake up in the morning, turn on the light, go to bend over and open your bottom drawer... And Boom! You hit the floor like a sack of potatoes. No, you didn't get struck by lightning, but you may have Sciatica. Sciatica is the name for the symptoms of leg pain that people sometimes experience. You may feel tingling, burning or even an extremely hard pinching sensation throughout your buttocks and leg.
So where did this lovely pain come from? Well, many of the nerves sprouting from your lower back connect to your sciatic nerve (the thickest, longest nerve in your body), and if any of these nerves become irritated your sciatic nerve will as well. Here are the three most common ways to irritate the nerves in your lower back:
Herniated Disc: A herniated disc occurs when the inner core of the disc gets crushed and leaks through the outer core of the disc. Picture squeezing a jelly doughnut between your palms. As that disc protrudes, it brushes upon one of the many nerve roots that flow from your spine. The nerve root in turn sends the signal to your sciatic nerve... and Voila! Instant sciatica ?
Spinal Stenosis: Spinal Stenosis is commonly found in adults over sixty years old. As you age, your spinal canal may tend to narrow. As it narrows, those nerve roots will become irritated. Spinal Stenosis is one of those disorders you cannot do much about. It is caused by enlarged facet joints or overgrowth of the spines soft tissue.
Degenerative Disc Disease: Now don't get nervous, it's not really a disease, it's more of a disorder. As you age your discs will go through a natural break down process. They sort of deteriorate in the lumbar and cervical regions due to excessive use over the years. In turn, this breakdown of the disc can easily irritate a nerve in your spine and cause sciatica.
So, how do we take care of our sciatica problem? Reports show the majority of people who suffer from sciatica recover on their own. The pain may persist anywhere from two to four months. Others are not that lucky and may remain under a physicians care for up to a year trying to correct the problem. Most important to a doctor is actually identifying where this pain is originating from. The sooner your doctor finds out what is causing your sciatica, the sooner the pain will cease. Hear are some solutions for the above stated problems:
Physical Therapy/Lumbar Traction- A doctor's first step in treating a herniated (crushed, ruptured, slipped or bulging) disc is usually Physical Therapy. Physical therapy may consist of one or many exercises and stretches. Aside from the various stretches that may be prescribed, there is also a device known as a Lumbar Traction Device. The theory behind this treatment is to stretch your vertebral column giving your disc enough room to travel back to it's original position, in turn releasing the pressure from whichever nerve root it was touching. Lumbar traction begins with the patient lying on an adjustable table in the "supine bicycle" position (on one's back, legs bent to a chair position, feet resting on a stool). The physical therapy specialist will then provide hip, thorax, and shoulder straps to keep the patient in place. Once in place, a pre-designated weight (usually between 50 and 75 percent of the patient's body weight) will begin separating the table's two pieces, which in turn will stretch the patients vertebral column. Think of a 16th Century torture rack. For approximately fifteen to thirty minutes, the machine will alternate between a full stretch (75 percent) and a relaxed state (about 10 percent). If after two to four weeks, lumbar traction and other physical therapy exercises fail to provide relief, a doctor may take the next step.
Cortisone Injection- A doctor may recommend cortisone injections for a patient with inflammation in the lumbar area. The injection acts differently than lumbar traction, yet has a similar effect. Cortisone is a steroid produced by the human body and runs through a person's blood stream, but it may only act for a few minutes. When synthetically produced and injected directly to the point of inflammation, it may stay active for a few days. As the steroid reduces the inflammation of the effected site, the nerve will become less and less irritated. Thus taking pressure away from the sciatic nerve. This process can be repeated as many times as needed. The inflammation may stay down for several weeks, as it reoccurs your doctor may recommend another cortisone injection. If the steroid fails to relieve pressure from your sciatic nerve, your doctor may be forced to take more extreme measures.
Discectomy- Of course surgery is a last resort, especially in younger patients. Nonetheless, this procedure has held a success rate of 90% when certain factors permit. In cases with a severely broad based disc bulge and narrow disc space, the procedure has seen rates of 65%. When undergoing the operation, the patient will be placed under general anaesthetic (basically in a coma). The surgeon will make a small incision in your back right above the problem disc. When he enters the site, your vertebrae will be blocking the disc. So he will perform a procedure known as a lamenectomy. In short, he will remove the portion of the bone that is blocking his view of the disc. Once removed, the surgeon will find his way past your spinal cord and problem nerve and he will remove the portion of the disc that is touching the nerve. It is a highly routine procedure that is done in the US on a daily basis. Upon completion of the surgery your sciatic nerve pain should be extinguished.
Now that you have rid yourself of that deplorable pain, you must ensure it never returns. Here are a few tips to help heal a recently operated on back: For the first few weeks you should keep pressure off of your back. For example, limit the amount of driving you do for the first four weeks; avoid sitting with an unsupported back; and keep away from any bending or lifting. Now that you have passed your four week mark and you have not had a recurring disc, you can slowly get back into your daily routine. You may return to work, but ensure your duties are limited. Keep the impact level very low, and do not lift greater than fifteen pounds. If your job requires you to be more physically active, you may want to think about waiting until the eight week mark to return. Overall, it's good to see "your back" in the swing of things.
Saturday, October 8, 2011
Through the Eyes of an Afghan
A young man drops to his knees and places his hands behind his ears as if trying to hear something in the distance. He then lowers his forehead to the ground and whispers to the dirt. Coming back up to his knees, the young man looks left, right, then left again. He blankly stares deep to the west as the sun drops from sky. He stares but he cannot see. He can't hear nor smell. He is not able to touch or taste. He can only feel. As he faces west toward the holy city of Mecca he feels his blood boil, his hair stand up and his nerves tremble with pure faith and love for one god. The sun has fallen and he has completed his fifth and final prayer of the day. Abdul gathers his belongings, closes up his store and heads home for the night. His mother and sister wait eagerly for him to return with the evening meal, three hard boiled eggs, a half cup of brown rice and some fresh pomegranate.
After the death of his father three years ago, Abdul had taken over as the head male figure of the house. He is to support the women and continue to run his father's store, which consists of nothing more than a half of a twenty-foot shipment container and a make-shift tent for outside cooking and baking. He remembers back to a time when his father would teach him the "Qu'ran" and show him how to be a proper Muslim; pray five times a day, follow the holy creed , read the holy book and travel to the holy city at least once in his lifetime. His father had never made his "hajj" to the city of Mecca before his death. And therefore died an unclean Muslim.
As he marches home he remembers attending the local school. The head "mullah" would tell tales of the west and how the Christian people lived there lives. He recalls being quite interested to hear of this foreign religion. He noticed many similarities between the western religion and his own. This Christian religion is a religion of peace and love just like Islam. These people of the west believe in one god. They also go to a house of worship with other believers to pray to their god. They even have a holy book! Abdul has always vowed that one day, after he visits Mecca, he would travel to the great land of the west. Sometimes, when he would visit the big city of Kandahar, he would see Americans. His father would tell him they are here to catch the devil. It took Abdul some time to realize his father was speaking of the Taliban. This group of extremists were loathed and feared throughout this region of Afghanistan. They were responsible for many deaths in Abdul's village. Any townspeople who were suspected of speaking with westerners were usually executed. That was what had happened to Gul Wali, Abdul's father. Gul was leaving the store on the last night of "Ramadaan" three years ago, with his youngest daughter. He was approached by four men in a Toyota pick-up truck. They had very long beards and AK-47 rifles. They had stopped Gul because they had heard Americans were at his store earlier in the week, and they wanted to know what Gul had said to them. Gul lied and denied ever speaking to Americans, in fear of his life. The men started questioning why his daughter was out of the house during "Ramadaan". Even though Gul had pleaded for his daughter's safety, the men had thought it proper to make an example out of he and his family. They said any woman found outside during the light hours of the holy month was to be punished as a whore. Gul begged and tried to reason with them that his daughter was merely a child of eleven years and has not reached womanhood, and therefore should not be held to the same standards. Yet the face of evil has no soul and shows no mercy. Two of the men bound Gul and began stoning him with nearby rocks. The remaining two proceeded to beat and rape his daughter. After the four of them were through they executed the father and daughter, secured them to the truck's bumper and hauled them back to their home village.
As Abdul recalls the night his father did not come home, a small tear dances down his cheek and lands in the Afghan sand. These individuals are not considered Muslims he thought. They may call themselves Muslim, pray in an Arabic tongue and read the Qu'ran, but they are not Muslim. A Muslim is a man of peace. He is a man who dedicates his life to one god, Allah. Whenever Abdul goes to the big city to shop at the bazaar, he sees American soldiers. He always wonders if they had ever found the men who killed his father and sister. Ever since his father told him why the Americans were in Afghanistan, he had always looked at them like heroes.
Abdul walked through the wooden front door of his home. He handed the evening meal to his mother and gave his sister a hug. His mother could see his face held sadness. She just smiled and ensured him not to fret, for his father was in a safe place. As he and his mother peered out the window he said, " So are we, the devil will be caught soon enough."
After the death of his father three years ago, Abdul had taken over as the head male figure of the house. He is to support the women and continue to run his father's store, which consists of nothing more than a half of a twenty-foot shipment container and a make-shift tent for outside cooking and baking. He remembers back to a time when his father would teach him the "Qu'ran" and show him how to be a proper Muslim; pray five times a day, follow the holy creed , read the holy book and travel to the holy city at least once in his lifetime. His father had never made his "hajj" to the city of Mecca before his death. And therefore died an unclean Muslim.
As he marches home he remembers attending the local school. The head "mullah" would tell tales of the west and how the Christian people lived there lives. He recalls being quite interested to hear of this foreign religion. He noticed many similarities between the western religion and his own. This Christian religion is a religion of peace and love just like Islam. These people of the west believe in one god. They also go to a house of worship with other believers to pray to their god. They even have a holy book! Abdul has always vowed that one day, after he visits Mecca, he would travel to the great land of the west. Sometimes, when he would visit the big city of Kandahar, he would see Americans. His father would tell him they are here to catch the devil. It took Abdul some time to realize his father was speaking of the Taliban. This group of extremists were loathed and feared throughout this region of Afghanistan. They were responsible for many deaths in Abdul's village. Any townspeople who were suspected of speaking with westerners were usually executed. That was what had happened to Gul Wali, Abdul's father. Gul was leaving the store on the last night of "Ramadaan" three years ago, with his youngest daughter. He was approached by four men in a Toyota pick-up truck. They had very long beards and AK-47 rifles. They had stopped Gul because they had heard Americans were at his store earlier in the week, and they wanted to know what Gul had said to them. Gul lied and denied ever speaking to Americans, in fear of his life. The men started questioning why his daughter was out of the house during "Ramadaan". Even though Gul had pleaded for his daughter's safety, the men had thought it proper to make an example out of he and his family. They said any woman found outside during the light hours of the holy month was to be punished as a whore. Gul begged and tried to reason with them that his daughter was merely a child of eleven years and has not reached womanhood, and therefore should not be held to the same standards. Yet the face of evil has no soul and shows no mercy. Two of the men bound Gul and began stoning him with nearby rocks. The remaining two proceeded to beat and rape his daughter. After the four of them were through they executed the father and daughter, secured them to the truck's bumper and hauled them back to their home village.
As Abdul recalls the night his father did not come home, a small tear dances down his cheek and lands in the Afghan sand. These individuals are not considered Muslims he thought. They may call themselves Muslim, pray in an Arabic tongue and read the Qu'ran, but they are not Muslim. A Muslim is a man of peace. He is a man who dedicates his life to one god, Allah. Whenever Abdul goes to the big city to shop at the bazaar, he sees American soldiers. He always wonders if they had ever found the men who killed his father and sister. Ever since his father told him why the Americans were in Afghanistan, he had always looked at them like heroes.
Abdul walked through the wooden front door of his home. He handed the evening meal to his mother and gave his sister a hug. His mother could see his face held sadness. She just smiled and ensured him not to fret, for his father was in a safe place. As he and his mother peered out the window he said, " So are we, the devil will be caught soon enough."
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