Show Advice on Your Health I By Morris Fishbein Editor Journal our American e n M Medical All sorts of pains in the legs are from time to time called sciatica There is no specific disease disease disease dis dis- dis- dis ease condition definitely related to this term by physicians The symptoms vary a great deal Many physicians are inclined in inclined in- in dined to describe sciatica as an inflammation of the sciatic nerve because the pain concerned is usually distributed in the area covered by the nerve From time to time various methods of treatment have been described It has been suggested that injections be used to block this nerve such as ns the injection of alcohol or water or of oxygen oxygen oxygen oxy oxy- gen around the nerve More re recently recently recently re- re investigators have found a specific cause for this pain in a I considerable number of cases particularly those in which the pain is persistent and progressive The mechanism is interesting Between each of the bones of the spine there is a disk Apparently it is possible for a portion of this disk to be destroyed by any violent violent vio vio- vio- vio lent and sometimes not even so violent movement As a result of this sudden action a bulge may appear on the edge of the disk disk disk- this bulge pressing persistently on one or more roots of the nerves coming from the spinal cord The usual place for this bulge is in the lower part of the spine The pain from which patients suffer when the bulge from the broken disk presses the nerve against the bone is usually at the bottom of the foot at the back of the ne foot or over the heel It may also be felt in the back of the thigh high and quite frequently also in the he back Sometimes such patients pa pa- patients pa- pa are arc unable to bend back or even to bend the hip fully or to bend end the hip when the knee is held straight Modern scientific medicine I 1 developed a method for det mining with certainty that It t broken disk diskand exi eX and that the bulge is actu present Such protuberances protuberance c never be felt from the surfs surf with the fingers A called is injected spine Then X-ray X pictures pictures' tl E taken of the patient lying on onil J stomach with his feet It will be found that the bulge II with the passing oft opaque fluid beyond the po pOI where the bulge occurs The only method of to control such a condition is course a surgical method T TJ i bulge cannot be removed by prE prEsure sure or manipulation An in sion is made in the back dayto dov day to the spine Then the bulged bulge exposed and removed In maJ inal mail places hundreds of such oper have been done with a hi degree of success in that the p pj tient thereafter is relieved of pa pal and is not again troubled by at ar arof arl arlof t of the difficulties that have beE be mentioned |