Description

Lumbar Hernia

Waist hernia

1. What is a herniated disc and how does it occur?

Lumbar hernia is a disease that is caused by the rupture of the cushions, which
we call the disc that carries the load of the spine between the vertebrae and
which act as a shock absorber by suspending this load in a sense, and the
material inside comes out and presses on the nerve roots that come out of the
spinal cord.
Lumbar hernias occur spontaneously, with or without any cause, by traumatic
factors such as lifting heavy things, an inverse movement, crash, fall,
accident.

2. Is every back pain due to lumbar hernia? Can other diseases cause back pain?

Lumbar hernia pains are characterized by pains that start primarily from the
hip and hit the thigh and leg. Especially in pains starting from the hip
and spreading to the leg, even to the foot and heel; Lumbar hernia should
come to mind in pains known as sciatica pain among the people.

3. What are the findings of lumbar hernia?

The most important finding of herniated disc is sciatica pain that starts from
the waist and spreads to the hips and legs. Drowsiness is also one of the most
common complaints. In addition, if the herniated disc has reached serious
dimensions, loss of strength may develop in the movements of the toes in the
leg or standing. The serious findings of lumbar hernia include having to
stop due to pain while walking the road, incontinence of urine, incontinence,
and a problem in the erection of the penis, which we call impotence in men.

4. What are the diagnostic methods of lumbar hernia?

The most important starting point is the patient’s complaints and examination
findings. Next comes radiological imaging techniques. With MRI, the
diagnosis of herniated disc can be made at a rate close to 100%. 5.

How is the treatment of lumbar hernias?
If the onset of the complaints is very recent, if there are no signs of
progressive neurological damage, medical treatment options should be used
first.
Obese patients must first of all lose weight.
A small proportion of lumbar hernias require surgical treatment.

6. What are the surgical treatment criteria for lumbar hernias? When is
surgical treatment needed?

• If the patient has chronic pains that do not respond to any treatment in any way,
• If the patient has pains that make the patient inoperable or impede his social activities,
• If he causes progressive neurological damage in our examination findings, surgical treatment comes to the fore.
• An important point is that if the table we call “drop foot” occurs, that is, if the foot has lost full strength, then the patient should definitely
be operated on in the first 8-12 hours.

7. How long does it take for patients to return to their daily activities after surgery?

In general, 6-8 hours after the operation, we raise the patient under our own
control in the first place and discharge them the next day. In the
postoperative period, patients return to their active life and work after a 1-2-week
rest period. However, for those who work in jobs requiring heavy physical
activity, 4 weeks of rest is the ideal time.

8. How are the operations performed?

The quality of the operations performed and the benefits provided to the
patient have increased even more with the use of microscopes in
surgeries. Microsurgery also provides maximum comfort in separating the
adhesions of the herniated part with the nerve root in lumbar hernias, or the
attached vessels from the nerve root.
For these reasons, microsurgery is the “gold standard” in the surgical
treatment of herniated disc.

9. Can lumbar hernias recur after surgery?

Lumbar hernias may recur at rates varying between 4% -9% after surgery,
according to different sources. Average recurrence rate is 6%. In our
personal experience, this rate does not exceed 3-5%. Recurrences most
often occur within the first 4 years, and more importantly, within the first
year. Therefore, patients should be very careful about themselves in the
first year after the operation and obey the suggestions we give postoperatively.

10. What do patients need to pay attention to?

Generally, when patients who undergo surgery are told to pay attention to
themselves, there will be a disability and a limitation in their postoperative
lifestyle, and a false psychology occurs. In fact, the things we recommend
are things that every normal person should pay attention to. It has
nothing to do with surgery or disease.