Sciatica treatment options. Chymopapain, an enzyme found in papaya, is sometimes used as a sciatica treatment for pain caused by a herniated disc that would normally require surgery. It was approved for use by the US Food and Drug Administration in 1982, is quite widely used in Canada and occasionally used in the UK.
The drug has been controversial ever since it was introduced as a treatment for sciatica, but some patients have found it very effective. However some people are highly allergic to chymopapain, so it is important to have an allergy test before using as a sciatica treatment.
Injecting this papaya extract to remedy ruptured disc pain is less traumatic, invasive and costly than surgery, and is an effective sciatica treatment as long as it is administered by an appropriately qualified and experienced medical practitioner.
However, as with surgery, it is important to remember that chymopapain is just one step in the recovery process towards sciatica relief. It is not in itself a cure.
How It Works
Taking chymopapain injections as a treatment for sciatica sounds almost too good to be true. ‘One injection completely cured me without me need for surgery,’ said an estate agent in the US.
When used as a sciatica treatment, a chymopapain injection is administered under local or general anesthetic by a neurosurgeon, orthopedic surgeon or anesthetist. You lie on your side on an X-ray table. Depending on whether you are awake or asleep, different techniques are used to pinpoint the exact area where the gel portion of your disc has broken through its casing and is putting pressure on a nerve root.
The injection itself takes about 5 minutes. The entire procedure, from entering to leaving the treatment room, takes about half an hour, and can start providing sciatica pain relief almost right away.
If the injection is successful, the chymopapain dissolves the gel from the ruptured disc, thereby lessening pressure on the nerve root. This should offer some sciatica pain relief in your legs almost immediately.
Some patients who get chymopapain injections as sciatica treatment leave the same day they are treated, but most are hospitalized for one to four nights for observation or for treatment of other back pain caused by the procedure itself.
Disc surgery patients, on the other hand, are hospitalized for an average of eight days. And chymopapain patients have another advantage over disc surgery patients. They usually experience full sciatica relief and are back in full swing in six weeks, while surgery patients may need three to six months to resume the activities they pursued before the ruptured disc episode.
Mail this post
{ 1 comment… read it below or add one }
Hi Mike,
Thanks for visiting my site and for your comments. I am sorry to hear you are in so much pain. Obviously there are certain details that cannot be gleaned from an online post, but unless there are some other issues found on your MRI, I would say you are a perfect candidate for DRX9000 spinal decompression.
Here are some facts regarding spinal decompression vs disc surgery for you to consider:
Decompression may be able to reduce your disc bulging/herniation and therefore reduce your pain without having surgery. That means less risk and no tissue damage to the disc. With DRX9000 decompression you have over 90% chance of marked pain relief and at least an 80% chance of your back pain/sciatica completely resolving. Total time of recovery 5-8 weeks at a cost of around $4,000 – 5,000.
While discectomy is getting less and less invasive, it is still surgery with built in risks (reaction to anesthesia, infection, nerve damage, bleeding, failure). Also, while disc surgery may reduce the size of your disc herniation, the disc tissue itself is damaged by the surgery and will forever be weakened and subject to failure later. And the best odds for success are 50%. Recovery time 3-6 months. Simple discetomy costs are about $30,000. Unless you are an HMO patient, your co-pay could end up being $4,000 – 6,000. IF youa re an HMO patient it is unliley you are getting the best surgeon for the job.
Mike, you’re a young guy and by the sounds of it, an active guy. From what I have learned about you, I believe spinal decompression is well suited to you and in the off chance it did not work, you could always have surgery later. In many instances you cannot do it the other way around.
I wish you luck, if you would like more specific information please send me the details of your MRI report. I would also be happy to locate a DRX in your area so that you could at least consult with a specialist in spinal decompression. Only a DRX spinal decompression specialist can tell you whether you are a good match for this treatment.
Warmest regards,
Dr Barry L Marks,