Commentary from Israel

摘要

This case raises three important issues: first, the majority of patients with acute sciatica due to disk rupture will improve within 1-3 months; only a small proportion of patients, typically those with intractable pain or with significant neurological deficits, require surgery. This means that the majority of the patients with sciatica should be managed in the primary care/pain clinic setting, rather than being referred to spine surgeons. Primary care practitioners should therefore be capable of diagnosing and managing patients with uncomplicated acute sciatica.