Column The Cost of a Sciatica Surgery: Full Disclosure of the Market Prices for Each Surgical Procedure, and Whether it is Covered by Health Insurance.
Sciatica needs no introduction, as everyone has heard of it before.
Sciatica refers to symptoms of compression or irritation of the thickest nerve in the human body, which extends all the way from the lower back to the legs. Symptoms often appear in the buttocks and thighs from the waist down, and include sharp pain similar to an electric shock, or numbness in the calves and toes, calf tension, cold or burning sensations, and heavy legs.
There are many spinal conditions associated with sciatica, the most common being herniated discs and spinal canal stenosis.
Today we will provide information on sciatica surgery and its costs.
What medical department should I go to for having my sciatica examined?
Sciatica is usually treated by orthopedic surgeons.
In some cases, a pain clinic, the neurology department, or the neurosurgery department may also be consulted.
Advantages and disadvantages of insurance and self-funded treatment
Depending on the medical institution chosen, surgery can be performed either through health insurance or as an out-of-pocket treatment.
Treatment covered by health insurance:
Patients with health insurance only have to bear 10 to 30% of the treatment costs.
However, in many of the cases when health insurance is involved, some restrictions apply on necessary examinations such as MRI, the required waiting time until surgery, and the equipment and medical equipment that can be used during the surgery.
Out-of-pocket treatment:
In out-of-pocket treatment, the patient bears the full cost of the treatment (100%). Although cost is a major downside, the advantages of out-of-pocket treatment are far from negligible, as the time between the MRI and the actual surgery is much shorter, it allows the use of a wider range of equipment and provides a more minimally invasive procedure. Depending on the treatment, out-of-pocket treatment may also not need any hospitalization time and the postoperative rest period may also be shortened.
Major Surgeries for Sciatica and Their Respective Costs
The main conditions associated with sciatica are herniated discs and spinal canal stenosis.
The cost of surgery varies depending on the number of disc levels to be treated and the medical institution chosen, but the following is a summary of the cost of surgery per level as performed at main medical institutions in Japan.
In the case of a surgery requiring hospitalization, the expenses (basic hospitalization fee, meals, etc.) will be charged in addition to the treatment cost, which may amount to more than 1 million yen in total.
Endoscopic lumbar discectomy (MED)
This is the standard procedure for herniated discs.
A 16mm incision is made in the back under general anesthesia, an external canal and endoscope are inserted, and the protruding herniated portion is confirmed by the endoscope and removed.
Treatment covered by health insurance:
Length of hospitalization: 1 to 2 weeks
Cost: 231,000 to 300,000 yen (30% of the total cost) plus hospitalization expenses
Percutaneous endoscopic lumbar discectomy (PELD)
A tube called an operation tube is inserted from the back under local anesthesia, and the herniated area is removed while using an endoscope to check the exact location in real time.
Treatment covered by health insurance:
Length of hospitalization: 2 days to 1 week
Cost: From 150,000 to 200,000 yen (30% of the total cost)
Endoscopic lumbar discectomy
Under general anesthesia, an 18-20 mm skin incision is made on the back, an endoscopic tube is passed through it, and part of the vertebral arch and excess ligamentum flavum are removed to relieve pressure on the nerves and widen the spinal canal.
Treatment covered by health insurance:
Length of hospital stay: about 1 week
Cost: 140,000 to 300,000 yen (30% of the total cost)
Endoscopic lumbar interbody fusion
An endoscope and X-ray fluoroscopy are used to fix the intervertebral body.
Under general anesthesia, the skin of the back is incised, the degenerated intervertebral disc is removed, and an artificial device called a cage filled with bone taken from the lumbar bone is inserted to reshape the spine. The vertebrae are then fixed with screws and rods.
Treatment covered by health insurance:
Length of hospital stay: 1 to 2 weeks
Cost: 600,000-850,000 yen (30% of the total cost)
Our treatment: Treatment to repair the intervertebral disc – Cellgel method
Our clinic offers the Cellgel method for herniated intervertebral discs and spinal canal stenosis accompanied by sciatica. It is one of the most advanced treatment methods to have been researched and developed in recent years and is a new treatment method backed up by solid evidence.
Herniated discs and spinal canal stenosis are caused when a disc crack appears, causing its central component to protrude, narrowing the spinal canal. If the disc crack is not repaired, it can re-herniate or narrow the spinal canal again in the future.
The Cellgel procedure is a curative treatment because it can “repair” the disc, which is not possible with other treatment methods. It is characterized by the fact that the volume of the disc is not reduced and the product remains in the disc as a gel-like implant after treatment, thus preserving the disc.
The hospital stay is only half a day, and you can walk home on the same day of treatment.
The Cellgel procedure is an out-of-pocket treatment, and costs 1,420,000 yen (100% of the total cost) for a single disc level.
If you suffer from sciatica or have ever been diagnosed with a herniated disc or spinal stenosis, please consider having a consultation at our clinic.
