Cutaneous cautery in sciatica

Cutaneous cautery is a form of alternative medicine sometimes used for patients with sciatica. We describe the clinical significance of its relics in five patients who had previousely undergone cutaneous cautery. Although it does not provide lasting improvement, its scars are useful indicators of the chronicity and authenticity of symptoms. As such, they may influence patient selection and outcome of surgery. Their sites may assist clinical localization of the disc lesion