That sciatic is a bitch. This was the 3rd time that I pinched mine b/c of my back. The first two times, it went away after a month or so. This last time, it had been hurting since August of last year and never went away. Doc had me on nerve pain killer meds and tramadol every day for months and they did nothing.
But seriously, if you do go the rout of surgery, I'd recommend talking to Laser Spine Institute. All the docs I talked to here in Houston wanted to filet my back open like a book which would have required months of recovery and most people I talk to regret ever doing it. LSI is minimally invasive and I was up walking within an hour or so of surgery. Hopefully you wont require a fusion like I had though. Decompression surgeries where they just shave down the bone some are quick and require something like 2 stitches.