Back Issues :: Lumbar Pain And Sciatica
Sep 7, 2015
Nine months ago I hurt my back with an improper lift. Unlike several other back sprains, this one won't go away. Low back pain, and bilateral sciatica. Mostly dull pain, but shooting pain down legs when I bend backwards, or step into a hole that jars my back. Doctors have to play by the insurance company rules, so they treat with meds, then Phys Therapy, then guessing, and before you know it you have been hurting for 9 months. So I had an MRI that revealed a herniated disc with central canal stenosis and 2 other bulging discs.
How does one choose the method of treatment, or the type of medical pro. If you go to a surgeon, he wants to cut, to a chiro, he wants to crack and twist, you get the point. I'm being stoic about the pain, because I am concerned about side effects and drug dependency, but it's time to get this fixed and get on with my life. I would like to think that the body is equipped to heal itself. But, maybe not.
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I'm 18 and i was diagnosed with scoliosis at a young age. I wore a brace to correct the curvature for about 2-3 years. The brace would put pressure on my hips and after some time I would have pain in my lower back, down my buttocks, down the back of
the leg and into the toes. It's sharp and searing and sometimes there's tingling and numbness. Could this be sciatica caused by the brace? Is it possible that it pinched the nerves and caused permanent damage? All I know is that it is extremely painful and hard to get to go away..
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I have sever back pain and haven't been able to work since August. I am unable to stand, sit or walk for long periods of time. It hurts to sneeze, cough, bend or pick anything up. The pain is constant, stabbing at times and it feels like I have a rock in my spine. They have done facet and epidural injections. I take an anti-inflammatory, muscle relaxer and Norco (3 times a day). They tried to put me on Neurontin but it made me too sick. I have had every test done imaginable and basically what I have is degenerative disk disease with mild broad-base bulge. Bilateral facet arthropathy and ligamentum flavum hypertrophy. Indentation of the thecal sac in L4-L5. L5-S1 bilateral arthropathy. L3-L4 bilateral ligamentum flavum hypertrophy and a left nerve sleeve cyst (synovial cyst).
My surgeon wants to do a foraminotomy because I have radiculopathy on L4-L5 and then do a spinal cord stimulator for the pain. He isn't worried about the cyst...said it isn't the reason for my sever back pain. From what I have been reading, all of my symptoms sound like its the cyst causing at least some of the pain. Am I wrong to second guess his opinion? I just don't want to have these surgeries done and then later down the road turn around and have to have the cyst removed.
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I am a 41 year old girl with Chiari Malformation and Back Pain and I have Postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (not really related to my question issue here). For quite awhile I have had back pain (upper/cervical) and lower. I tried to tell the doctors but they always told me it was nothing. Then it got severe one day. I don't know how to explain it but it felt like something happened in my lower back area. The pain was in my back and leg (left side) and it was not in my butt at all. Some days the pain in my leg felt like a stake was being driven in it. Otherwise most of the time it was just plain pain (don't know how to explain it - it was 2 types of pain). Well I finally called my doctor and I had an appt and he got me a couple of MRI's and said that I had a herniated disc and that a chunk broke off of it (he gave me copies of my reports as well)and the chunk was lying elsewhere. Well to make a long story short, he sent me to an Ortho Neuro who ended up doing a surgery...he was like you can do PT (which would mean I still had to live with it), Live with it or surgery. I didn't want to live with it. Well, it took awhile but after so many months/weeks I ended up having PT after the surgery.
Well during PT my pain went from being bad to worse! I cried during PT and after my sessions. I had a couple of weeks here and there I had it put off because of my neuro appts out of state, but it was not long periods of time. Anyway, my PT told me I needed to stop my PT sessions and contact my doctor because they could tell that I was having a ton of pain and I was not getting better - only worse. I did let my ortho know and waiting on my appt I let them know that on some days the pain would spread (it was kind of like radiating) to my right side. Apparently they assumed I meant it was on the right side. During my appt after my MRI, he kept saying the right side - that my results showed nothing about the right side and he left it go at that. I kept trying to say it was on the left but spread to the right (radiated on some days). He did not listen to me. I let him know that my leg was weak and I kept falling. Still didn't listen. My appt was directly after my MRI so he read it and didn't have the radiologist results. I was so devastated as I had no idea what was going on. I decided to obtain my results and after I did I had an appt coincidently with my regular doctor and I told him about my appt and showed him my results. He seemed concerned and told me that I needed to contact the ortho and ask them to explain my results and go over them with me. He said I had a right to have them explained to me. He didn't because he was not the one who ordered them and it is not his area anyway.
I did again and they said that the results got misfiled/lost in a folder somewhere. They called me back a week later and set an appt up. I explained to them again that it was my left and it had just radiated to my right. It has always been my left said. I explained I was falling and my leg is now like a noodle and it is scaring me. I am so afraid I will not be able to walk one day. I am afraid to go anywhere by myself due to the risk of falling, as I have fallen stepping out of the car and just walking about a few feet or so. My leg just gives out on me. The pain is excruciating as well. Well I went to my appt and they cancelled it on me and I am scheduled this week. As usual I am sure they will say there is nothing on there (as they have before - every doctor is different it seems telling me what could be). Well, one thing my regular doctor was concerned about was other than my disc is herniated again, is that it has something on there he does not know what it is supposed to be is that it says: enhancement noted in the left erector spinae musculature. That is the concern. Anyone ever see this before or know what it could be?
The last thing is that again my disc is herniated and compressing the sciatic nerve. The rest is not concerning as it is normal they said: Enhancement in the surgical bed as well as along the left side of the thecal sac and encasing left S1 and S2 Nerve Roots. Although it has been 9 or 10 months since my surgery on my lumbar area, they said that is normal to have.
I am really worried about the pain and the falling - the fact that my leg is like a noodle and only getting worse. I am so off balance and more. I have a ton of symptoms but they say the other stuff is neurological and related to my P.O.T.S. I have been more nauseated and throwing up more than ever (although it is not causing me to lose weight, because I don't walk as much because of the problem with walking and the pain from exercise (as found out in PT). I assume the nausea and vomiting is from the extreme pain. I am so tired of being ignored by the doctors. I don't think my regular doctor would tell me I need to go back to the ortho if he didn't think something was wrong too. I feel like crap and I just want to feel better. I may never get better from the P.O.T.S. or the Chiari/Cervical pain, but there is hope that someone can fix my back problems. My walking is important to me because I love to take walks with my family and I love walking in the snow, etc. I want to be able to do more things. I can't go see the specialist (for my neuro stuff) until I get this taken care of, as they are out of state.
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I've had horrible back pain for over a year now due to a herniated disc at L5/S1 and a bulge at L4/L5. It's gotten better at various times during the interim, but I've never been able to bodybuilder/workout again. I usually do not have sciatica (only severe back pain) but every time I re-aggravate it I do get sciatica that shoots into my right heel. I visited my neurosurgeon and he told me he does not think I would be a candidate for a microdiscectomy because my primary symptom is not sciatica - but I want some second opinions. Did a microdiscectomy help your back pain from the herniation and not just the sciatica?
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I had a LP done in march ever since i've had constant stabbing pain where i had it done pain in lower back(sciatica) in hip leg and foot. i cannot sleep walk far nor lift due to it it hurt to sit stand do anything basically i ve varis pain relief non of ir work its still there tried stretching little exercise just makes it worse then i can't walk.
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I'm a 29 year old father of two and a plumber by trade. I have suffered with two herniated discs for two and a half years and am now suffering quite badly and trying to stay in work. I have gone through physiotherapy and have had a nerve root injection with no avail. I have received my letter to go for a pre op health check etc for a lumbar discectomy. After reading other stories on here etc I'd like to try and shed some light on is this worth having or not?
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what causes sciatica?
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I'm a teenager who suffers from Sciatica pain. Please note that doctors have not told me this, I googled it and Sciatica exactly describes my pain. I have Spina bifida occulta, but was told it shouldn't cause me any pain. Not sure if that is relating to my pain. I had an X-RAY and an MRI (I think) and the doctor said it was fine... but that still does not explain my pain? It's been going on for maybe 4-5 years?
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I have had the typical sciatica for years on and off nothing debilitating so I am familiar w/the pain in the buttocks and moved down the leg etc but this is different so if anyone has had this please let me know I'm so confused...a month ago I actually went to ER w/pain behind my thigh that felt like I was being stabbed...then it would stop and come back 10-12 seconds later lasting about 2-3 seconds and VERY painful did this consistently for 6 hrs and disappeared as fast as it came! GONE for 1 month until this past Sat started again altho not as constant ..until the past hr I have had it every 30 seconds and I cannot fig out what causes it ...or what it is ..the ER gave me Valium and my reg Dr said take magnesium altho my levels were within range. I almost feels like I was tasered or stabbed (have really never experienced either but seems like that's what it would feel like) so do you think this could be sciatica?
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I've had problems with my neck and back since I was a child, but recently i've been having more problems with my back, i've had about 3 or 4 episodes of lower back pain but this time I have been diagnosed with lower back pain and sciatica, the doctor put me on codeine, but they didn't ease the pain and now nefopam which are basically doing the same, i've also been seeing a physio for the last 3 weeks, when he had a look he said my spine was twisted/curved and my right hip was lower than my left so I was walking lopsided, I feel like I'm going in circles and feeling fed up and in constant pain,
When I was born I was put in cast from above my hips to my toes as my hips/pelvis and legs weren't formed properly, I was in cast till I was about 2 or 3 years old, I then had an accident as a child and hurt my neck and back ...
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Pain in buttock muscles, knee (with additional feeling of bubbling on back of thigh) and groin, is this sciatica?
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Anyone else have cramp in hip or back. When I wake up in the morning, my left leg, hip and bottom have a sharp cramp for about 10mins. What can I do? 32 weeks pregnant.
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About 2 week's ago I took 2 perc within a night and the next day I got sick, I thought from the pills, but than I was nauseous and have been for the most part ever since. My left side mid to lower back started hurting approx a week ago and it's gotten much worse last night and now I'm having pain in my upper right abdomen as if the pain moved. I'm on muscle relaxers for my back already but it's not affecting/helping my new pain though and the new pain doesn't feel the same. I was just curious if anyone had any idea what it might be, some say kidneys but does that pain or can it move from my back to my abdomen?
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for nerve pain in lower back/hip and leg. MRI in a few days. Known herniated lumbar discs, nerve pain new for past 6 weeks.
I cannot take morphine or derivatives due to it making me feel like I can't breathe so the anti epilepsy drugs are next try.
Dr gave me 300mg capsules but having taken one today I have asked to be given 100mg capsules and I will increase very very slowly. The side effects with one 300mg capsule was spectacular and I could not cope with this again let alone increasing the dose but can only hope that starting very low and only increasing very slowly I can tolerate
My question is, is it possible that just one 300mg tablet taken for the first time give pain relief as I am sure it did with me. Now its wearing off the pain is worse. My Dr said that it takes up to 2 weeks for pain relief.
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My son had an LP done in Sept. He walked into the hospital fine and ever since then has been in extreme pain and has limited mobility. They can't find anything medically wrong with him.
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Can someone tell me from their experience what the usual differences are between pain feeling when you have lumbar disc issues & pain feeling when you have lumbar facet pain?
Are there any significant markers at all? I have looked on web in detail and i just keep finding contrasting information.
Have lumbar problems but no one seems to be able to work out if pain is from disc issues or facets.
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I've been suffering with pains in my hips, causing problems with walking and standing. On a bad day the stairs are difficult to climb. This has been going on for about a year now. In the last 6 months or so I have developed a sciatic like pain, only happening when standing up and walking to far. The last few days it's been getting worse and I now have pins and needles in my legs and feet. Sometimes both legs but mostly my left. The sciatic pain is only ever in the left side of my buttock. When I try to stand, I am simply unable to put any weight onto my left leg for a while. I'm 31 years old and a mother to 4 plus work. The doctors keep brushing me off because of my age but I'm sure what I am experiencing isn't right.
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My dr. did a CT scan on my left side to see if I had sciatica as I had a lot of symptoms of it. It showed minimum damage to the nerve. I was not told what to do next? Should I get a follow up with what kind of specialist? Would a MRI show more information then the CT scan?
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I have my second hp (right) done 2 weeks ago. I had a terrible sciatica pain till the op. Now there is a less sciatica pain though, I still feel the nerve is irritated since I still feel the stretch on my hamstring. I was wishing that it was going to go away after thr, but it seems it will come back after I bear normal weight on my leg.
Is there anybody who got rid of sciatica pain and how did you do that ?
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on April 2nd I was standing in my kitchen and suddenly had lower back pain. I thought nothing of it and had to go and drive I stuck a support belt on and carried on. Things got progressively worse I had to initially lift my feet onto the pedals and getting in and out of the car was really really painful . Things started to ease slightly then I had to drive someone to A&E and this aggravated the problem and it settled into my buttocks and sent shooting pains down my right leg. That's when my problems really started. I couldn't lie down I couldn't sit down all I could do was walk or kneel for the last five weeks I have had.very little sleep, the kneeling phase didn't last long as my legs started to swell up. I can sleep for about an hour tops two if I want to manage to move without being reduced to tears with pain. The doctor has prescribed me naproxen which had no effect and co codamol which upset my stomach. I had an operation at Christmas to remove my appendix and gallbladder and around the muscle group in my stomach is sore. Paracetamol is all I can take and I have munched through over 150 tablets so far. I can now get to bed and manage to get four hours sleep but wake up with such muscle stiffness it takes up to an hour to straighten out in the morning.
sorry for the long winded explanation but can anyone tell me if things are going to ease I went to the doctor because my osteopath told me if may be a disc problem. He helpfully told me after having to endure a car trip which is hard as I can't sit stood around for half an hour then was told that I had a sore back was very helpful. He is sending me to a back pain clinic which will take about eight weeks to get an appointment and I will hopefully get an MRI Scan in twelve weeks. I have a full time job and I can't work is there any hope.
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