Sciatica

[pharman]

I woke up this past Monday AM to severe pain down my right leg...started on right side of my hip and went down the right leg...I tried to "walk it out" but to no avail...the pain was excruciating...went to my family doctor and he says it is either a pinched nerve by my spinal cord or something going on with the piriformis muscle which is the muscle that the sciatic nerve runs through...he prescribed large doses of Medrol to take away inflammation and did give me something for pain at night so I can get some sleep...he thinks it will get better and go way over time...if not need physical therapy and an MRI...this IS BY FAR the WORST pain I have ever had...anyone here have any experience with this sciatica? What did you do to take care of it and stop the really bad pain? Any info you can share will be deeply appreciated...Roger

 

[OLDSTER]

Assuming it is development of sciatica that will be chronic. Suggest to your Dr. to prescribe Lyrica for you. I had severe sciatic pain, and finally my pain Dr. put me on Lyrica; pain has been reduced by 75%. He started me on 50mg 3 times daily, then 75mg, now 100 mg. Lyrica is typically prescribed to people suffering from Fibromyalgia. Good luck.

 

[bigwheelzip]

Hubby used to get leg numbing back pain. He tried out the Panasonic Shiatsu Massage Chair at Brookstone store, felt relief, then bought the chair. Used it as needed for a couple of years, until the pain went away.

Good luck.

 

[eveled]

I found a stretch that worked for me. Kneel down facing your couch, then try to touch your butt to the floor next to your leg on the side that hurts. Let the other leg slide back. Basically you are trying to get you bent knee across your center line.

Also a spot on my butt cheek that when I applied pressure made the pain more intense but ultimately brought relief. I found leaning on a door knob in just the right spot would give relief

 

[arjay]

Ive had it off and on for 14 years. Anti inflammatories do help. Very gentle exercise such as walking can help loosen things up a bit. Once the pain eases up,hiking cycling and various exercises to strengthen the core help prevent it. A friend of mine,a physical therapist, recommended gently stretching my hamstrings as soon as I felt a twinge and that made a huge difference at stopping it in its tracks. A chiropractor I was seeing at one point finally told me to stop doing those things that set it off lol. So I retired ;-)

 

[Old cop]

I've been dealing w/piriformis muscle/sciatica for many years. My doc has suggested OTC Lidocaine patches and they do help. Just make sure to put the patch directly over the piriformis muscle and change at least twice a day. I found three times a day works better for me. Good luck . . .

 

[snubbyfan]

Yup, happened to me a few years ago. I found that laying on my back on the floor with a heating pad helped.
Worst pain ever and was caused by an inflammation of the priformis muscle from doing heavy leg presses at the gym.
After laying on the floor writhing in pain for a week, I decided to not do that again and changed up my leg workouts.

 

[Rpg]

Unfortunately, or perhaps fortunately, these things tend to end up on the surgery table.

I've never had this problem, but over 200 of my clients have over the last 40 years.

Those that did best got in to see an orthopedic surgeon or a neurosurgeon early on.

Those that ran into a chiropractor first often stayed with the chiropractor until the chiropractor had run through the available insurance.

30 years ago, Colorado had what it called 'no fault' auto insurance. Your policy paid medical expenses up to $50,000. You got to choose the provider: the insurance company had no say in the matter. Chiropractors were authorized providers by statute.

Chiropractors chased auto accidents very, very aggressively. Once they got one of these auto accident cases in the door, they would treat until the $50,000 ran dry. When Colorado repealed "no fault " insurance, over half the chiropractors in the state went out of business.

Get in to see an orthopedic surgeon or a neurosurgeon. There's a difference: they approach this problem differently. In my experience, the orthopods had better results than the neurosurgeons.

9402108205496124052873

 

[jrm53]

I have been seeing an ad on the TV for your leg below the knee a device that fits around your and it sells for about 30 dollars, cant remember the name and it seems to work for them. just saw again its {buybeactiveplus.com} Jeff

 

[twodog max]

I have been dealing with sciatica pain for the last17 months non stop. I have had physical therapy, a little help but not much, acupuncture, more varied pills and prescriptions than I can remember, seen a pain clinic numerous time, short term relief but not permanent by any means, 2 MRI's a CT scan visited a neurosurgeon and he at last found the cause. A cyst on the sciatic nerve where it branches off the spine. It has fortunately shrunk since the first MRI so at this time I have avoided spinal fusion surgery that would have been necessary to remove the cyst.
All I can say is good luck. I am sitting here now with an ice pack on my lumbar area, my foot feel six inches thick, and my toes are burning.
IMO I am going to be dealing with this until they cremate the remains.

 

[Old cop]

I have been seeing an ad on the TV for your leg below the knee a device that fits around your and it sells for about 30 dollars, cant remember the name and it seems to work for them. Jeff

I've seen that ad too, tried the device & wish I'd saved my money for something else. I did see a pain specialist doctor, went through a series of painful injections to that muscle to no avail but they have worked for others.

 

[H Richard]

While you are chasing all the other remedies, try Salon Pas patches with Lidocaine. it is a topical pain relief and it does work. I have arthritis in all my hand joints as well as hip and knee. I use the roll on 2 to 3 times daily for my hands. (That's on top of the medication the Dr has me on).

 

[johngalt]

I don't know how much this helps once afflicted, but is a good preventative measure:

Yoga. specifically the pigeon pose.

 

[twodog max]

I cannot say for certain what caused my problem but I went 68 years with no back trouble but within a matter of days after getting the second covid jab this trouble began.
I will never be convinced it did not cause my problem.

 

[Rudi]

I had a attack 15 months ago, started at 08:30. Thought it would go away. By noon it was unbearable. Pain was 11 on the 1-10 scale. Got my first ambulance ride. Spent 4 hours in the ER. X rays. Pain killers and muscle relaxants. Took over 3 weeks to go away all the way. A horrid experience.

 

[jeffrefrig]

Back when I was still working I had the sciatica. The Surgeon did a laminectomy, and after the initial week & a half, the pain of the operation went away. The sciatic nerve group pain went away. He cleaned out the what-nots that were scraping the nerves where they went through my bottom 2 discs. I was not happy waking up from the operation (Until drugs were introduced into my system) but I haven't had the pain since. I still get pain relief for the other issues in my back but that laminectomy was God sent.
Edit to add: If anyone around the Pittsburgh area have any bone pain issues, I highly recommend Tri-State Orthopaedics. And their Therapy Division is top-notch.

 

[jschmidt]

Unfortunately, or perhaps fortunately, these things tend to end up on the surgery table.

I've never had this problem, but over 200 of my clients have over the last 40 years.

Those that did best got in to see an orthopedic surgeon or a neurosurgeon early on.

Those that ran into a chiropractor first often stayed with the chiropractor until the chiropractor had run through the available insurance.

30 years ago, Colorado had what it called 'no fault' auto insurance. Your policy paid medical expenses up to $50,000. You got to choose the provider: the insurance company had no say in the matter. Chiropractors were authorized providers by statute.

Chiropractors chased auto accidents very, very aggressively. Once they got one of these auto accident cases in the door, they would treat until the $50,000 ran dry. When Colorado repealed "no fault " insurance, over half the chiropractors in the state went out of business.

Get in to see an orthopedic surgeon or a neurosurgeon. There's a difference: they approach this problem differently. In my experience, the orthopods had better results than the neurosurgeons.

9402108205496124052873

^ This^ I have had back problems for a dozen years. Part of that was sciatica. Mine is well controlled with opoids and a spine implant. The implant has been remarkable (but I have to charge it too often. Don't be shy about consulting a pain specialist either, especially if you're waiting on a surgical intervention.


Not all chiropractors are con artists, of course, but the profession seems to attract them.

 

[Old cop]

While you are chasing all the other remedies, try Salon Pas patches with Lidocaine. it is a topical pain relief and it does work. I have arthritis in all my hand joints as well as hip and knee. I use the roll on 2 to 3 times daily for my hands. (That's on top of the medication the Dr has me on).

I've been using these for awhile and they do work. Just ordered more a few minutes ago.

 

[Aggie1906]

I had that hit me just this past August. Crippling shooting pain on my left side. Signed up for PT, and I believe it is working. I think the Covid inactivity let my muscle bindings get loose and weak. Nastiest short of a bad cut or torn muscle, except it did not want to quit.
Kept me from doing some regular things, like football game attendance.

 

[CAJUNLAWYER]

I thought this was a thread about the Justice that penned the Heller decision......my bad.

 

[Rustyt1953]

I thought this was a thread about the Justice that penned the Heller decision......my bad.

No, it's about the riot in '71.

 

[Beemerguy53]

My sciatica started in 2000, and was caused by a bulging L4/L5 disc. Over the next 11 years, I tried different treatments and remedies for it -- physical therapy, a chiropractor, nerve blocks, exercises -- with varying degrees of effectiveness...but all I was really doing was postponing the inevitable.

Finally, in the fall of 2010, the disc ruptured, and the only option left at that point was surgery. My doctor performed a laminectomy and discectomy, removing pieces of crumbling bone and disc material. Six months later, I slouched, which ruptured the disc all over again, and my doctor had to repeat the discectomy. No problems since then, thank heaven!

Good luck to you, Pharman...please keep us posted...

 

[Tom S.]

Mine is being controlled by nerve cauterization. l and various doctors tried a host of other "cures" and this was the magic bullet. Procedure takes about 10 minutes, can be done w/o anesthetic (if you don't mind about 30 seconds of discomfort) and last for as long as 18 months.

 

[cherrypointmarine]

I've never had it , but after 2 failed back surgeries I can tell you about nerve pain . At one time I was at 1600mg of nuerontin daily . To say I was in a daze is saying so mildly . My pain Dr finally decided it was time for a spinal cord stimulator . After the healing and figuring out the levels , I felt like a new man , and mentally I was . I worked my way up to walking my girls , 2 Aussies , 3-4 miles a day , which I hadn't seen in years . If they tell you surgery , look into this , you will be thankful you did . If you want any info , shoot me a PM .

 

[Faulkner]

. . . .this IS BY FAR the WORST pain I have ever had...anyone here have any experience with this sciatica? What did you do to take care of it and stop the really bad pain? Any info you can share will be deeply appreciated...Roger

I know exactly what your experiencing.

Mrs. Faulkner's acted up on her last November, just kind of popped up out of nowhere. It was absolutely debilitating and we did everything we could to remedy it short of surgery; drugs, injections, physical therapy, traction, hot and cold pads. Nothing worked. I purchased every size, shape, and density of pillow currently manufactured to try and get her to a comfortable position with varying degrees of unsuccessfulness. The pain was so bad that for about three months she was mostly confined to a wheel chair when she wasn't in bed or a recliner surrounded by pillows.

Finally, after an MRI in June the neurosurgeon said we'd exhausted every option but surgery. The bulging disc at L4/L5 was sitting on the nerve causing it to be enflamed. After over six months of pain from her right hip all the way down her leg to her foot, she was ready.

She had surgery July 8th to fuse L4/L5 and install two screws and four bolts. She slowly came out of her drug induced stupor the next morning and the first words out of her mouth was, "thank God, the pain is gone!!"

The first week following the surgery was pretty rough due to residuals of the surgery, but the sciatica problem was gone. She has to wear a back brace for 12 weeks when she's not in bed, but as we enter week 11 she has pretty much healed up from the surgery and she's had ZERO pain in her leg. The surgery was a true blessing for her, and me, and she is back on her feet pretty much doing anything she wants. (I have a pickup truck load of odd shaped pillows I need to get rid of too.)

 

[Kenna]

have had it for a few years,got to the point about 2Pm everyday had to sit down. Dr sent me to PT helped a little. Therapist suggested a pain Dr, have recieved 2 injections in spine, first one lasted 3 months. Still counting down on the last one. Stretch my friends it does help,I can tell when I havent. Good luck to All !

 

[Kinman]

Sciatica has been the bane of my existence for a little over six months now. Started easy enough upon waking, first few steps were a bear, electric shocks running down my left leg. I went huckleberry picking up on a ski slope stepped into a hole, falling back on a log I was stepping over...ain't been right since. I couldn't drive my new car for more than a couple miles without stopping to get out and stretch it out. Been driving my Model A for nearly everything since, no problems, even with the clutch. Been seeing an acupuncturist and deep massage therapist, every other week, doing floor exercises. It is much better now, I started taking Turmeric a week ago...its getting better by the day. Inactivity is not your friend with this stuff, we all need to be more active, drink more water, blah blah blah...but no kidding.

 

[kraynky]

I've suffered from it for years, I'm 64 and it first hit me at about age 30, or maybe younger. It comes and goes, depending on my activity, weight and/or me doing something stupid to set it off.

I have found that a good chiropractor is what works best for me. I've been to a few. My most favorite and absolutely the best ever, unfortunately succumbed to stomach cancer a few years back. Than man was a magician when it came to dealing with my back problems.

I'm still searching for his "re-incarnation", but some local docs have helped some. A neurologist just last year suggested I have "exploratory surgery".............. NO THANKS

I am considering acupuncture next, since I am now having nerve pain in the bottom of my feet. Sometimes even keeps me awake at night, and difficult to wear shoes all day.

Getting old is not for sissies as they say, and neither is nerve pain, wherever it comes from.

 

[pharman]

Thank you for all your responses...

I want to thank you all for your responses...there sure are a lot of people affected by this disorder...you all have given me several options to explore...I appreciate this...currently the pain is letting up a little bit...I have to check in with my doctor later this coming week to see if an MRI is in order...Roger

 

[Greyman50]

Ask for a referral to an Ortho. spine surgeon or a Neurosurgeon Quickly. Been there, done that and have C4,5&6 fused. C-3 is giving problems now, see Ortho. spine surgeon first of next month. Did pain management shots for 2 months thanks to " book reading" insurance idiots.