How to get help for crushing, chronic sciatica

Don't sit too long and avoid padded chairs. Any chair that brings on the pain should be avoided until the pain is completely resolved. Sitting on an exercise ball might help.

When the pain comes on try to locate the area where the pain "begins". Admittedly this is difficult as you likely feel the pain all the way down your leg. Try to find the spot where there is pain and which is closest to the spine. Ice that area every time the pain comes on for about 15 minutes.

Only sleep in positions that do not bring on the pain. Usually this will be either the stomach or the back.
 
I'm sorry to hear about your pain.

As a past sufferer myself, I can attest that it can be debilitating/frustrating/depressing. It's among the worst pain I've ever felt. For my, anyway, it would take forever to go away & it would reappear without warning.

Knowing that every case is different, I can only share how I finally rid myself of this condition; which was caused by my spine pinching the sciatic nerve. This in turn caused pain & swelling... which caused muscle spasms... which prevented realignment and healing.

First... While not a huge fan of Chiropractors, I found a good one who relieved the pain through occasional adjustments. Note: I never signed up for (nor was I pushed into) a lengthy series of visits. Insurance covered a good portion of these treatments.

Second... I simply asked the Chiropractor to show me a method for "self adjustment." I asked "What if I was stuck on a desert Island... how would I fix myself? - and he showed me! (I now recommend him to everyone in the area... but haven't needed to see him, myself, in many years.)

Third... I purchased a pair of "Hang Ups" and began a regular habit of Inversion (hanging upside down). Once I was comfortable with the hanging, I started doing sets of inverted crunches in order to strengthen my core. I always follow these sets with stretches and "self adjustments."

While I still over do it occasionally and strain my back... I, fortunately, haven't pinched my sciatic nerve in years. Now, after I do my crunches/stretches/adjustment, my back cracks like a bag of walnuts into alignment. It's a great feeling.

Best of luck with your condition!
 
Three thoughts:
Hematologic disorder... Advanced blood analysis for possible source. This is diagnosis, not cure, but can show predeliction, and possible direction for treatment. (not the normal blood tests)

Hypnotherapy--- again, not for solution, but to separate the physical from the stress/mental part of pain. A beginning.

Physical immobility in comfortable position for long periods. A contrarian type of resolution, but one that worked for DW, after months of debilitating pain. Bulging disk/lower back. Five years ago, no recurrance.

Good luck...
 
Sorry for your pain. I have a very engineering based simplistic view of the body also some significant interest due to family member with major spinal injury. I am very optimistic that you can find a solution, but it will require time.

Here is my 2c worth -> a trial "model"/hypothesis based on an understanding of an explanation of the spine like Lumbar Pinched Nerve, Physical Therapy, New Jersey, NJ

(1) A nerve is getting pinched when you sit... and now lie probably due to continual pinching causing inflammation and exacerbating the pinching.
(2) The areas of numbness (buttocks and backs of thighs) almost tell you exactly what part of the spine. Seems lower down and this why it might be difficult to work out a position as you have more flex a few vertebrae higher. However, there may be more than one area.
(3) It is not getting pinched when you exercise - sounds great that you can find such a position(s).
(4) Having it pinched makes it inflamed and easier to pinch
(5) At the moment anything that hurts is bad, so don't do it -> increasing inflammation
(6) If you can reduce inflammation and maintain it in a state that the nerve is not pinched, the right exercise may help your muscles to maintain that state (but exercise may or may not be sufficient) - I know fusion/rods/screws can provide completely pain free mechanical replacement of major (think missing chunks) vertebrae damage.
(7) So if the above is correct then I think it makes sense that step 1. Stop inflaming it: Find a position when you lie down that does not hurt and keep yourself there when asleep - use pillows? brace? zero gravity chair? relax the back chair? I am thinking that if you can find it while standing and exercising that it is possible.
(8) I can understand MRI not showing. The anti-inflammatories by mouth are prob not strong enough when you are really inflamed; Steroids etc reduce inflammation, if they get it in the right spot - L4 and L5 seems too high for your current pain. It may be that you have damage in a couple of areas:confused: Also you had an underlying issue... before continual pinching inflamed it... so reducing the inflammation will not necessarily be a 100% fix.
(9) Unfortunately, this stuff takes time to fix and diagnosis can be slow. e.g. in our family case damage to nerve took months to heal completely, even though source of damage/pressure was 100% removed by surgery... and you are constantly inflaming it.
(10) I don't think I read anything in your description that does not fit the above framework. Obviously the above is not medical advice and I think you should persevere with finding the right spinal/nuero guy or gal.

However, I hope this simplistic framework helps. If you can describe exactly what spinal positions hurt and what doesn't this will help in conversation with medical profession.
 
Oh, yes, as someone else said, sitting on an Excersise ball was very helpful.
 
I am so sorry for your situation. I had a friend who had a similar problem. Severe constant lower back pain. They tried everything, went to multiple doctor etc, but nothing helped. What they ultimately found to be helpful was a book written by John Sarno. I forget the name of the book, but I'm sure you can find it on Amazon. Maybe it would also be useful for you.
 
Sorry to hear of your situation. I had 20 years of occasional debilitating back pain fixed by surgery. Know you've been to tons of Doctors but since you're in Houston I would mention Dr. Stanley Jones at the Spine Center (close to Southwest Memorial). (DW, myself, and Rick Perry have used him.)

t.r.
 
Sorry for your pain. I have been there and still not 100%. L4/L5 issues with many tests, many attempts, many hours of pain and about 80% pain free now.

A lot of great input from others on this thread. Maybe something someone suggests will work.

In my case a real hybrid mix:

aa) physical therapy when pain allows and managed exercise
bb) swimming is one activity with zero pain
cc) spinal epidurals when it overwhelms me
dd) low dose (300mg) gapapentin
ee) regular massage therapy--very deep
ff) quarterly accupuncture from MD (medical accupuncturist/family practice combo)
gg) tylelnol
hh) ibuprofen
ii) occassional chiropractor
jj) heat packs
kk) hot tub time


Your situation sounds bad. Sure know what nerve pain in legs and low back is and have suffered also several years. A real mix of things to keep me at bay...again, right now about 80% of the time pain free but can irritate it and have a flare up if I bend wrong/twist wrong/lift wrong and then bang...right back with searing pain and rehap all over again.

Good luck. Keep searching. Keep trying things. Keep discussing with medical professionals.
 
Thanks all. This has gotten so difficult lately as most days I wake up early and feel the pain - really more of a tingling - all across the back of my pelvis and upper thighs. Bad enough that it will keep me from getting back to sleep. If I get up and start moving around it dissapates. It has gotten increasingly difficult to find a position in bed where the sensation goes away.

The only things I know for sure is that sitting for >5 minutes makes it worse, and physical activity makes it better. I have an adjustable height desk at work and that helps some, but I can't stand in one place for 8 hours. I asked about a treadmill desk but they won't go for that. I may try one at home.

Unfortunately since we moved we don't have as good an area to be active in outdoors and the demands of a longer commute and more office time have also weighed in. But I know I have felt best, getting down to zero pain, on days where I am active almost the entire day and sitting very little (e.g. landscaping the yard with quick trips to home depot). But that is not compatible with the type of work I do.

The latest doctor (PM&R) I saw reviewed my spine MRIs and said they look good (as have most others). I had one dynamic lumbar MRI done while sitting down in the machine (rather than laying down) and I could feel the pins and needles during the scan, which showed no disc issues, so I think the cause must be outside of the spine. He is trying a diagnosis of hamstring tendinopathy and ischial bursitis, which I am skeptical of since those areas are not tender to the touch (just prolonged pressure from sitting) but I will give it a try. He wants to do more PT and prescribed voltaren gel which I have not noticed a big difference from in the last week but will give it some time to work.
 
It may not be relevant to your situation, but nearly 20 years ago I went through a bout of sciatica for a couple years. As it turned out, the culprit was... my car seat. When I'd sit in it for a considerable amount of time, it tended to flare up and get a lot worse. Once I traded that car in, I've not had the problem since.
 
soupcxan said:
Thanks all. This has gotten so difficult lately as most days I wake up early and feel the pain - really more of a tingling - all across the back of my pelvis and upper thighs. Bad enough that it will keep me from getting back to sleep. If I get up and start moving around it dissapates. It has gotten increasingly difficult to find a position in bed where the sensation goes away.

The only things I know for sure is that sitting for >5 minutes makes it worse, and physical activity makes it better. ...
Click to expand...

I'm also sorry to hear how bad this is for you. I've had bouts of pretty debilitating back pain, and a single bout of sciatica, but they go away and I am mostly back to 'normal' (normal for me is worrying that I might throw my back out at any time, and be out of commission for a week or two).

I have one suggestion that helped me, and might be relevant for you (see the bolded phrases). I was having a back problem, and I'd get pretty well loosened up during the day, but wake up all tight and in pain in the AM. I couldn't make progress because of the setback each night. It was three steps forward, then three steps back. I finally decided to set a timer for 2.5 hours at night, so that got me up and going through some stretches 2x a night, and then back to bed. And stretches first thing in the AM, and before I went to bed.

I did that about 3-4 nights in a row, and it helped break the cycle, I actually maintained some improvement overnight, and was able to build on that during the day. Then I went to once a night ( ~ 3.5 hours on timer) for a few more days, and then just if I woke up. While getting up during the night is no picnic, it was well, well worth it for me.

I'm in physical therapy now, just trying to get all the muscles/ligaments strengthened and flexible enough to hopefully do a better job of protecting my back from problems. I have no idea if this will help me, as my problems are pretty intermittent. But hopefully, stretches under the guidance of a professional can only help - though I wonder. Backs are complex, and I have some doubts if a PT can really know what is going on. My PT pretty much acknowledged that - it's a bit of a shotgun approach - build up the overall strength and flexibility, and it should help - we will see.

-ERD50
 
Wow...my pain has returned and has been overwhelming me for the past 3 to 4 weeks. Don't know what triggered it but severe and constant nerve pain in both legs whenever walking/standing. Hamstrings/calves/glutes....could take a marker and draw a line down both backs of legs. Steps underway to gain control again:

aa) Returned to PT with new set of back streches/arches....beginning to help I think:confused:

bb) TENS unit...exploring if it helps short term or mid term or best practices with it....sorry to say insurance did not cover...$$$'s out of pocket.

cc) New Extra Firm Simmons Beautyrest mattress/box springs set delivered yesterday. See if any impact or not.

dd) Going in tomorrow for another epidural...would like to avoid but pain is so strong no choice.

What can be done to avoid inflamation of the nerve in the low back to avoid this type of flare up? Any non surgical preventative efforts someone might suggest are welcome. Thanks.
 
Moving, I'm so sorry you are in so much pain. I'm sorry to bring this up, but has MS been ruled out?
 
Thanks your concern. Supposedly clear for both MS and ALS based on blood tests....:confused:? It needs to perhaps be revisited if nothing else changes. Never had an idea that chronic pain could so impact one's life. :(
 
rgarling said:
Only sleep in positions that do not bring on the pain. Usually this will be either the stomach or the back.
Click to expand...

Sleep position turned out to be very important in relieving my periodic lower back pain. However, my experience is different than this - sleeping on my stomach was the worst position, and sleeping on my back wasn't much better. I had to force myself to sleep on my side (either side is okay), with knees slightly bent, and also put a pillow between my legs, to force a more natural position for my hips. If you sleep on your side without the pillow, the hips are forced into a slightly unnatural position, putting a strain on your lower back muscles. Now I sleep with the pillow between the legs every night, and the back pain is gone. Occasionally I roll around too much and lose the pillow, and I can tell when I get up in the morning that my back is going to be a little stiff (and it is). You can purchase special sleep pillows for this purpose, but I found that just a regular pillow, folded in half, works best for me.
 
Wish I had something positive to report but the doctors I have seen so far in Houston have not been particularly helpful. No one seems to want to take the time to actually diagnose things, it's just "you've been through a lot - here's the first thing I thought of". I think I am becoming damaged goods that the doctors don't want to deal with.

I read the John Sarno book and while I believe some aspects of my pain could be stress/tension related, I think that has come out due to the underlying issue which is not so straightforward.
 
From my experience I can recommend a supplement I use for a similar situation for me but the tingling numbness and pain on my right leg would occur when walking. I would have to stop and squat to stretch my lower back and everything would be fine again. I was told by my doctor I have a little arthritis which could be interfering with my sciatic nerve. I tried everything I could find including raisins soaked in brandy. I came across SAM-e, S-Adenosyl methionine, and it worked no more problem but I do have to continue to take it, I started this in my mid 40s I am now 52. You can look it up on Wikipedia for an explanation of therapeutic uses. I use the Nature Made brand, Sams Club or Costco has the best price and Costco has it on sale occasionally. If you try it you will need to use it for a few weeks to kick in. I use 400mg per day. If you continue to take it go to the Nature Made web page and register to get coupons. All of their products have a code on the box to enter in on their site so you can build up points. With SAM-e you can get $7 off! Good luck!
 
I've had back and leg pain on and off due to an accident in childhood. I've get complete relief for several weeks after my husband massages my back for about 10 minutes for two consecutive days when the pain starts. It goes away for weeks and sometimes months. The tightness sometimes give me a headache and the massages help that too. After I started receiving the massages, I remember thinking I didn't have to live with this all this time when all I had to do was get a massage. It was so amazing how effective they were. If you like, PM me and I'll explain to you how it's done.
 
Today had epidural....#3 so no more until March. Increased dosage of Gabapetin to 900 mg from 300 mg/day. Should continue with back streches only with PT. See Dr. again in 2 weeks. Sore tonight from procedure but ice helped and ready to take on the coming days with renewed hope that this coupled with TENS unit will start the path back to pain free or at least pain reduced living. Thanks for sharing concerns.
 
Moving and Soup, I sure wish the best for you, and hope the problems can be fixed. I must confess if I read this 10 years ago, I ashamedly would have thought that you weren't "very tough". After going through 3 debilitating SHORT TERM lower back problems in the last few years, I cringe every time I read about someone who deals with this on a daily basis. I was bed bound for 3 weeks once, scared to even move. For anyone who has never had lower back problems, consider yourself fortunate. Before I had my episodes, I thought back pain was just stiffness in the joint. I never knew how incredibly painful and life changing this problem can have. Best of luck and don't give up.
 
Moving and soup, I didn't see yoga on either of your lists. While I've found that chiropractors can sometimes give temporary relief, I always feel much more straightened out by a good yoga session.

Soup - I'd really look into your car seat. You mentioned that you have a longer commute now, and something like that could really be putting some different strain on your body.

My mom has had chronic pain for pretty much 40 years. Good Luck in finding some relief.
 
Am sure you've been to this site, but if not it may help.
Sciatica (Sciatic Nerve Pain) Symptoms, Relief, Treatment, Causes, Diagnosis - MedicineNet
Did you have a myogram? Sometimes irritated or swollen muscles can exacerbate the nerve pain.

That neurontin dose is pretty hefty... gotta be careful about psychological side effects. Basic use was for epilepsy.

One of the things that could prove interesting, is going to google for images of "muscles and nerves". It brings up close ups of where the nerves and muscles interact. By looking at the diagrams, sometimes it's possible to locate and trace the pain inside of one's own body. When DW had disc problem, she was able to see where the pain initiated, and find a way to move (sit or lie) that was least painful.
 
We are now into day 3 since the latest epidural, the increase dosage of Gapatentin, and the increased duration use of the TENS unit. While the lower and mid back are still a bit tender the leg pain is 95% gone! Wow....hard to believe after so much time of miserable almost unbearable pain. Go back for evaluation with docs on 12/31 and have PT again on 12/14. Keeping my fingers crossed....if we could maintain this the ability to cope is there....hoping for long term pain mgt success! :dance:
 
MovingtotheCove said:
We are now into day 3 since the latest epidural, the increase dosage of Gapatentin, and the increased duration use of the TENS unit. While the lower and mid back are still a bit tender the leg pain is 95% gone! Wow....hard to believe after so much time of miserable almost unbearable pain. Go back for evaluation with docs on 12/31 and have PT again on 12/14. Keeping my fingers crossed....if we could maintain this the ability to cope is there....hoping for long term pain mgt success! :dance:
Click to expand...

That sounds like a huge improvement. You must be thrilled.

omni
 
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