Hi, As if I thought things could not get any worse, I have just been diagnosed with sciatica, having suffered with the PMR for the past year and wondered if anyone has suffered from this having PMR as well, so if they are related or not. ?
Would it be possible also that could be a PMR flare ? although it seems from the GP that she feels this is completely different.
I have considered upping the steroids again as am currently down to 10mg to see if it makes any difference.
All I can say is the pain has been unbearable especially at night time. I have diazepam, tramadol and Naproxen, all of which has helped a little but really not sufficiently to totally ease the pain. Mine is in the right leg, thigh, upper thigh, leg knee and lower leg, also at times cramp in the foot. I started by feeling I was walking slightly flat footed on this leg and it gradually got worse from then on. Acupuncture has not been mentioned to me. I am seeing a specialist next Friday so hoping for some more help and advice then.
So tired of this constant merry go round , yet another condition, medication after medication to add to the already lengthy list. I know I am 71 but up until now life has been good, active, walking dog etc. ...................... I am really feeling depressed about it, not like myself at all.
I'm sure there are others out there much worse off than me.,.... just want to feel more like my old normal self again.
Written by
gillsky8
To view profiles and participate in discussions please or .
Piriformis syndrome is a common cause of sciatica - the sciatic nerve passes through the middle of the muscle in some people. in front of or behind in others. If it is tight it can irritate the sciatic nerve so it is worth trying stretches designed to loosen it off. it will be pretty uncomfortable at first and may even feel as if it is worse next morning but that is just all the muscles adjusting again.
It might be worth a visit to the physio. My GP diagnosed sciatica but when I saw the physio she diagnosed Piriformis syndrome. As well as stretching exercises she used dry needling into the Piriformis muscle. My eyes did water a bit but it was all well worth it and was resolved within 2-3 months. I still do the exercises as I don’t want this to flare up again.
Similar to me.....I saw the physio for what I suspected was sciatica. He massaged the piriformis, I mean deeply massaged it to the point I shouted out "that hurts!", but I got off the table and it was like a miracle....I could walk with no pain! I wanted to hug him. I since followed the exercises and touch wood been OK, that was over a year ago now.
Hi, I’m in the same boat as you and pretty fed up about it after four months of increasing pain, mostly in my right buttock and calf muscle. I finally cracked and asked the GP for some pain relief, he has prescribed amitrytaline 10mg.
Since the onset of this sciatica I have had multiple medical investigations after an MRI of my sore throat revealed a pituitary adenoma (non threatening) and gastric polyps resulting from acid reflux. The sciatica has been mainly ignored until now by my GP but I am now waiting to be seen by the Musculoskeletal team.
This whole year so far has been one of pain and my daily dose of pred, now the lowest I have ever achieved at 4.5mg, does nothing for the sciatica. My PMR journey began back in 2016 with sciatic pain and I do wonder if there is a connection. My brain tells me to continue the taper and not turn to more pred, but my body is begging for more pain relief. Paracetamol dulls the pain and makes life possible, now I’m just hoping a small dose of amitryptaline will help and not add a whole bunch of side effects into the mix.
I really do sympathise, hope you get relief from your pain, best wishes, Chrissie
Look at my post above - when you have PMR probably the most common cause of sciatica is piriformis syndrome. Painkillers just mask it if you are lucky - stretches will keep it actually at bay!
I have been doing stretching and strengthening exercises since the start and it has just got progressively more painful and more concentrated in one area. I began to think I was doing the wrong exercises but the ones in your link are the ones I have been doing. My doctor poohpoohed the suggestion of piriformis syndrome because i get pain in my feet and he says that’s more likely to be sciatica.
Part of my journey back to being happy was putting an end to comparisons of what I was like/could do pre-PMR and now. I’m also 71. Have always been very athletic and generally active. Taught hip hop and aerobics for a couple of decades. I retrained and now find teaching gentle, therapeutic yoga a great way to help my physical AND emotional health.
I’ve had sciatica issues in and off for ages. Ugh! Very painful but the pain is different from PMR pain. It feels different, right? There are some good exercises for sciatica pain. Look on Google.
I’ve had sciatica for 3-4 years, & finding it very hard to deal with. It’s on my right side & I have trochanteric bursitis on my left side. I do as many of the recommended stretches as I can, but I have hypermobility & my joints dislocate or subluxate if I’m not careful. I haven’t found a cure, my Dr says it’s hard to treat, so we are concentrating on the other 11 medical issues I now have. Warmth & heat are the best to soothe it. But,as has been said, this comes up frequently, & you will find the same people commenting on it as you look at other posts…you’re not alone…
Hi there so sorry you are suffering so much at the moment - back pain is awful - but I really believe that the body needs sustenance when it is out of kilter not pain killers - there is always a reason why something has gone wrong - i.e. disease - dis-ease of the body. Is there any way you can get gradually come off the pain killers and take something else to help the muscles etc. that are involved with the sciatic nerve - all those pain killers will affect the kidneys and adrenal glands and they will start to scream eventually - not sure you will be able to do this though only you can say whether it is possible.
I'm so sorry to read this - sciatica is horrid. Mine is so bad now I am crying nearly every day as I can't manage this level of chronic pain. Nothing deadens it. I've just been throu 6 weeks of investigations, MRIs, Xrays, SPECT CT Scan and found that I will need two operations and a long recovery period. I keep wondering why so many of my Boomer generation friends and family members are suffering from back pain - it was a wonderful time growing up, such freedom in the 60s, 70's 80s and 90s, the Beatles or The Stones, fab music, raves, all the free dancing we did, did some of us, DID I, overdo things? I thought I was invincible....
And another piriformis sufferer - I posted about it a couple of weeks ago.
Yes, the exercises are slowly helping but I think it's going to be a slow job. When it was diagnosed I had my daughter and her family visiting, so totally overdid things and suffered for a week afterwards. It's now 2.5 weeks since diagnosis and starting exercises - they are getting a little easier but the pain level is still pretty high. I've been told to go back after 6 weeks if there's been no improvement. I'd had sciatica before but piriformis knocks that into a c*cked hat.
Content on HealthUnlocked does not replace the relationship between you and doctors or other healthcare professionals nor the advice you receive from them.
Never delay seeking advice or dialling emergency services because of something that you have read on HealthUnlocked.
Did I come off pred too soon?
Differentiating PMR pain from Prednisone myalgia pain?
