Sciatica pain associated with Osteoporosis or Osteoarthritis?

[MindfulMarie]

Has anybody out there had sciatica pain associated with osteoporosis, or osteoarthritis? I'm wondering how common this is, as most spine issues seem to happen closer to the neck than the lower back.

[Met00]

From what I've heard, lower back issues are more common than upper back. I have both! I slipped a disc more than 20 years ago and have been prone to lower back pain ever since, with occasional bouts of sciatica. More recently I've been getting quite a lot of upper back pain, that seems directly related to spending too long at the computer! There may well be osteoarthritis at play now too, but I don't think any of it is related to osteoporosis, as I'm not aware of having fractured.

[Fruitandnutcase]

I had two cortisone steroid injections for a herniated disc in the lumbar region back in the 1980s. Unfortunately low back pain and sciatic pain has kicked off big time recently.

My physio thinks it’s all likely to be referred pain coming from nerves being squashed in the lumbar area - another physio I saw I saw when it started thought the same but I wasn’t confident in having her treat me because she wanted me to do roll downs which worried me - so I changed to another physio - in fact he is referring me and I’m waiting for a call to book an MRI scan to find out what’s going on. So hopefully I should be able to tell you by next week whether osteoporosis or osteoarthritis is involved

My physio knows I’ve got osteoporosis but that hasn’t ever been mentioned as a possible cause - he thinks it’s the same disc problem as before.

He did mention osteoarthritis yesterday but only that everyone gets some degree of it as they get older - I’m 72 - I don’t think he thinks that or osteoporosis the problem.

[yogalibrarian]

Although both osteoporosis and osteoarthritis may be present with sciatica, neither is the direct cause.

General info below. But it's probably a good idea to talk to your health care provider.

Johns Hopkins definition....

(hopkinsmedicine.org/health/... )

"Sciatica, also called lumbar radiculopathy, is a pain that originates along your sciatic nerve. This nerve extends from the back of your pelvis down the back of your thigh. Your sciatic nerve is the main nerve in your leg. It is also the largest nerve in your entire body."

What causes sciatica?

Usually, sciatica is caused by a herniated (or bulging) disk in your spine that presses on your sciatic nerve.

Other reasons for pressure on your sciatic nerve may include:

*Obesity

*Poor posture

*Tumor

*Abscess

*Blood clot

*Awkward sitting position

*Any nerve disorders

Sometimes, the cause for your sciatica cannot be identified.

And Cleveland Clinic

(health.clevelandclinic.org/...

What is sciatica?

Sciatica is leg pain caused by a pinched nerve. And not just any nerve: Sciatica affects the sciatic nerve, the longest, widest nerve in your body. (In other words, it’s important — and when it’s hurting, it’s hard to miss.)

Nerves come out from your spine and sacrum (your tailbone) and supply strength, sensation and contribute to reflexes that are checked in the doctor’s office. These small nerves exit the spine and form the sciatic nerve, which branches out from each side of your tailbone. They come together, then split again into two large segments that run through your backside and down each leg. They bring movement and sensation to your hips, buttocks and legs.

Sciatica rears its ugly head when something compresses the nerve. That pinch results in pain (and sometimes weakness) up and down the leg, usually just on one side.

Causes of sciatica

A variety of problems can put the squeeze on your sciatic nerve. Some of the more common culprits include:

*Herniated (slipped) discs between the vertebrae pressing on the sciatic nerve.

*Spinal stenosis, or narrowing of the spinal canal.

*Spondylolisthesis, when one of the vertebrae slips out of place.

*Piriformis syndrome, which occurs when the piriformis muscle deep in the derriere becomes tight or starts having spasms.

*Pregnancy, which can put pressure on the sciatic nerve — especially during the third trimester.

[Fruitandnutcase]

I’ve heard that too. I suppose you don’t feel pain - I didn’t in my wrist before it broke - it was agony when it did, I kind of knew from the pain I was in that I had a sacral insufficiency fracture but my then doctor didn’t seem to realise that I was describing test book insufficiency fracture symptoms.

I’ve now had three private MRI scans. Lumbar area first the results of which were really not good - my rheumatologist said today that she finds it hard to believe that I’m not in terrible pain and that I’m controlling my pain with paracetamol at the moment because the large dose of Naproxen plus the omeprazole ‘tummy protector’ as my new doctor put it - totally upset my gut, I’ve got IBS - it wasn’t active at that point.

I’m having a bit of a hiccup because I forgot to take the paracetamol on Saturday and Sunday and by the time I realised that the pain was back. The second and third MRI scans were on the sacrum and pelvis. Definitely got a sacral insufficiency fracture I’d rather not have been proved right on that one - plus there are all sorts of other nasties, osteoarthritis and bursitis to name but two so the results aren’t at all good.

The rheumatologist I spoke to today was very nice and sympathetic but she says I need to get back onto bisphosphonates - she wants me to try an infusion of something.I really don’t want to, once it’s in it’s in and if I feel as ill as I did on the tablets then I can’t imagine what I’d do.

One of my big problems is that I know people who take bisphosphonates and still crumble. When I took alendronic acid I felt really ill all the time - well beyond ill, I honestly felt as if I was just waiting to die, I couldn’t see a future at all and I certainly couldn’t imagine being around for the next DEXA in five years time, I just wasn’t myself any more and when I stopped I went back to being how I used to be. Osteoporosis definitely sucks!