Severe pain

[143staplers]

I am a person that has no insurance and about 5 weeks ago was riding home from Miami taking turns from the backseat to the floor and all I know was at one of our stops I could hardly walk and it has not gotten any better. I can't afford to go to the doctor so I have learned to get by with muscle rubs and ice and heat and very little activity. When I walk there is severe pain in the back of my right leg. I am 53 and maybe things don't heal as quickly now the nights are bad because it aches and throbs until I am so tired as I lay on a heating pad that I finally fall asleep. I guess what I am asking is does it take this long to heal?

[Bananas5]

Hello and welcome

I take it you don't live in the UK?

It is hard to say how long something takes to heal when there is no diagnosis as to what you may have done.

Is there aany way you can get some medical advice? Maybe if you can't afford a Doctor is there a hospital?

What do other people do when they injure themselves and have no insurance?

Pat x

[143staplers in reply to Bananas5]

thanks for your reply and I will try to get it checked out

[lowlife]

Could you afford to go to a chiropractor who could at least give you a diagnosis and treatment advice? It could be trapped nerve which is realy painful and can take up to six weeks to heal if your lucky or could be torn or pulled muscle / ligament which should heal over time. Try massaging that area and if you cant reach it properly try putting a tennis ball on the floor or bed and sit on it rolling the ball around the painfull area. Resting and stretching may help. Try pillows under your legs and hips at night to see if it gives some releif. Keep up with the hot and cold treatment packs. Try co codamol from your drug store and google for a natural anti inflammatory product that you can take that may help. I guess you dont have alot of money so this is the only way i can think of keeping the cost down for you. If you have no relief at all after about six weeks you will have to see a docter for advice. Good luck and i hope this works for you. X

[johnsmith]

Go to the local A&E. They will treat you and send you the bill. My understanding of the American A&E is that charges can be high but they do not chase you for payment if you are short of funds. Please check this as I have no way of knowing if this information is true or not.

You could have a trapped nerve as mentioned by lowlife. There is another possibility. The muscles in your legs are too tight. These tight muscles pull the lower vertebrate onto the nerve roots with subsequent loss of strength in the legs. So it may be worth taking up yoga to learn how to untighten too tight muscles.

Hope this helps.

[earthwitch]

Google back pain exercises. Sometimes the right kind of stretching exercises can make a significant difference.

[moreno]

Thank you so much, I will do that.