Unexpected sciatica

[Mumbear15]

Hi, I’m just looking for reassurance I guess. In august I had a mild back ache which got progressively worse and then wow, all of a sudden, sciatica hit, I was screaming in pain, my leg, ankle, foot and toes, I have never experienced anything like it. Fortunately I have had great care, strong pain relief which I hated, made me feel so sick but was essential. I am totally off of pain relief now however, my back is so so sore every day, I understand this is a good sign and that it is called centralising, I could take pain relief but would rather cope, especially as the pain seems trivial in comparison to the previous spasms. I’m so stiff in the morning but it gets easier by the afternoon , I’m being so good with my exercises but I was wondering if anyone can reassure that this final stage of niggling back pain and stiffness does eventually go away?

[momander]

I rhink.it depends on thebreadon for your back pain as to whether the pain will.ho away!? Have you had an MRI?? That will determine what is going ion.in your back

[Mumbear15 in reply to momander]

Hi, I didn’t have an MRI as hospital felt it was just an unfortunate case of sciatica which was definitely disk related, I believe my nerve was just being compressed for a couple of weeks. It may have stemmed from lifting something heavy and twisting at the same time. Don’t get me wrong, I am so much better but did hear this typical lower back pain can go on for months, just trying to prepare myself really. Thank you so much for your reply. Much appreciated.

[Hidden]

I first started seeing a pain management doctor a few years ago. I had severe sciatica pain on my right side. I already had neuropathy in both feet and part way up my legs so the back pain just made it that much worse. She had me get an X-ray and an MRI both of which showed severe DDD and issues with L4-L5 and L5-S1. She prescribed pain meds from the start. For the first year and a half, I was getting steroid injections about every 6 months. Just recently, she performed the radio frequency abalation on both sides of my lower spine. It deadens the nerves for a period of roughly 9 months. It has helped with the sciatica but I seem to have osteoarthritis throughout my body. When I get out of bed in the mornings, it's hard for me to move. I take one pain med and that gets me through the day. I also have an autoimmune disease that my nephrologist manages for me. I asked him about the arthritis if it could be caused by the disease and he said yes. He prescribed 5 mg of prednisone daily to help with the overall muscular and joint pains and it has helped.

[PSAWarrior28]

Ive had sciatica which has progressed to spinal stenosis. Been living with pain for over 12 months. Been referred to pain management clinic by rheumatologist and still waiting for appointment. Its the worst pain ever...travels all way dow to my foot. The painkiller takes edge off but I'm in constant pain. Being in water helos and i do aqua aerobics 4 times a week.

Good luck and hope you get your healing soon.

[Mumbear15 in reply to PSAWarrior28]

Thank you so much for your reply, I hope your pain clinic can help you, I sympathise enormously. We’ll done for your routine of aqua aerobics, it’s not easy to push yourself like that sometimes. Good luck.

[cyberbarn]

I had a similar experience to you a couple of years ago. I had had what I now know is sciatica for years, but it was just a dull ache down one let. But this was something else, the pain was unbearable, worse than foot surgery!

And it was on the other side to the side I usually get sciatica too. What we didn't realise until I got a copy of my earlier imagining report was that the previous rheumatologies had neglected to say that I had Spondylolisthesis which is the bone in the back that slips out of place, rather than a disk problem. Knowing this wouldn't have stopped it happening, but it would have helped to understand what was going on!

I still get low back pain occasionally, and I still get the achy sciatica, but mostly on days where I bend over first thing in the morning too much. You know the sort of day, where it is sunny so you decide to put the washing on first thing and before you remember you are bending over to get that last sock out of the washing basket! Or the pony knocks the bucket you put on the stone wall so you don't have to bend over off so that you do have to bend over! Anything like that first thing in the morning is guaranteed to set things off for me but if I can keep it gentle in the morning then the back and leg pain stays at bay.

Oh, and when I finally had the MRI months later they said oh, nothing much to see here. Of course not, the episode had passed! And when I said to the physio over the telephone that I couldn't lift my leg, they assumed it was muscle weakness, not a neurological problem.

But it did pass for me. And a private physio pointed out that the NHS physio years ago had given me the wrong exercises and they were probably making things worse. So if the exercises aren't making a difference, it might be that they are the wrong ones, not that you are not doing them enough.

[Mumbear15 in reply to cyberbarn]

thank you so much, it is a very similar story, I believe mine was a disk problem and my pain now is minimal in comparison to the leg spasms I had for a couple of weeks, I was literally screaming until they passed, never ever experienced pain like it. I’m on the road to recovery and hope it never returns. It’s just this back ache if I do too much or lay down for too long, I may be just being impatient, I’m only 8 weeks post acute sciatica diagnosis and my physio says I’m doing well but nobody seems to know how long this stereotypical back ache lasts for, I guess that’s because we’re all different but my physio promises me it will go. I’m now on to core strengthening exercises so fingers crossed. Thank you for your reply, I hope you manage to keep relatively pain free.

[rabbits65]

sorry you’ve been in so much pain with sciatica. I have had sciatica on and off for over 40 years !!! I can advise you to try and walk as far as you can each day to keep your body moving to loosen it up. This I have to do,I walk my two poodles as far as I am able to go. If you don’t walk your back will stiffen up badly and might go back into a spasm. Hot baths too are good to relieve back stiffness and pain.

[Mumbear15 in reply to rabbits65]

Thank you so much, that’s fantastic advice and means a lot, I love having a hot bath and will definitely keep moving. I’m doing well with physio and have adopted a good routine of Pilates movements. Thank you for finding time to reassure me.

[rabbits65 in reply to Mumbear15]

your welcome anytime , let’s hope you keep improving. 😃