Hi, I am not sure where to post this so I thought to start here, as it does cause me a great deal of anxiety not knowing what is happening, sometimes the anxiety is the worst symptom. Also if anyone can advise a better place to post this it would be appreciated. About 10 weeks ago I started experiencing intermittent aching in right leg. Nothing in my left leg, left leg was perfectly fine. It wouldn’t last long, but would keep coming back. Made me very worried. Seen GP multiple times who referred me to a Physiotherapist at the surgery. Saw the physiotherapist a couple of times who recommended to do some exercises she sent to me by email, they were mostly leg stretches and exercises to the lower back. At this time I still only had aching in right leg, sometimes pain, which is mild pain so I don’t believe it to be sciatica(which was mentioned to me by GP), sometimes weakness. Anyway since the exercises - pretty much immediately after I experience pins and needles on my left buttock and into the next day this transferred into my left leg. I stop the exercises and book another appointment with the physio at GP surgery. Between this time and the appointment I started to get lower back pain now, intermittent, comes and goes, sometimes aches in middle of lower back, sometime pains on left lower back. At the appointment everything was checked again and referred me for physio therapy. I am now waiting for this referral to come through and to be offered an appointment. Since then the pins and needles in left leg had been near on constant, sometime disappears when walking. Right leg pain is still there, it is worse at the back of the knee and down to the bottom of my foot and lower back pains/aches has been more frequent. My problem is I am just looking for any other similar experience, because although I have had referrals I have no answers. Oh I should also mention I did have blood tests done at initial GP appointment, I think they were checking for diabetes, the check for diabetes was clear and all blood levels normal although I did have low vitamin D levels which I am now taking vitamin D that was prescribed. Has anyone experienced this or know what it could potentially be caused by? I’ve tried to remain active as this was advised but I don’t feel it helps, when I am walking or doing stuff the pins and needles aren’t really there or the right leg pain but I have been still getting the lower back pain/ache when being active. Thanks in advance.
what is causing my lower back pain, right leg... - Pain Concern
what is causing my lower back pain, right leg pain, left leg pins and needles?
This is exactly how my conditions were before they were finally diagnosed. What you have does indeed sound like what they call sciatica. But sciatica isn't a thing as such, it is just a description of symptoms. It says nothing about what causes it.
The thing is, pain is not in the place where we feel it, pain is processed in the brain. A nerve somewhere in our body is stimulated which causes it to send a signal to the spine where it travels up to the brain. When it gets there it is first processed by the subconscious parts of our brain, sort of like the back office where all the grunt work goes on that we never see, then finally it goes to the front of the brain, the frontal cortex, which is where it registers as pain.
But the tricky thing is, by the time the signal gets to the front brain, many things can happen to it. For instance some people have damped down pain systems, so they hardly feel pain at all, or what some neuroscientists call the 'don't give a shit' people. It isn't because the damage in their body is less, it is because their brain ignores it. In others, their brain is hypersensitive and turns everything up to 11.
So while some people have sciatica that has them rolling around on the floor in agony, others have a mild ache down their leg.
So onto causes. It will be different in every person but for some people it will be a shifting of either a disk or bone in their spine that then rubs against a nerve and irritates it and so the signals get sent to the brain. For others it might be muscles that have tightened around a nerve that causes it. And for others still it could be general inflammation causing the pain.
There is a way that the brain can be tricked into not feeling so much pain, and that is using heat or cold. Heat information is transferred to the brain in what is called C fibres, and acute pain, for example when you hit your toe, is carried in A fibres. A fibres are really fast. C fibres are slow.
So if you trigger the C fibres with heat it stops the A fibres getting the info to the brain. That is why hot water bottles can sometimes be the only thing that relieves sciatica for some people.
One last thing, has anyone told you the 'red flag' for seeking immediate medical attention? That is when you have difficulty going to the toilet or loose control there, what they call 'saddle anaesthesia' where you go numb around your bottom and buttock region.
And yes, I had this going for years until finally they x-rayed me and found that I had two bones in my spine that had slid out of place. Which explained why the exercises the physio gave me made things worse not better!
I hope you can find some relief, and find someone to listen to you and your symptoms!
Thanks for your detailed reply, it’s very helpful. Did you have an operation and how are things for you now?
Yes I am aware of the red flag symptoms and have been hyper aware about checking for them, so far none of them which is good.
And yes! The exercises the physio gave me have made symptoms 100x worse than what they were previously, I wish I never done them.
I wasn’t sure about sciatica, because I read it only effects one leg, whereas I have ache/pain in one leg and pins and needles in the other, so both legs are effected. I will certainly push for some scans to get to the bottom of this.
No, no surgery. I have spondylolisthesis which is where the two bones slip out of line, but eventually they also diagnosed psoriatic arthritis and I am now on medication that is helping damp down the inflammation which is helping a lot.
I have had sciatica on and off in one leg, but a different pattern of pain in the other leg, so it is like having sciatica in one leg, in both legs for different reasons!
Our bodes don't read the medical textbooks!
Sounds similar to me, pain/aching in one leg and just pins and needles in the other leg, which was bought on by the exercises the physio gave. Thanks for your help anyway. I’m glad you managed to get to the bottom of your symptoms, all the best.
I have just had x-rays on my spine as i have had the same problem as you, in fact it could have been me writing your letter, go ask for referral to your hospital for a spinal x-ray it found two lower disc's rubbing. and I am still awaiting the treatment outcome. Cyberbarn has summed up to the T. Good luck.
Sounds like sciatica naproxen helps with that.
It is likely that the pain is coming from your back so do try to get an MRI. However, that is easier said than done on the NHS. Could you afford to go privately if only initially to get a diagnosis?
Unfortunately I couldn’t no, I’m going to book an appointment with the physio next week and ask about an mri/further scans.
Well said, Cyberbarn.
The physio will hopefully contact the doctor and urge him to book a scan. The physio is unable to book scans. Good luck!
It now depends on what area you live in. in some areas they now have advanced MSK practitioners that can request imaging.
I’m in UK, I’ve heard that physios here can request MRI’s.
That’s great; I really hope you get one soon!
Hello, are you in UK or US? I‘m in the UK. I have experienced something similar. I think you should have an MRI scan, and should have had one before all the physio! My diagnosis is a degenerated lumbar spine which could be the reason for your pain. If it is the reason, physio will not help, quite the reverse, but I’m not a medical person, just another person who suffers your kind of pain. An MRI would establish why you are suffering. I’ve been prescribed Gabapentin for the pain, which does help. Not a drug I would have wanted, but is necessary. Pregabalin is another, but not something I want to take.
hi, if you are in the UK, you must have an MRI before you have anymore Physio! More damage could be caused if you don’t. I would have thought your doctor would have done this! Insist! Get better soon x
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