Sciatica

[Carathedog]

Hi,

Have finally managed to control flare I think, on 12.5, but, am still having pain in lower back and left leg, which doctor thinks is more like sciatica. Is it possible for this to be triggered by preds, anyone else experienced this.

Anne

[PMRpro Ambassador]

Rarely pred - but it can be part of PMR and myofascial pain syndrome which are often found together, Sciatica can be caused by spasm of the piriformis muscle which tends to cause low back and buttock pain and can pinch or irritate the sciatic nerve which passes through the piriformis nerve in some people, close to it in others.

You may find stretch exercises that will help relieve the sciatic pain.

[Koalajane in reply to PMRpro]

I have recently had a bout of sciatica which went from my buttock, down my leg to my foot.I saw a physio who gave me some stretching exercises and was also put on amitriptyline which worked really well.

[piglette]

I seem to have had sciatica since starting pred and I don’t remember having it before. It really is agony, it quite takes my breath away. I have found the only thing that worked for me was physio. A friend did demonstrate some exercises to me in the coffee area of my local swimming pool which caused a bit of interest by everyone there. It looks like you have to tie yourself in knots! She says it does work though.

[Daffodilia]

Have sciatica as well as PMR - I use ice pack and core exercises (Pilates) to keep under control - good luck

[Pixix]

I’ve had it for 12 weeks now, but had it before PMR sometimes, too. It comes up regularly here, I think if you search on ‘sciatica’ you will find lots of info!

[whitefishbay]

I had piriformis syndrome but my physio gave me stretching exercises so it went away and has not come back. Good luck.

[AliDeJ]

I have constant low back pain, heavy legs, pain across both buttocks, down to knees and strange upward pain from my left ankle as well as a feeling of constriction in my calf. X rays just showed OA, but an MRI recently showed more serious spinal issues and crushed nerves. I have had this for 11 months and had a lock down "over the phone" Physio consultation which resulted in an exercise program which did more harm than good. Now I know not to bend at the waist or twist and why I found those moves so painful. My rheumatologist just said "you need to keep them up to get any benefit" . So do get a proper diagnosis before embarking on any exercises. Versus Arthritis website has sensible core strengthening exercises but do make sure you know the true problem before trying to fix it! Wishing you all the best.

[PMRpro Ambassador in reply to AliDeJ]

Just read a BBC article on the Lupus forum about chronic pain and how most patients end up with the wrong management. I said there, I blame GPs total lack of interest in finding the actual cause - "Back pain? Take painkillers and do these exercises" without any concept of whether those exercises are the right ones. As you found. An x-ray doesn't mean there is nothing wrong - it just rules out certain things.