My back is killing me - would anyone like to trade? It only has 41 years on it, but it also has a bad disc at L5/S1. There’s also some arthritis in the cervical vertabrae.
Right now, my lower back on my left side (running down into my hip and behind my knee) is both numb and throbbing at the same time. If I sneeze, I’m in AGGGGGOOOOONNNNNNYYYYYY! Can’t get comfortable at night, can’t sit for more than 5 minutes at a time.
Really, I’ll give you a good deal on a slightly used back and spine. Maybe I’ll even pay you to take it off my hands.
I feel your pain. Literally. For several years now. It rots.
Hate to give you the bad news, but (as you probably know) the sciatica likely derives from the arthritis, for which there is no cure.
You can, however, sometimes get some relief via physical therapy and strengthening certain of the abdominal and back muscles. I find that glucosamine chondroitin helps me. YMMV. A physical therapist can tell you ways that correct posture helps.
If you find any resources for getting a new spine, do let me know.
And stretching. Stretching our your hip is the single best way I’ve found to combat sciatic pain. The easiest stretch is just to lie on your back and pull your knee up to your chest. If you need a stronger stretch, a physical therapist can provide you with some good ones.
Did this agonizing pain come on suddenly, or has it been working up?
I ask because my dad also has sciatica, but woke up one day barely able to walk, sit, lie down, move, speak, keep his lunch down, etc. After a trip to the ER, various different drugs, MRIs, x-rays, three months being off work, pain shots, therapy and 5 different doctors telling him “yeah, sciatica is a bitch” someone finally realized he has a herniated disc that can easily be corrected with surgery.
FWIW the doctor who figured it out was a spinal specialist - not the ER doctor, GP, nurse practitioner, pain specialist, or orthopedic surgeon.
Good luck. I’ve had sciatic problems before and they weren’t fun AT ALL.
I have blessedly never had sciatica, but both of my parents used to suffer from it. Learning to introduce some stretching into their routine movements helped; Mom hasn’t had any bouts for over 20 years! Dad isn’t around to be interviewed (I’m working on my euphemisms) but at the time of his departure he hadn’t had one for years either.
By routine movements I mean things like stretch a bit when you get off a chair; turn and twist your neck when you’ve been at the computer for a while; allowing yourself to yawn seriously when you’re in a place where it doesn’t pose a serious trouble. Yawning is a whole-body stretch, but we’re so used to repressing it out of “politeness” that we miss a perfectly natural workout.
I’ve had back problems for about 20 years now (it all started when I was burying my cat - seriously). Diagnosis was herniated disc at L5/S1. The arthritis is an afterthought.
I’ve been to a physical terrorist, orthopedist, general practitioner, and damn near everyone but Dr. Frankenstein. I exercise religiously, with special attention to my abs and lower back muscles. I stretch, do pilates, have done some yoga, etc etc etc. I know what’s good for my back and what’s bad for my back. Unfortunately, I did one of the things that’s bad for my back.
“Dr., it hurst when I do this”
“Then don’t do that.”
“Yeah, but “this” is hot monkey loving - I’m not giving that up bad back or no.”
OWOWOWOWOW. i suffered with that for two years, to the point where I literally couldn’t walk or stand for more than 30 seconds at a time. If you have a herniated disk, you really should think about a consult with a back surgeon-- back surgery has advanced quite a bit. Post-surgery, on the day I could walk down my block, I wept.
Wow, that was my reaction, too! Except I was walking out across a pasture and looked back to where I’d started and realized I wouldn’t have made it 20 feet before. Just simply walking overwhelmed me.
I’m 44. It started about 6 years ago. I was cleaning up after replacing a roof on a house. After 5 days of some of the most absolutely hard work I have ever done in my life, I moved a ladder.
And I couldn’t breath. It took my breath away. I could barely make it to my truck to drive home.
Since then, I’ve ‘thrown’ out my back a few times. Once when someone surprised me. Once because I sneezed.
Two weekends ago I insulated an addition I’m putting on my house. It’s not heavy work, but I did something. Turned the wrong way. Reached too far. Something. My back started bothering me again. Then yesterday, at work (office job) my butt started hurting. Aching actually. Today, this morning, I should be on my way to Denver to help my Mom with a few things. I’m going to have to cancel.
My Mom is going to freak out. She has spinal stenosis. She knows what this is like. I don’t want to tell here I’ve got some of the same problems. But there is no way I could hide this.
I had the same thing a couple of years ago. I picked up a box with six reams of copier paper from the bottom shelf in WalMart, took it to the register, took it to my car, and then into my office. By the time I got it into my office, I was thinking it wasn’t a smart thing to have done. Over the next couple of weeks, the pain slowly ran from my back down to my butt, and into my leg. I went to a spine specialist who ordered an MRI. When he showed it to me, he didn’t even have to point out the herniated disc- it looked like my back was sticking its tongue out.
I wanted to avoid surgery, so I tried everything else for about 6 months. Traction (which I quit after sneezing while I was fully extended- I couldn't walk for an hour after that) epidural steroid injections, which helped for about 3 months- and PT. It finally got so bad that I couldn't stand up long enough to take a shower, and Mr. 1341 had to go get one of those shower chairs for me. I needed a walker just to get around.
I finally broke down and had the surgery, and I wish I'd done it right off. I woke up from the anesthesia and burst into tears because for the first time in 6 months my leg didn't hurt. As long as I'm careful, I can do a lot of stuff that I ussed to- I can run, I've taken a few spinning classes, I can work in my garden- but I have turned into one of those annoying women who has to ask the nearest guy to pick up something heavy. I've learned my lesson on that one!
So see a spine specialist. It may well be something correctable.
I had a motorcycle accident when I was 11 years old. Messed up my neck to the point that it was 2 days before they where sure it wasn’t broken.
A couple of months ago, I slipped on a wet river bank and fell on my chin. I saw stars. I saw the whole Milky Way. I’m lucky I did not bite my tongue, or break my jaw (or drown in the river) My teeth hurt after that fall. Now, I can crack my neck just like people crack there knuckles.
My back has given me problems all my life. Scoliosis. About every 2 years I have a sore back that slows me down for a couple of days. I don’t think that chin drop helped.
My back seems to go out from the silliest little things. I’m a big guy, and am used to doing big guy things. It’s really hard not to. 100lbs to me is just ‘be sure both feet are on the ground’. But, it’s the little ones that get you.
Dammit. This is going to be a BIG adjustment for me. I’m going to go get checked out next week.