Numbness, tingling, spasms in leg long after sciatica diagnosis

Hi augman,

Thanks for posting with us. I hope it gets better for you - I think we can understanding what it would be like. I myself have considered surgery.

I heard that if you can correct or let the sciatica heal itself in the early stages of the recovery then you are better off.

This depressed me because Ive had the sciatica for 2 years and i do remember it getting better in the early stages but then it went back to its usual self. I think what was helping me was I was playing table tennis.

My GP said it is important to exercise the core muscles in the trunk - and that leads to more support for the sciatic nerve. But i wouldnt recommend the table tennis - as it was a bit painful and it could be bad for people and could have the opposite effect!

But i dont have transport so i cannot go to play it these days. Anyway sorry to rave on but maybe that helps someone.

Robt.

I am not even sure if this is how to use this site but I need help fast. I have been in chronic pain for yrs and my stomach started giving me trouble about a year ago. I'm having new pain now in my lower back radiating into my buttocks with pain and tingling. it feels as though the gas builds up by my tailbone giving me pain. about a month ago I awoke with my left leg totally numb with constipation. the doctors has given me enimas and I take lactose,senokot,stool softeners,and a herbal laxative I am currently taking 360mg Oxycontin plus breakthrough meds sleeping pills Valium estradiol estrogen patch 75mg due to a hysterectomy also take emerge for migraines that are horrific and have red blood spots and swelling in my feet and legs please help the pain in my back feels like it could be because i felt something move when i was lifting heavy.The lower back is crazy pain and is unrelenting. are my bowels doing this?

Hi. Im not sure i can help you but i thought you may be able to try this. I went to a health professional after i strained or put out some part of my lower back after lifting..

That was a physiotherapist i went to. I still have some of the pain in the lower part of the spine as well as my sciatica problem. But i dont know if this helps. I got given a small card and it said for a lot of back problems try lying on the floor - lie on your stomach. Is the pain still there in your lower back when you are lying in that position? If the pain is still there you need to see a professional i would say.

But see if you can bring your hands up near your shoulders and push on the floor use your arms to push the top part of you body up ie. your head and shoulders while the rest of your body remains flat. If you can do this without pain then try doing 10 then resting. Then another 10 then rest. This helps to alleviate some of the lower back pain. Probably 3 times is correct. I found my arms got very sore. But if it does help then you need to do it frequently in the day.

My mother had red blotches on her legs for ages - i dunno if this is the same problem as what you have. But it would not clear up for years until she was told by a hospital professional to use both a steroid cream (on a temporary basis - to calm down the inflammation) *PLUS* a neutral moisturiser to keep the skin moist everyday so it could heal. She has had quite a lot of success but i dont know if this is the same thing.
I hope this can help you!

Good luck
Robert

Thanks for the info but I'm on pain killers due to a neck injury i sustaned working construction lifting heavy siding boxes and scaffolinding. i have had pain under my right shoulder blade and in my neck and right hand. I am in so much pain i think I have to go to the emergency

im so glad i saw these posts!!!! I honestly thought i was alone in suffering the horrible leg pain for approx a year. I sympathize with ALL of you because i know the pain! the sharp jolts like electric shocks and the pulling feeling you get as if a string is being pulled in the leg. Mine has been on and off. usually it starts, the pain is awful for a few weeks, then it stops, quite randomly (again for a matter of weeks). then the pain begins again and it keeps going round in circles this way! even when i feel no pain, i KNOW its going to come back sooner or later. well my X-ray result revealed nothing, so am now awaiting MRI results. im quite worried, and because the pain has prevented me from being able to do anything, i have become depressed, as im sure alot of you have. my physio thinks its a slipped disc. Unlike some, i have not experienced lower back pain. but (im not sure if this is even related) i have quite bad chest pain daily, which could simply be anxiety. Has anyone else suffered any other random symptoms? for example my head often feels pressured, and i have lost my appetite due to the pain. i hope you are all coping - i hope you get better from this agony!!!!

Hello all,

A year ago i had back surgery to repair a ruptured disc, and pain running down my right leg. after the surgery the pain in my right leg was gone as well as the lower back pain but now I have a numbness running down my left leg, down the back of my foot going to my last three toes. it sort of feels as though my foot is asleep and i can feel a pulling going from my foot to my left buttox. I have not seen a nuero surgeon as of yet and the doctor who performed the back procedure says the feeling will come back. Well, its been a year now and still feels the same. If anyone can explain to me whats going on i would greatly appreciate it. please send all replies to griffindad04@yahoo.com. thanks.

I was somewhat comforted by reading all of the posts on this subject. I have always been a runner, and this sciatica thing has put a "cramp" on that part of my life. I am 52 years old and one morning in October woke up with what I thought was a pulled hamstring. It was downhill from there. I have had all of the symptoms everyone describes except the foot dragging. Went through 2 rounds of physical therapy which helped, but after that pain came back. Had one cortisone shot in back which pretty much wiped out the symptoms for about 1 month. Then symptoms slowly started coming back with tingling in both feet (why the left foot when the right leg hurts I have not a clue). Next week I go for second cortisone shot, which I'm told is routine. I'm also told that often it takes 3 shots to fix the pain. After that, doc recommends surgery. No way...I'll try a chiropracter first. The thing that most freaks me out though is the numbness and tingling in feet. Doc says I have to see a neurologist and I fear permanent nerve damage. I empathize with everyone out there.

Guest, and Griffindad

Hi. im 45 and my favorite activity is cycling - so im in the same boat - the cycling seems to make things worse. So its back to table tennis for me. Re surgery... i have read of several people on the 'net that they know someone (always second hand) who has had the sciatica surgery - and those people always feel great. My doc says it is very delicate and they cut away whatever it is that is pressing on the nerve. Its a pity they cant just re-attach the nerve to wherever it should be in the first place.. In my case i find the nerve pressure varies from time to time. Only reason i know is the lack of leg strength and associated numbness. Some things make it worse. But that also accounts for why sometimes the patient has to go back for more surgery . They might have had the surgery when they were going through a good phase and then when the nerve is more under pressure theyve found that it hadnt done the job as required. Most doctors advise to help manage the sciatica by using a swiss ball. Sitting and balancing on them helps to strengthen the core muscles surrounding the nerve. Hope this helps.

I can't believe that there are so many people that are suffering from this! I've had mine for about three months now, a few weeks ago it hurt so bad that I limped down to the Walk-in. The doctor diagnosed me with sciatica (which I suspected) and sent me off with prescriptions for anti-inflammitories and muscle relaxants. The did absolutely NOTHING for me, and the pain was so bad that it was off to the hospital early the next morning.

I was rejected by the ER and sent down the hall to the Urgent Care Clinic. It's pretty amazing how fast you can bypass everyone in the room when you're in a wheelchair with tears running own your face! The Dr gave me a morphine shot and I was on my way home pretty quickly. Honestly, the morphine did almost nothing. I had a prescription for Tylenol-3s, and kept up all the other drugs, plus some Aleve that I smuggled across the border from Seattle. Still, nothing could beat that pain that I felt. I cried out every single time that I moved.

After a week off work, and walking on a cane, the pain has somewhat started to subside. I'm on light duties at work (at least my paperwork has finally been caught up on) with very little standing or walking. I think what has helped has been being aware of my posture, sitting or standing. I still can't walk too far, and putting on socks is impossible by myself, but it's getting better.

I think that it'll work itself out, I'm off to the chiropractor tomorrow. Keep holding on, everyone!

I have been dealing with sciatica for quite some time now. I asked my older brother how long his has been going on, he said.."decades". My younger brother is now complaining about his and my uncle had to have back surgery. So how do I deal with it without surgery? I can no longer take Ibuprophen, Vicoden, Darvon, Darvasette or Oxycodone unless I want a RAGING HEADACHE. Also, the oxycodone was causing racing heart and SWEATING, no fun. If you feel like your heart stop's beating for a split second, it's prob the oxycodone. Ice helps a bit, laying down for entire weekends and watching TV or sleeping helps as well. Change the position you sit in your car, raise the seat, use a cushion, or if you have a cushion and are experiencing pain, get rid of the cushion and see if it helps. If your car seat back is too far back, your head will naturally lean forward and strain your neck and that affects everything. A too firm or too soft BED can be an issue. Running or walking for too long can cause a flare up. Caffine or anything that speeds you up can irritate it. I went to Chiropractors for many years, not sure if that weakened the lower back over time with all the twisting? At this point, I have a numb left leg, and if I have a flare up, I take Naproxin Sodium over the counter, seems to work and has not caused headaches. Some use Cannibus, you have to be in the right state and get a prescription as it is not really legal. The bottom line, we are in agony and have to try everything we can. No one really understands until they have sleepless nights or cannot do simple things like put on a pair of socks. How dignified it is to not be able to wipe your own butt! Sorry about the butt reference..... Keep the faith, this too shall pass.