Siatica Nerve Pain

BroDave

I have been having siatic nerve pain off and on for about 6 years. The pain is on my right side and starts at the top of my buttocks and goes down to about mid thigh and it also makes my foot up to about mid calf go numb.

I have seen doctors for this for about 3 years, and while it has helped a bit, the pain/numbness is still very much there. When I started losing weight it was not bothering me much but reciently it has flaired up and has got me concerned I may have to stop running!

I have been training for a marathon so I am running a lot (40-50 miles per week). But now some mornings I can't even walk more than 2 blocks without the pain/numbness.

I was wondering if any of you has had a similar problem and found relief from it.

mandylooo

Not me, but my husband is a long term sufferer. He has just his first epidural steroids to treat his two herniated discs. Waiting to see how this goes as results are variable. When you get a weakness in the discs between your vertebrae, the disc bulges out and can impinge on nerves which leads to pain down your leg etc. If you haven't had an MRI scan and diagnosis, ask for one.

AriadneSnow

Is your pain caused by the piriformis muscle sometimes compressing the sciatic nerve or is it caused by the nerve being pinched by the spine?

xraychick77

sciatica and back pain are hard things to 'fix'. its tricky. most people suffer some sort of back injury or problem.

the best advice is rest and take an anti inflammatory. specific stretches for me seems to help me recover from my sciatica faster, when it acts up. years ago i was lifting a patient and felt/heard a pop in my lower back..a few days later i was on the couch and in pain. i just rested and took ibuprofin and in a few days i was fine.

some sciatica is caused by a impingment of the nerve from inflammation, or some sort of muscle spasm. Some is caused by a herniated disk or other disk/spinal problem. but both involve some sort of inflammation that needs to be dealt with. there are many things that can be done, but none are fool proof will solve the problem. there are steriod (ESI) injections, surgery, rest, medications, physical therapy, TENS units etc.

mostly though i've found that most back pain will go away in time given proper rest. most, not all. sometimes it takes days, sometimes months. everyone deals with pain differently, and everyones degree of injury is different.

stop running or doing anything for a few days, take an anti inflammatory, apply heat and see if that helps. otherwise see your doctor for further evaluation.

cssm

oh i feel for you! i had it for my entire pregnancy, absolutely debilitating at times. i found heat and massage to be the best remedy. good luck

BroDave

Thank you for the advice I will try it all

SageGoddess320

Yoga. Yoga. Yoga!

lauriebaba

my husband had the exact same symptoms as you, he had a herniated L5 S1 disc, he did the physical therapy and the steroid shots but neither one helped him. He just had surgery last week and he said he feels 100% better. The pain down the leg is now gone and he is ready to start back with his biking once the doctors gives him the OK. I know surgery does not always sound like the best option but in his situation he tried everything before making the big decision to have the surgery and now he is glad he did. Good luck I know how painful back problems can be.

tabinmaine

I have suffered from this for quite some time. However the past month or so I have found that it does not bother me.

When I first started working out and running it was horrible. I started researching stretches for it and it has made a HUGE difference.

You Tube or google "periformis stretches".... do them a few times a day, you will notice a difference. Also, stretch out your hamstrings , if they are tight they pull your lower back.

Best of luck, I hope this works for you.

eayal002

Had the same in 2003, had the surgery and I created scar tissue right on the nerve. Because of the scar tissue that pain, numbness and weakness will never go away and it cannot be repaired. In 2006 I had to get the L5 fused and more scar tissue went on the nerve.

The pain is always there but I still do what I can as far as running. Bad days use a none impact machine. I was a rare case and most surgeries of that type are 100% successful. It takes adjusting, listen to your body and know the limitations but don't let it get you down.

what's the cause? herniated disc?

I don't do much cardio but that's because of my weight lifting goals (gaining weight) but soon I'll be starting to. It is a very difficult thing to live with but it can be done. I do squats, leg presses and even dead lifts. Won't lie I also manage with pain meds and some nerve meds ( Neurotin/Gabapentin) either of those two help with the nerve pain, numbness feeling.

lizard053

I used to suffer, when I was waiting tables. I haven't had a bout in years, after taking some of the weight off, and not being on my feet all the time. Losing weight should help lessen the frequency of the attacks, but most likely will not cure it unless it is the cause of it.
Gently stretching of the muscles should help ease the pain. But definitely stop running for a few days. Even walking might not help, so I wouldn't do much of that until it heals for now. Yoga/pilates may do wonders for you. The gentle stretching of it may help soothe the joints. And anti-inflammatories are going to be your friend right now!
Hope it gets better soon!

sarvissa

My husband and I have both suffered from this. Unfortunately my disc herniated to the point it was compressing my sciatic, I ended up with surgery and nerve damage. The surgery took away the sciatic pain immediately, but here I am 11 months post- surgery and that leg is much weaker and my foot does not have full feeling in it.

My husband has been getting cortisone shots every 3-4 months for it, and going to physical therapy. He is hoping to avoid the problem I had.

Good luck and listen to your body! Physical therapy is a great tool to help, it really is helping my husband.