Saw chiro worthless. Series of cortisone injections under x-ray, worthless.
Had a micro-discectomy surgery to remove the matter
that was impacting the nerve in 2006 and I was back to normal in weeks after suffering for 7 months.
I have disks in my lower back that are degrading and has caused me a great deal of pain at times, including sciatica. There were times I could not stay in the same position for more than a few minutes
A number of years ago I received three nerve blocks on my left side. They have helped a lot, though I still have issues from time to time. I hope I never have to have surgery on my lower back. Good luck!
my lower bulging disc stopped bulging
I’m now allergic to ibuprofen
I experienced this at age 48
I’m
Now nearly 68
I get sore and bent over infrequently
But; I promise it’ll resolve
Has done wonders for me, also 67, retired & in great shape
It’s all about strengthening your core, legs & hips
Back trouble for years due to dumb things I did in my youth. For a couple or three decades, a chiropractor was able to keep it at bay.
Back in '19, if memory serves, my chiropractor could no longer fix it. He suggested a surgeon.
MRI, and all that later, the surgeon recommended steroid injections immediately adjacent to the offending nerve rather than surgery. That has worked well, but getting the injection is not a pleasant experience. It also has the downside that such treatments are not available everywhere.
FWIW, I'm now dealing with "and" a problem due to the piriformis muscle on the same side. That also causes pain, but it's a dull pain over a notable area rather than the sharp, stabbing, highly localized pain of sciatica.
All the advice below is good as well. Core strength is your friend. There are a lot of exercises that will help you there.
Feel free to email me if you'd like more detail.
Spinal surgeon and did PT to no avail, which was dumb, because I can do those exercises on my own. Had a MRI and I need to have a nerve in my spine cauterized. The process entails 2 practice blocks to see if it works. If the first works, I have another two weeks later. If the second works, we then cauterize the nerve. I can’t have it done until school is over as I am a PE teacher, but we only discovered it via the MRI. Good luck! I have to get back in to see the surgeon again so that I can have the surgery/ procedures resubmitted through insurance, but am planning to have them done in July… so no experience to share on if they work for my similar pain. Also, I’m 42. While high jumping at ND, I injured my spine in the fall of my senior year in that exact spot when I landed on the bar wrong, so we think that may have already been damaged and that I did something that just set it off. Rehab was fine back then and I had been extremely active ever since. Good luck!
Sometimes, I think we got a raw deal with evolution.
Couldn't we have evolved to live under water with a spine like sharks?
No fixed spinal column made of bone with all the attendant degeneration issues as we get older.
Sharks move around without dealing with joint damage and they don't have to live in buildings that need to be heated and cooled.
They don't have to go to work to pay for everything.
Cartilege rules. Hard bone degenerates into mush and pain.
Surely there is a planet with the most intelligent creatures live under water and live free and, well, don't have to worry about being eaten by an alpha predetor like killer whales.
Sigh. I can only dream.
ND. Depending on the day, I still get between 16,000-20,000 steps each day, but I haven’t been running much or Peloton cycling. I’m really looking forward to being “normal” again. I’m the female teacher chaperone on our 6th grade’s Outdoor Ed camp in a little over a week and will be leading a 12 mi hike up the mountain by Lake Cachuma in Santa Barbara. Our male teacher chaperone will be escorting those who opt out of the hike on a day boat excursion on the lake. The hike won’t be an issue and I would still choose it over the boat ride. FWIW, our male chaperone teacher is a diehard ND fan. I think that the pre-teen girl angst will be less on a long hike up and down the mountain, as opposed to a day long boat ride though. May the odds be ever in his favor! If we were sharks, we wouldn’t be able to experience the beauty outside the water.
You dream about going up there, but that is a big mistake. Just look at the world around you right here on the ocean floor. Such wonderful things surround you! What more is you lookin' for?!?!?
I have a mild case of spondylolisis and a herniated disk. This book has been informational and the exercises have helped me quite a bit: The End of Back Pain by Dr Patrick Roth.
They are essentially plastic golf cleats turned upside down and embedded into a squishy mat.
When her back pain is really flaring, lying on this bed-of-nails contraption is not the least bit painful.
I was in my late 50s and experienced sciatica symptoms (left leg pain) whenever I ran or cycled vigorously. It did not bother me really when swimming or walking or in day to day life. I went to pysiatrist who ended up diagnosing a lumbar issue sent me to PT for "Mckenzie" exercises. Unfortunately this did not clear the issue, although I do believe it can be effective for some sciatica problems. I went to a orthopedic surgeon who specialized in backs. After reviewing the scans he said he would not recommend surgery. Both the pysiatrist and ortho encouraged me to stay moving and active to the best of my ability. I'm an engineer, so I am used to problems having an identifiable cause and a path to a solution. So it was pretty frustrating not to get a more confident path forward. Nevertheless, I took their advice and stayed as active as I could. After about 3 years it went away and 10 years later it has not returned. I was able to return fully to running and cycling a little older but no worse for the layoff otherwise.
What I learned from all this is be patient and stay as active as you can. Musculoskelatal problems can improve with time. I hope in your case they can find a clear cause and help you get quickly over it.
and sides of hips and whatever muscle on side of leg below hips with a knobby roller - maybe 4" or more diameter. Like what I linked. Used for 10 years now and have not gotten anything long term - maybe a day or two, then I use this and goes away. I had it for 3 months once so I know how bad it can be. But not since I discovered this approach.
A sports therapy team made me do bird dogs, pigeon stretches, and this was the most important, lift heavy weights - deadlifts, squats, back, and lots of core. Instant relief after the 1st session, and after a month, it went away completely. I still went back for the 12 weeks.
Hanging upside down to decompress everything was a game changer for me.
You may benefit from a lumbar MRI, and if any abnormalities are identified that correspond to the pain you're having, an epidural steroid injection could help you. If the hip surgeon says nothing wrong with your hip, ask him or your PCP to refer you to a trusted pain doctor.
(I'm a pain doctor, so this is right up my alley)