Siatica

[scanscanscan]

Anyone have any advice on how to cure Siatica in the right leg and hip areas.
Had two treatments with an osteopath, he used manipulation and aquapuncture, some tempory relief felt but now pain has returned with a vengence.
Any and all advice appreciated.
Cheers Scan

[undertheweather]

Not sure if this is any help to you, but I'll tell you my story. A couple of years ago I started to develop sciatica in my left leg, with pain in my upper leg and also the calf area. It gradually got worse so that after about three weeks it was seriously affecting my life. So much so that I had to come back early from a holiday in Australia. By this time I was swallowing vast quantities of painkillers and anti-inflammatories.

I tried everything, from physiotherapy, osteopathy, even acupuncture, but nothing worked. By this time (6 weeks after onset of symptoms) I rarely went into work and spent most of my time lying in bed trying to stay still, as any movement was agony. No longer would I scoff at people who skived work because of back problems.

Luckily I had private medical insurance and went to see a neurosurgeon who had me on an MRI scanner within 2 days. The scan showed I had a slipped disc (in the classic place - between the 4th & 5th vertebrae). After a lot of discussion, and humming and haaing from me (as the last thing I wanted was anyone wielding a scapel millimetres from my spine) we decided that my case was so severe it wasn't going to cure itself (as many do) and I elected for surgery.

I had a discectomy (in on Friday evening, surgery on Saturday morning, walking out of hospital on Monday afternoon and took the tube home!) and have never looked back. I still get a bit of residual sciatica but I'm 97% better than I was.

I don't know what your profile is, but I fitted the classic pattern - in my early forties, played a bit of sport, the usual rough & tumble and then tried to lift (the wrong way!) a heavy object while moving house - slipped disc!

Best of luck!

[scanscanscan]

Many thanks for your interesting story.
I have never had any previous back trouble and at age 63 took up cricket again after 42year lay off!
This lay off was due my heavy flying rosters abroad.
I feel this injury started when my leading bowling leg slipped forward during delivery stride during indoor net practice this was due incorrect footware on a polished floor.
I attempted to play through this discomfort for a few weeks which has not been a success at all. I suffered during the week following the game.
The pain now seems to come and go, it sure comes back big time after I dig the garden or barrow earth around.
I would be totally amazed if I have a slipped disk as I have no pain in the back area. My pain is more lower buttock and down the leg.
However thanks to your reply I will get an MRI scan.
Funny thing old age, I should have stayed chasing females and passed on the cricket!

[Boeing 7E7]

I have had sciatica very badly in the past and using my private medical insurance went to Osteopaths and Physio's but they naver really cured it. I was sent to a Neuro surgion who did an MRI and took Xrays and found nothing significant. At the time I wished he had, as at least there would be an expanation for all this pain.

So, I just started to do soem very gentle exercises for the back that I came accross on the internet if you a google search for Sciatica and over time - about 9 months I was completely pain free and able to do all the normal things that I'd done before.

The exercises were basically strething of the bottom and back of the leg muscles and strengthening the stomach muscles. I followed these very gentlr exercises religiousley and have not looked back.

I'm glad I didn't have to pay for all the treatment that I'd had done on me by the osteoa dn physio, because in my case, they didn't fix it. It was the exercises!

Hope this helps!

[epreye]

ScanScan, I have a similiar problem for about 10 years. In my case, I think it is due to too much abuse from weight training when younger, and road running in latter years. Mid buttock pain which will eventually translate up the back and neck, and if ignored, will result in back spasm and eventually siatica. I've seen everyone except a surgeon. Doc, Physio, Osteopath, Physical Therapist, Quack etc. All would agree it is probably a torn sacroi-iliac muscle/ligament running over the ball-joint at the top of the bum, and not a compressed disc.

All above therapists helped in some way, but taking it easy and not overstressing your back is most important. Feel the signals and know when to ease up. If you don't, a disc WILL give way with the results you now have.

On reflection, on each occasion that I have been bed-ridden for 3-4 weeks at a time, there was a pattern where I overdid things and should have been more careful. We are not as young as we think we are.

Gentle stretching excercises work well for me, a physio should be able to advise what's best for you.

If you have siatica now, you need to rest your back, and start an excercise regime. It will come right in time if you are careful, I play golf twice a week, but cannot run. Lifting is a no-no.

There was a long thread in this forum earlier this year, a lot of good advice there.

Stay up straight and fly right!! Hope this helps.

[scanscanscan]

Thank you very much chaps.
You all seem to have really suffered and far worse than me.
However have taken all your advice onboard.
Now will see what the NHS can do and see my local GP for the first time Tuesday as presently cannot continue paying for treatments with basically not much result.
I will keep you posted how things go.

[Cardinal Puff]

Scan, mate.....

Ya gotta have that thing checked out. I collapsed on an apron positioning home and ended up eating pain killers like Smarties on the flight back (as pax).

Eventually they dug two collapsed discs out of my back and inserted six pins, two stabilising rods and two cages to bolt my first two vertebrae to my pelvis. At the moment I have some numbness, but little or no pain. My back is almost bullet proof again and I'm flying as normal with a Class 1 medical with no restrictions.

In my case 30 years of abuse caught up with me at a bad time but I'm extremely relieved to be back at work.

[Nightmale]

ScanScan:

Don't discount a disc problem just because you have no pain in your back. What happens is the disc can become prolapsed or herniated and basically bulges out from between the vertebrae and presses on the nerves which run down your spine, especially the sciatic nerve which runs right down your leg.

I too had lower buttock and leg pain, subsequent MRI scan confirmed the 4/5 vertebrae disc.

I have suffered on and off for years and during the last bout ended up having traction. Fingers crossed I have been clear now for over a year - the longest ever!!

Best of luck - I know just how painful it can be.

[scanscanscan]

Thanks again chaps for the good advice.
I report on my visit to the UK NHS......
The doctor got me to touch my toes. Then lay on my back and he manipulated my legs around a bit.
His conclusion was no disk problems and rest and pain killers would be the treatment.
He said he "thinks" a torn muscle or ligament.
Without a scan does he"Know" I hear you say.
I also have developed a small lump on the back of my right forearm which he said was similar to one he had!
Is this supposed to make mine normal or me just go away?
I wonder if this is the SOP training GPs get at medical school?
He suggested I keep an eye on it and if it got bigger or caused me problems (like death maybe) to come and see him again.
No doubt to tell me it was all now too late.
Still I had my three minutes with a likeable and by reputation brighter young male UK NHS GP.
I weep for the general Uk public who have to accept what I consider rubbish advice and a waste of their time and money.
Unfortunately my previous (Arab) doctor in the Gulf would have had an MRI scan and the lump removed and both checked out inside of 36hours.
Things are different here.

[Flyin'Dutch']

Some good NHS and GP bashing.

I suspect you actually spent more than 3 minutes in your GP's consulting room. If not I have yet to learn a lot about expedient consultations.

I learned a long time ago that 80% of diagnoses is made on the history of the patient alone.

This was confirmed when I attended a seminar in the States last week where an eminent neurologist stated that he would rather spend 30 minutes talking to a patient on the phone rather than examining them for the same time (if those were the only options available)

Unfortunately the NHS is under resourced and this means that some investigations happen at a different phase in the diagnosis/treatment cycle than in other health services.

That is not a choice made by clinicians but by society as a whole.

Did you ask what you could expect with regards to the lesion on your forearm? If you forgot; go back and ask! If your GP forgot; go back and ask.

No doubt you have been given an invitation to revisit your clinician if your symptoms persist and that is what you should do when the need arises.

Apropos diagnosis, can you enlighten me on whether your osteopath used an MRI to come to the diagnosis? If not what is the difference between the validity of diagnoses made by each and the methods used to come to it?

FD

[scanscanscan]

Flyin Dutch....
Thank you for your advice, received and understood.
I am not interested in bashing the NHS or any of its doctors only in getting the cause of my pain diagnosed and fixed.
I am sure you are correct that my appointment lasted longer than three min, it just seemed very brief.
I appreciated the time allocated per patient is short and serious cases do receive extra time and appointments do overrun.
My wife used to schedule this doctors and his partners appointment slots.
I will follow your advice and keep going back ask questions and be prepared to lock into any diagnostic trail available.
For your records neither the ostepath or the doctor requested a MRI scan.
The doctor did not say what I could expect in way of a cure or otherwise concerning the lump but I can have an unqualified guess if it is cancerous.
As stated the Doctor felt pain killers and rest was the way forward with the leg and he could well be correct as the pain is less now.
I think I was in error expect a positive diagnosis and a quick fix.
I was too aware of this doctors time restraints and the number of patients waiting to see him to feel I could ask any questions.
Following your advice I will in future have these questions ready and not feel rushed, however I had sort to avoid becomeing a clinic junkie and meeting my friends regularly for lunch after our weekly visit to the surgery as is the case around here.
I have no proffesional knowledge of medicine other than being on the receiving end.
The relative validity of the methods used or treatments used by the osteo vv the doctor?
Well both seemed not to fix my problem and neither seemed to know exactly what it was caused by.
As stated above neither asked for a MRI scan as several former sufferers here have strongly recommended.
Presently one has used needles on two appointments and the other prescribed rest and pain killers.
Luckily the pain is getting less and maybe both treatments were correct
However the gut feeling remains neither really knew.
I would like to shut up now thank you all for your helpful advice and for yours on how to proceed within the UK system.

[Northern Chique]

*puts hand up to indicate "me too"*

am just going through the process of diagnostics, treatement etc... and apt to agree, correct and early diagnostics very much a part of an expedient cure.

Also is the aforementioned exercise. Stretching out the spinal cord from neck to the nerves running down the back of your knees to your toes in conjunction with specific core building exercises (the muscles around the inside of your pelvis which support your spine) are paramount in both preventing scar tissue building up and a reoccurance of injury due to a weak spinal support.

I have few new toys... an exercise ball ("yoga" type ball - make sure this is the correct size for height) and some body bands for resistance training. Swimming and hydro based exercise is excellent for retraining muscles with a reduction in weight placed on the core muscles afforded by bouancy.

Anti inflammatories are just as important as the pain killers as any inflammation will trigger the body to react and "protect" the injury ie spasm again.

My back is finally starting to come good after two months of intensive physio and combined treatments under the supervision of a very good physio and my company doctor. And believe me, I am a hopelessly impatient patient!

[flyboy2]

Thanks for all the Gen.

Yes the mild exercises are all Very Important -particularily for the
back, thighs , shoulders.
After a compression fracture of G5 , I too spent months getting
rid of spasms , having to regain strength & suppleness,

Thank goodness my excellent Physiotherapist showed me
some good exercises , which I do daily & suffer very little.

If my back does hurt from overdoing things , I've found lying down as straight as possible for 15 minutes helps a lot.

Watch out for humping heavy luggage about !

Good luck

[gingernut]

Scan, doesn't particually sound like a bad GP.
I'm making a few assumptions here, (duration of symptoms, any "danger" symptoms etc), but at this stage, it would probably not be prudent to send you for a scan.

There are several reasons for this:

a) It is unlikely to make a difference to your outcome (at this stage).

b) Sending everyone who complains of back pain (about 40% of the population) for a scan/x-ray would cause more harm than good. Can't remember the exact numbers, but I think about 200 (UK) cancer deaths per year are related to medical imaging - particually important in back pain management - a lumbar x-ray is about the equivalent to 50 chest x-rays.

c) Its not always a particually helpful examination. (Lots of scans are "normal" but the pain persists, some "healthy" backs show radiological abdnormalities.

Have you tried strengthening the structures around the area, swimming may be useful. Also keep those abs trim, as sloppy tummy muscles can cause problems. Also, try and keep your weight down.

Hope the info's useful, if you feel "fobbed off" by your GP, go and tell him/her.

ps try and get hold of a copy of your firms "lifting and handling policy." Every large company is meant to have one. Ours is gathering dust in the managers office............ouch! anyone got any brufen !