Discussion
What's the thoughts here before I spend some cash on a Physio?
I have had a history of back problems it all started many years mostly spasms that would eventually clear up after a few days.
However the last couple of months I have been having burning in my thigh and a right PITA that travels around into my groin.
At the weekend I couldn't walk due to the pain in my ankle and have been in agony since.
Called the Doc who suggested I just go and see a Physio, no other advice forthcoming (i'll try another Dr tomorrow).
So any tips/exercise to relive pain in the meantime?
I'm starting to panic a bit as pain is constant and debilitating.
Ta.
I had Sciatica about 2 years ago when i slipped a disc. Bum cheek and pain down my left leg was agony for a few weeks, then doc suggested physio.
Had 3 session over 3 weeks, last 2 sessions involved acupuncture. On the 3rd session i walked out of the physios office like nothing had happened. Worked perfectly and had no issues since. On the first session the physio suggested sitting on a tennis ball to try and manipulate the nerve and relief the pain. May be worth a try.
I say don't be worried, the pain you're going through now is a lot worse then the physio session/s.
Had 3 session over 3 weeks, last 2 sessions involved acupuncture. On the 3rd session i walked out of the physios office like nothing had happened. Worked perfectly and had no issues since. On the first session the physio suggested sitting on a tennis ball to try and manipulate the nerve and relief the pain. May be worth a try.
I say don't be worried, the pain you're going through now is a lot worse then the physio session/s.
My experience. Other experiences are available.
I used sports physios for back pain/sciatica. All relieved the symptoms but only for various lengths of time. One of them was great but said that the cause had to be found.
I had a couple of MRI scans and the causes were found. I had a little treatment from the NHS physio and was given exercises and such. I followed the regime, to the letter, and found a significant improvement with little actual effort. There were substantial lifestyle changes that I ignored, to my cost, for a while. For instance, I was told to give up cycling, a hobby since I was 12, as it was making my condition worse. I gave up for a month, felt better and got back in the saddle. Much pain. These people seem to know what they are talking about.
My problems are progressive, as so many are, but I used to take painkillers daily. Now I can go for three or four days without doing so, and sleep all through the night sometimes. An added advantage is that the painkillers, when I do need then, are much more effective.
Physios, excellent though I found them, are treating you blind to an extent if they just go by symptoms. If the pain continues to return then there is, as one told me, a fundamental problem.
I paid a chiropractor £350 to make my condition worse.
A bit of advice: Doctors will point to things on the scan. Just nod. If you ask them questions about it, that's ten minutes of your life wasted.
I used sports physios for back pain/sciatica. All relieved the symptoms but only for various lengths of time. One of them was great but said that the cause had to be found.
I had a couple of MRI scans and the causes were found. I had a little treatment from the NHS physio and was given exercises and such. I followed the regime, to the letter, and found a significant improvement with little actual effort. There were substantial lifestyle changes that I ignored, to my cost, for a while. For instance, I was told to give up cycling, a hobby since I was 12, as it was making my condition worse. I gave up for a month, felt better and got back in the saddle. Much pain. These people seem to know what they are talking about.
My problems are progressive, as so many are, but I used to take painkillers daily. Now I can go for three or four days without doing so, and sleep all through the night sometimes. An added advantage is that the painkillers, when I do need then, are much more effective.
Physios, excellent though I found them, are treating you blind to an extent if they just go by symptoms. If the pain continues to return then there is, as one told me, a fundamental problem.
I paid a chiropractor £350 to make my condition worse.
A bit of advice: Doctors will point to things on the scan. Just nod. If you ask them questions about it, that's ten minutes of your life wasted.
I was actually going to post just this thread.
I'm a nurse working on an orthopaedic trauma unit. I have been off work with sciatica for several weeks following increasing backpain for about three months. One day I just had severe spasm, couldn't walk properly and have ended up on the physio merry-go-round, along with several different concoctions of opiates, benzo-diazipines and all manner of neuropathic agents.
Sadly, this may be a career ending injury for me - I am due to see my manager and we will be discussing a possible redeployment, although this is limited due to the amount of disability that I have.
I'm not sure whether to try chiropractic - I'm not sure that I want to take the risk of making an already poor situation worse, but desperate times call for desperate measures.
Sympathies to the OP and others in the thread.
SD.
I'm a nurse working on an orthopaedic trauma unit. I have been off work with sciatica for several weeks following increasing backpain for about three months. One day I just had severe spasm, couldn't walk properly and have ended up on the physio merry-go-round, along with several different concoctions of opiates, benzo-diazipines and all manner of neuropathic agents.
Sadly, this may be a career ending injury for me - I am due to see my manager and we will be discussing a possible redeployment, although this is limited due to the amount of disability that I have.
I'm not sure whether to try chiropractic - I'm not sure that I want to take the risk of making an already poor situation worse, but desperate times call for desperate measures.
Sympathies to the OP and others in the thread.
SD.
shed driver said:
I was actually going to post just this thread.
I'm a nurse working on an orthopaedic trauma unit. I have been off work with sciatica for several weeks following increasing backpain for about three months. One day I just had severe spasm, couldn't walk properly and have ended up on the physio merry-go-round, along with several different concoctions of opiates, benzo-diazipines and all manner of neuropathic agents.
Sadly, this may be a career ending injury for me - I am due to see my manager and we will be discussing a possible redeployment, although this is limited due to the amount of disability that I have.
I'm not sure whether to try chiropractic - I'm not sure that I want to take the risk of making an already poor situation worse, but desperate times call for desperate measures.
Sympathies to the OP and others in the thread.
SD.
I had a back spasm. Probably the worst pain I've ever had. I could only move on hands and knees and even then only a bit at a time. I was told that it was work related and that it would go in time, which it did, although I was over the worst by five or six weeks. I'd say I feel for you, but I don't 'cause if I did I'd be in agony. I'm a nurse working on an orthopaedic trauma unit. I have been off work with sciatica for several weeks following increasing backpain for about three months. One day I just had severe spasm, couldn't walk properly and have ended up on the physio merry-go-round, along with several different concoctions of opiates, benzo-diazipines and all manner of neuropathic agents.
Sadly, this may be a career ending injury for me - I am due to see my manager and we will be discussing a possible redeployment, although this is limited due to the amount of disability that I have.
I'm not sure whether to try chiropractic - I'm not sure that I want to take the risk of making an already poor situation worse, but desperate times call for desperate measures.
Sympathies to the OP and others in the thread.
SD.
I changed habits at work and didn't get a repetition.
After having my first MRI I told the doctor about the spasm and he said it was 'probably' not connected and that most likely it was work/posture related. I'd sat for four hours in an open grandstand the day before. The pitch lines had to be swept before the trials could start. I then drove all the way from a bit north of Derby to Brighton that night. That might have had something to do with it.
Re: chiropractor, others on here have given good reports. It didn't work for me. When I was given instructions about what I should not do, one of the banned turns was an exercise given by my chiropractor. I mentioned this to the doctor and he asked, quietly like, did it give any relief. I told him it made the pain worse after a day or so. He said, 'Well, you known whose advice to follow then.'
The tube that the nerves to the legs go through is closing up, one worse than the other. It is possible that I will lose the use of them in the future. I have a disc problem as well, caused/made worse by years of cycling. The posture is all wrong. I also broke three vertebrae between my shoulder blades. These give me a bit of stick but posture lowers the pain.
Being in the police for 30 years meant I used to stand bolt upright, stomach back, bottom in. The physio asked me to stand as I normally did. She said: It's a wonder you can still walk.
I did a lot of things with the wrong posture. Yours might be work related, especially if you lift things. My problems started when I left public order training. I used to carry one of those heavy full-length shields for hours, just to show they couldn't hurt you. One doctor asked: Are you a police officer. Then said, after I replied, I thought so.
I am 5 days out of hospital from having a revision discectomy L3/4 and spinal decompression on L4/5. I had leg, foot and ankle pain for months (left side), which started off in June last year. I had three lumbar steroid injections in October and November. Prior to that I had a discectomy in 2007.
In my experience, a chiropractor was a waste of time. Physio helped short-term but it would always come back. I am unlucky because I have poor discs rather than anything I have done in an earlier life.
The pain can be the worst I have ever experienced so you have my sympathies. Long-term pain killer use also has unwanted side-effects.
We're all different however, and my consultant said 95% of people recover naturally. Unfortunately I did not.
OP, I would try physiotherapy in the first instance if you are self-funding. Some light stretching might help if you can. MRI scans pin-pointed the issue for me in the end and then it was surgery.
If you experience any loss of bowel control immediately go to A & E.
In my experience, a chiropractor was a waste of time. Physio helped short-term but it would always come back. I am unlucky because I have poor discs rather than anything I have done in an earlier life.
The pain can be the worst I have ever experienced so you have my sympathies. Long-term pain killer use also has unwanted side-effects.
We're all different however, and my consultant said 95% of people recover naturally. Unfortunately I did not.
OP, I would try physiotherapy in the first instance if you are self-funding. Some light stretching might help if you can. MRI scans pin-pointed the issue for me in the end and then it was surgery.
If you experience any loss of bowel control immediately go to A & E.
Very close to where I am at the mo.
I have had odd bouts of sciatica over the years, when it gets bad cured by a few visits to my osteopath.
Then in Dec 16 was in a hotel in Limerick & bent over to do my shoelaces up & felt searing pain. By the time I'd got to the office I was bent over like an old man & in considerable pain. Found a Limerick based Osteo who had a cancellation & went to him. He got me sort of mobile & suggested instant ice packs.
Got back to the UK & then started the first of quite a few visits to my osteopath. It was getting better but slowly, a long haul flight to South Africa didn't help.
Around Jan had a few days off on leave, still didn't feel 100%. Met with elderly aunt & uncle & pushed aunt (who weighs 23Stone!) in wheelchair. Hurt that night & by the morning couldn't move, emergency trip to Osteopath eased a little. Vicious shooting pains down left buttock, knee & foot. On the Sunday woke up & was rolling around crying & moaning with the pain. Wife who is RGN went through her pain killers, an hour later no better. Phoned 111 who sent ambulance, exhausted their stock of pain relief & at point took me to Medway hospital. After 5 hours with intravenous paracetamol, morphine & ibrufen got it under control.
Went to GP the following week & got referral letter to rheumatologist. He had a look said L5/S1 query L4/L5, sent me for MRI. Went back & on review showed badly collapsed L5 disc with damage above & below. Referred to neurologist surgeon.
Saw him & he said microdiscectomy is the only solution. Booked in & he removed lump about the size of your thumbnail last Monday from spinal canal at L5, also found some other bits. He reckoned it was as good as any he'd seen.
Now at home recovering, just over a week after the op. No Sciatic pain, op site grumbling, especially if I move too fast, wrong way etc.
So this time around osteopath didn't fix it, did make some improvement to it. Never found chiropractors much use.
I have had odd bouts of sciatica over the years, when it gets bad cured by a few visits to my osteopath.
Then in Dec 16 was in a hotel in Limerick & bent over to do my shoelaces up & felt searing pain. By the time I'd got to the office I was bent over like an old man & in considerable pain. Found a Limerick based Osteo who had a cancellation & went to him. He got me sort of mobile & suggested instant ice packs.
Got back to the UK & then started the first of quite a few visits to my osteopath. It was getting better but slowly, a long haul flight to South Africa didn't help.
Around Jan had a few days off on leave, still didn't feel 100%. Met with elderly aunt & uncle & pushed aunt (who weighs 23Stone!) in wheelchair. Hurt that night & by the morning couldn't move, emergency trip to Osteopath eased a little. Vicious shooting pains down left buttock, knee & foot. On the Sunday woke up & was rolling around crying & moaning with the pain. Wife who is RGN went through her pain killers, an hour later no better. Phoned 111 who sent ambulance, exhausted their stock of pain relief & at point took me to Medway hospital. After 5 hours with intravenous paracetamol, morphine & ibrufen got it under control.
Went to GP the following week & got referral letter to rheumatologist. He had a look said L5/S1 query L4/L5, sent me for MRI. Went back & on review showed badly collapsed L5 disc with damage above & below. Referred to neurologist surgeon.
Saw him & he said microdiscectomy is the only solution. Booked in & he removed lump about the size of your thumbnail last Monday from spinal canal at L5, also found some other bits. He reckoned it was as good as any he'd seen.
Now at home recovering, just over a week after the op. No Sciatic pain, op site grumbling, especially if I move too fast, wrong way etc.
So this time around osteopath didn't fix it, did make some improvement to it. Never found chiropractors much use.
I couldn't get my own Doc today but hopefully he will ring me tomorrow however last night the pain was just terrible.
I have had really bad back spasms that would cripple me but I could at least get comfortable and wait it out with those.
With this Sciatica, every time I change position it hurts somewhere else, from the groin down to my ankle.
This morning I was up and walking with moderate pain and I thought maybe it was easing up.
However, right now I can barely sit. Walking is agony.
tr7v8 said:
Now at home recovering, just over a week after the op. No Sciatic pain, op site grumbling, especially if I move too fast, wrong way etc.
Same here, all the leg/calf/ankle/foot pain has gone, I'm just left with the soreness from the incision. Things are looking up and I should have my life back. I am fortunate with work providing health insurance so I only had to wait a couple of weeks for surgery.My brother had a discectomy on the NHS and had to wait 10 months. He's a sparky by trade so couldn't work. Horrendous. Back care generally on the NHS is very poor IMO.
tobinen said:
tr7v8 said:
Now at home recovering, just over a week after the op. No Sciatic pain, op site grumbling, especially if I move too fast, wrong way etc.
Same here, all the leg/calf/ankle/foot pain has gone, I'm just left with the soreness from the incision. Things are looking up and I should have my life back. I am fortunate with work providing health insurance so I only had to wait a couple of weeks for surgery.My brother had a discectomy on the NHS and had to wait 10 months. He's a sparky by trade so couldn't work. Horrendous. Back care generally on the NHS is very poor IMO.
Apparently the longer you leave it the harder and longer it is for the trapped nerves to heal and recover.
Sounds like we can compare notes
tr7v8 said:
Very close to where I am at the mo.
I have had odd bouts of sciatica over the years, when it gets bad cured by a few visits to my osteopath.
Then in Dec 16 was in a hotel in Limerick & bent over to do my shoelaces up & felt searing pain. By the time I'd got to the office I was bent over like an old man & in considerable pain. Found a Limerick based Osteo who had a cancellation & went to him. He got me sort of mobile & suggested instant ice packs.
Got back to the UK & then started the first of quite a few visits to my osteopath. It was getting better but slowly, a long haul flight to South Africa didn't help.
Around Jan had a few days off on leave, still didn't feel 100%. Met with elderly aunt & uncle & pushed aunt (who weighs 23Stone!) in wheelchair. Hurt that night & by the morning couldn't move, emergency trip to Osteopath eased a little. Vicious shooting pains down left buttock, knee & foot. On the Sunday woke up & was rolling around crying & moaning with the pain. Wife who is RGN went through her pain killers, an hour later no better. Phoned 111 who sent ambulance, exhausted their stock of pain relief & at point took me to Medway hospital. After 5 hours with intravenous paracetamol, morphine & ibrufen got it under control.
Went to GP the following week & got referral letter to rheumatologist. He had a look said L5/S1 query L4/L5, sent me for MRI. Went back & on review showed badly collapsed L5 disc with damage above & below. Referred to neurologist surgeon.
Saw him & he said microdiscectomy is the only solution. Booked in & he removed lump about the size of your thumbnail last Monday from spinal canal at L5, also found some other bits. He reckoned it was as good as any he'd seen.
Now at home recovering, just over a week after the op. No Sciatic pain, op site grumbling, especially if I move too fast, wrong way etc.
So this time around osteopath didn't fix it, did make some improvement to it. Never found chiropractors much use.
I think that more or less bares out what my physio said. I'd been to him half a dozen times. Each time he eased the pain but it returned. Despite me being a bit of a gold mine for him he said that if what he does doesn't cure it then it is essential to discover what the problem is. I have had odd bouts of sciatica over the years, when it gets bad cured by a few visits to my osteopath.
Then in Dec 16 was in a hotel in Limerick & bent over to do my shoelaces up & felt searing pain. By the time I'd got to the office I was bent over like an old man & in considerable pain. Found a Limerick based Osteo who had a cancellation & went to him. He got me sort of mobile & suggested instant ice packs.
Got back to the UK & then started the first of quite a few visits to my osteopath. It was getting better but slowly, a long haul flight to South Africa didn't help.
Around Jan had a few days off on leave, still didn't feel 100%. Met with elderly aunt & uncle & pushed aunt (who weighs 23Stone!) in wheelchair. Hurt that night & by the morning couldn't move, emergency trip to Osteopath eased a little. Vicious shooting pains down left buttock, knee & foot. On the Sunday woke up & was rolling around crying & moaning with the pain. Wife who is RGN went through her pain killers, an hour later no better. Phoned 111 who sent ambulance, exhausted their stock of pain relief & at point took me to Medway hospital. After 5 hours with intravenous paracetamol, morphine & ibrufen got it under control.
Went to GP the following week & got referral letter to rheumatologist. He had a look said L5/S1 query L4/L5, sent me for MRI. Went back & on review showed badly collapsed L5 disc with damage above & below. Referred to neurologist surgeon.
Saw him & he said microdiscectomy is the only solution. Booked in & he removed lump about the size of your thumbnail last Monday from spinal canal at L5, also found some other bits. He reckoned it was as good as any he'd seen.
Now at home recovering, just over a week after the op. No Sciatic pain, op site grumbling, especially if I move too fast, wrong way etc.
So this time around osteopath didn't fix it, did make some improvement to it. Never found chiropractors much use.
An MRI scan showed the damage. I was offered injections or a consultation with a surgeon, but went for the physio/lifestyle changes. Now, at least as long as I follow instructions, I'm more or less fine.
I'm with you with chiropractors. I was told by my physio that one of the movements I'd been told to do could have had dangerous consequences given my problem. There was no way the chiropractor could have known, but that didn't stop her doing it.
Others have had good reports after going to them, but if there is a physical problem, then it needs to be identified.
I have the hips of a 18 year old nubile woman I was told, at least as far as damage to the ball joints is concerned. Whilst the tone he used was a bit worrying, it was reassuring to be told that I was unlikely to need hip replacement, meaning that I'll be dead before they are worn out. So positives and negatives there.
There are, it seems, answers available for damaged backs. If you live in an area where there are long waiting lists for such treatments then you've got a long wait unfortunately. I'm lucky enough to live in an area where, once the MRI scan came back, I saw a consultant within the month, albeit with a cancellation.
I was impressed by my NHS treatment. It seemed thorough; certainly there were lots and lots of questions. I was never kept waiting more than 20 mins after my appointment time, and there were follow ups. Most of all, of course, it worked as well as could be expected given how late I left it.
I had this where I thought I had fractured my ankle (the pain was unbearable). After a month of bearing with it, I couldn't suffer any more, infact I was making it worse as I couldn't lay flat in bed so slept in a chair - just to try an get some sleep. After I was reffered to a consultant, who sent me for an MRI on my back, and being stumped, he sent to Physio.
As soon as I spoke to the Physio he asked questions, such as what were you doing the day before (gardening: pulling deep rooted ivy on a sloping drive) and declared it was my back and in fact Sciatica. He suggested accupuncture, which I thought was a load of tosh, but after the first session, I was able to walk again. I had 8 sessions and the pain 100% gone. I also had a MRI done on my back and L5 is very worn but thankfully I haven't suffered that badly again.
As soon as I spoke to the Physio he asked questions, such as what were you doing the day before (gardening: pulling deep rooted ivy on a sloping drive) and declared it was my back and in fact Sciatica. He suggested accupuncture, which I thought was a load of tosh, but after the first session, I was able to walk again. I had 8 sessions and the pain 100% gone. I also had a MRI done on my back and L5 is very worn but thankfully I haven't suffered that badly again.
tr7v8 said:
tobinen said:
tr7v8 said:
Now at home recovering, just over a week after the op. No Sciatic pain, op site grumbling, especially if I move too fast, wrong way etc.
Same here, all the leg/calf/ankle/foot pain has gone, I'm just left with the soreness from the incision. Things are looking up and I should have my life back. I am fortunate with work providing health insurance so I only had to wait a couple of weeks for surgery.My brother had a discectomy on the NHS and had to wait 10 months. He's a sparky by trade so couldn't work. Horrendous. Back care generally on the NHS is very poor IMO.
Apparently the longer you leave it the harder and longer it is for the trapped nerves to heal and recover.
Sounds like we can compare notes
Then it dropped again after the 2nd injection and it still doesn't function properly. I have to put weight on the ball of the foot and not the heel. I won't know if it's permanent nerve damage or whether it will improve. It was still worth the risk and having no pain.
So you can get an MRI on the NHS? I must get the worst GPs. Mine gave me naproxen and recommended a private physiotherapist. I don't understand how people go to chiropractors, physios etc without actually knowing whats wrong with their spine; surely potentially more damage could be done? Also don't understand why NHS waits until ailments are the worse they can be before treating.
Richyboy said:
So you can get an MRI on the NHS? I must get the worst GPs. Mine gave me naproxen and recommended a private physiotherapist. I don't understand how people go to chiropractors, physios etc without actually knowing whats wrong with their spine; surely potentially more damage could be done? Also don't understand why NHS waits until ailments are the worse they can be before treating.
You can mine was done privately, but the wife's was done on the NHS. A good osteopath can diagnose without, mine did. His first words on hearing & seeing me were L5/S1 query L4/L5. Bang on. What he wouldn't have known was it was so bad that osteopathy would not have been a permanent cure.
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