Sciatic nerve - anyone ever experienced this??

[kittkatt]

Originally Posted by strange_wings

Get an mri and referral to a specialist. Do not go to a chiropractor. You have no idea what is causing your pain, so you most certainly do not want anyone trying to 'adjust' anything in your spine. Without a doctors permission it can actually be dangerous (such as mine, the fusing/arthritis and the bulging disc would cause problems).

You could try asking on another forum, such as the back problem section on healthboards. It's a busy section so someone should answer your question pretty quickly.

I'm sorry to hear that you had a bad experience w/ a chiropractor, Strange-wings. But they are not ALL bad. I've been going to one for years, and they've always helped me - but I've had good ones. My first chiropractor WAS a quack, though, so I quit going to him. There are good ones and bad ones: you just have to find the right one.

Regarding the sciatic nerve, I suffer from that too. It starts from about the middle of my back, and goes down my leg into my feet, along w/ the numbness & tingly/cold feeling. But I have a chronic back condition which continues to deteriorate: the sciatic nerve pain was relieved for awhile after I had back surgery, but now it's come back. I have degenerative disc disease, and will always have back problems. The only thing that relieves the pain for me is Vicodin - and even then, I still have flare-ups in which even the Vicodin sometimes doesn't help..

I think you may have a pinched nerve in your neck, Katspixiedust. I also have occasional flare-ups like what you're describing, and it's about as painful & annoying as the back sciatic nerve pain. I would suggest seeing a neurologist, who can recommend an MRI. I think the MRI is about the best test that can be taken when it comes to nerve pain and/or back problems.

Good luck!

~KK~

 

[catnip]

The first thing I'd say to do is have an MRI of both lumbar and cervical spine. However if both of these are clear I would say your problem is due mainly to posture which can cause a huge amount of stiffness and impingement unless ideal (I have never come across a person with what is considered to be 'good' posture). Even though it may seem strange to have an abnormal sensation in both upper and lower limbs, it can often be due to muscle imbalance, joint stiffness and ultimately nerve impingement. Especially if you work at a desk job.

Regarding the Chiro debate, I don't know if there is different training in the States but not a single GP in this country would recommend going to one. All they seem to do is 'manipulate' joints so that a cracking noise is made (caused by gas forming within the joint when space is created therefore it is not a 'crack' of the joint). Correct me if I'm wrong but I will never attend one as I would rather attend a physician who views the body as a whole and doesn't assume the problem is solely bone/joint related.