Does anyone know what causes nerve pain in legs and back at night?

Posted by elizabeth17 @elizabeth17, Sep 10 10:36am

When I try to go to sleep I am experiencing shots of nerve pain mostly in lower or upper back and in my legs. Does anyone know what could be causing that and what to do about it? I am 71 years old.

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@elizabeth17

Thank you for this information. I am sorry for your health issues. I appreciate your insight. It is helpful to learn to understand these issues so I can ask my doctor about possible causes and treatment options. I think asking for a MRI would probably be a good idea. Were your doctors able to prescribe anything to stop your conditions from getting worse? I have been diagnosed with osteoporosis but just told to take calcium and vitamin D supplements and a once weekly pill that takes 10 years to work. I am not sure if this has anything to do with my nerve pain. I will see what my doctor says and maybe consult a specialist,Thank you for your help.

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It sounds like my neuropathy . It is not in my feet, but in my toes and very painful from ankle bone to knees. I use a doctor Hos Circulation booster for a half hour to an hour in the evening befor bedtime, and because of that I sleep. If I wake up in pain, I put a heating pad on the calf’s of my legs.
It is also important to go for a short walk daily

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@elizabeth17

Thank you for this information. I am sorry for your health issues. I appreciate your insight. It is helpful to learn to understand these issues so I can ask my doctor about possible causes and treatment options. I think asking for a MRI would probably be a good idea. Were your doctors able to prescribe anything to stop your conditions from getting worse? I have been diagnosed with osteoporosis but just told to take calcium and vitamin D supplements and a once weekly pill that takes 10 years to work. I am not sure if this has anything to do with my nerve pain. I will see what my doctor says and maybe consult a specialist,Thank you for your help.

Jump to this post

@elizabeth17
I do not have osteoporosis so you will definitely want to take your medications and calcium/vitamin D supplements plus eat more dairy to strengthen your bones, especially in your spine. You would also benefit from weight bearing exercise which also helps your bones. If you smoke, you really need to quit.

If your bones are deteriorating in your spine from osteoporosis, they may be shifting due to struggling to bear weight on your spine. Discs may have bulged/herniated and causing pain if compressing your spinal cord/nerves. A MRI definitely will show a lot of what is happening in your neck and lower back. Your doctor should not just say “we will keep an eye on it.” That is dismissive of your pain and symptoms plus disruption of sleep which affect quality of life. Your doctor should have referred you for specialist assessment. Compression on spinal cord and nerve roots could cause permanent damage. Surgery may be recommended and spinal injections to manage pain. I was prescribed Cymbalta (generic is Duloxetine) for nerve pain, osteoarthritis and depression from chronic pain. Getting help from a nutritionist may be able to help review your diet to help you improve bone and nerve health.

Good luck getting proper diagnosis and treatment options. Make sure to advocate for yourself and don’t let doctors dismiss you or your symptoms.

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If it is sciatica, ice packs on the lower back for 20 minutes will reduce inflammation. (Wrap paper towel around the ice pack to protect your skin from frostbite.) It worked for me.
Heat packs will improve circulation.
Here is a reference:
"Ice packs can help those with sciatic pain. This type of treatment is easy to use at home and is beneficial for dealing with nerve inflammation. Using one for about 20 minutes at least one time a day can help reduce inflammation and temporarily numb pain."
https://www.allianceptp.com/sciatica-ice-packs-do-they-work-and-where-do-you-put-them#:~:text=Ice%20packs%20can%20help%20those,inflammation%20and%20temporarily%20numb%20pain.

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@searcher1

If it is sciatica, ice packs on the lower back for 20 minutes will reduce inflammation. (Wrap paper towel around the ice pack to protect your skin from frostbite.) It worked for me.
Heat packs will improve circulation.
Here is a reference:
"Ice packs can help those with sciatic pain. This type of treatment is easy to use at home and is beneficial for dealing with nerve inflammation. Using one for about 20 minutes at least one time a day can help reduce inflammation and temporarily numb pain."
https://www.allianceptp.com/sciatica-ice-packs-do-they-work-and-where-do-you-put-them#:~:text=Ice%20packs%20can%20help%20those,inflammation%20and%20temporarily%20numb%20pain.

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Thank you very much for the information. I will try this tonight.

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@jeansur

It sounds like my neuropathy . It is not in my feet, but in my toes and very painful from ankle bone to knees. I use a doctor Hos Circulation booster for a half hour to an hour in the evening befor bedtime, and because of that I sleep. If I wake up in pain, I put a heating pad on the calf’s of my legs.
It is also important to go for a short walk daily

Jump to this post

Thank you for your response. I appreciate the information. I will try the heating pad. Thank you.

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@dlydailyhope

@elizabeth17
I do not have osteoporosis so you will definitely want to take your medications and calcium/vitamin D supplements plus eat more dairy to strengthen your bones, especially in your spine. You would also benefit from weight bearing exercise which also helps your bones. If you smoke, you really need to quit.

If your bones are deteriorating in your spine from osteoporosis, they may be shifting due to struggling to bear weight on your spine. Discs may have bulged/herniated and causing pain if compressing your spinal cord/nerves. A MRI definitely will show a lot of what is happening in your neck and lower back. Your doctor should not just say “we will keep an eye on it.” That is dismissive of your pain and symptoms plus disruption of sleep which affect quality of life. Your doctor should have referred you for specialist assessment. Compression on spinal cord and nerve roots could cause permanent damage. Surgery may be recommended and spinal injections to manage pain. I was prescribed Cymbalta (generic is Duloxetine) for nerve pain, osteoarthritis and depression from chronic pain. Getting help from a nutritionist may be able to help review your diet to help you improve bone and nerve health.

Good luck getting proper diagnosis and treatment options. Make sure to advocate for yourself and don’t let doctors dismiss you or your symptoms.

Jump to this post

Thank you. It is comforting to be able to communicate with people who have had similar health issues and can offer suggestions. I appreciate your reply.

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Restless leg syndrome? Not sure but always best to follow up with a doc - probably a neurologist. They can diagnose what is going on.

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@jeansur

It sounds like my neuropathy . It is not in my feet, but in my toes and very painful from ankle bone to knees. I use a doctor Hos Circulation booster for a half hour to an hour in the evening befor bedtime, and because of that I sleep. If I wake up in pain, I put a heating pad on the calf’s of my legs.
It is also important to go for a short walk daily

Jump to this post

Something that might be a little bit helpful to you is to go on the dermatome chart that will show you which nerves from your spine go to which parts of your legs etc. . This may give you some indication where it’s coming from.. I wish you much luck, I know how uncomfortable it is first hand. I have had 4 spinal surgeries. Injections hopefully will be helpful to you once diagnosed . Also a Tens unit might help the pain .

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@elizabeth17

Thank you for this information. I am sorry for your health issues. I appreciate your insight. It is helpful to learn to understand these issues so I can ask my doctor about possible causes and treatment options. I think asking for a MRI would probably be a good idea. Were your doctors able to prescribe anything to stop your conditions from getting worse? I have been diagnosed with osteoporosis but just told to take calcium and vitamin D supplements and a once weekly pill that takes 10 years to work. I am not sure if this has anything to do with my nerve pain. I will see what my doctor says and maybe consult a specialist,Thank you for your help.

Jump to this post

Hello Elizabeth,
Taking just calcium and vitamin D will get the calcium into the arteries, but only a little will reach the bones. We need vitamin K2 that is MK7 form. Otherwise, the calcium builds up in the arteries and causes calcification which can block the arteries.
Our ancestors had plenty of K2, but with today's methods of producing food, we get very little.
Below is a reference to K2 and why it is needed:

"It’s not enough to just take calcium; we need to aim it at the bones. If we take calcium willy-nilly without paying attention to where it goes, it will end up in our soft tissues, like arteries and joints, and the last place we want calcium is in soft tissues as it can increase risk for heart attacks, stroke and pain.

If you take calcium with vitamin D, you will absorb more of the calcium. That might seem like a good thing, but if you don’t have enough vitamin K2 on hand, the calcium will end up where you don’t want it.

Vitamin K2 activates a protein called matrix GLA which removes calcium from soft tissues and it also activates osteocalcin, which holds calcium to bone. So, if you have a lot of calcium, you need vitamin K2 to direct it."
https://blog.encompasshealth.com/2019/08/28/calcium-without-k2-is-a-heartbreaker/#:~:text=Vitamin%20K2%20activates%20a%20protein,not%20how%20much%20you%20have.

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@searcher1

Hello Elizabeth,
Taking just calcium and vitamin D will get the calcium into the arteries, but only a little will reach the bones. We need vitamin K2 that is MK7 form. Otherwise, the calcium builds up in the arteries and causes calcification which can block the arteries.
Our ancestors had plenty of K2, but with today's methods of producing food, we get very little.
Below is a reference to K2 and why it is needed:

"It’s not enough to just take calcium; we need to aim it at the bones. If we take calcium willy-nilly without paying attention to where it goes, it will end up in our soft tissues, like arteries and joints, and the last place we want calcium is in soft tissues as it can increase risk for heart attacks, stroke and pain.

If you take calcium with vitamin D, you will absorb more of the calcium. That might seem like a good thing, but if you don’t have enough vitamin K2 on hand, the calcium will end up where you don’t want it.

Vitamin K2 activates a protein called matrix GLA which removes calcium from soft tissues and it also activates osteocalcin, which holds calcium to bone. So, if you have a lot of calcium, you need vitamin K2 to direct it."
https://blog.encompasshealth.com/2019/08/28/calcium-without-k2-is-a-heartbreaker/#:~:text=Vitamin%20K2%20activates%20a%20protein,not%20how%20much%20you%20have.

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Wow, thank you for this information, I didn't know that. This was an informative article, thank you for passing it on.

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