@gidget1280
i have had nerve conduction tests and they are more miss than it. the miss was the conduction did work as to the normal nerves but did nothing to let the doctor know the condition of the pinched nerve group due to a blown out disc that was pinching one of the nerves he tested, they would need a better plan and machine to know the difference in the nerve tripping different by some kind of measure. instead of just showing that they were working., next question 2, about pain walking, oh yeah when that pinched nerve acted up a foot was 20 feet away. you almost could move. 3rd question strengthen the core-has taken me two months to increase to now sit ups of 100 a day. yes i feel better less pain, i just turned 69 years old- ruptured that disc in 2021 dec and they didn't find it till march 2022. no i have not had it fixed i built the core muscles around it and try to not sit too long and i do pretty good till something changes, a fall or turn to sharp to fast etc.i had not mentioned active release therapy that i can remember. well best of luck and blessings from above.

@gidget1280
please do not worry about how you “sound”. i too, was in the desperate state you find yourself in and i know how horrible and upsetting it is. your life has changed and it’s scary as heck. when i first started trying to walk again (more than from counter to counter around my home), it felt like such a daunting task! i was so nervous to walk down the road for fear of not being able to get back! and it was verrry slow walking. i basically had to learn to walk differently ( with tips from the glokhale method and the el paso guy) and would walk a tiny bit more every day.
please feel free to ask any questions any time. ❤️
i have not had a nerve conduction test. my mri showed where the nerve was being pinched and that nerve pain at the time, consumed my thigh, shin and even foot. no amount of lyrica, t-3’s or tramadol was taking that pain away. i thought it was the beginning of the end for me. (i still get the nerve pain but it’s dramatically reduced and nowhere near as debilitating).
i had a pt but heard of active release therapy, which is done by a trained chiropractor. being desperate thought id give it a try. i quickly ditched my pt for the a.r.t.! when i first went to her, i couldn't even even lie on the table i was too broken. (at that time i was “sleeping” on my back with my legs pulled up close to my chest. the only position where i could find any relief at all. ) i went to the a.r.t. twice a week for five weeks. and she got me able to first, lie on my back to tolerate an mri, and then on a plane to bali! i now still go to her every two weeks.
yes i definitely had times i worried i’d end up in a wheelchair. i even had an e.r. doc tell me i would unless i had surgery right away. he and my medical doctor said i should NOT be going to bali as i could end up incontinent or worse, paralyzed! my a.r.t. said “we can do this. you can’t stop living!”. i sided with her! 😁 please know i still get the weak legs thing. i can’t stand in one place for long. i’m better walking! and now i can (usually, unless i’m having a bad flare-up), walk well and try to do at least 3 kilometres a day.
question 3… i did not feel “strong” when i was in bali, but i walked (slowly) every day. the big plus of being there is cheap massages and they kept my muscles limber! i wish i could afford more here where i live. my timeline? it’s been a year since i was debilitated by pain and in the state you are feeling now. i’m careful to bend over and how i go about doing that. and i learned from the pain clinic i attend, to attempt to do 50 percent of what i actually want to do. baby steps. your body will tell you what it can handle… last year my nerve pain was so bad i didn’t drive for four months.! too painful as my nerve pain is on my right side and leg. i drive everywhere now. always aware of how i sit, keeping the spine elongated, and lower abs engaged (when i think to do so.😅). honestly, it took me the year to figure out how to actually walk while engaging the glutes! abs i could do, glutes took a while to “get”. sorry, long ramble! 😅 but i’d say it took me six weeks to get myself walking again… slowly… and another few months of constantly working on getting stronger. i put my garden in this spring! a huge undertaking that i had to work on very slowly, but after you’ve been where you are now, you celebrate all the “wins” and never take your mobility for granted again.
sending hugs spine-sister. happy to engage with you and really feel for your pain. 😢🙏🏼❤️

Hi again Gidget,

You mentioned strengthening your core. Here are two simple exercise you can do right at home.

1) Lie on your back with knees bent. Raise your arms straight up toward the ceiling and keep them there. Pivot from your hips and reach toward the ceiling, raising your entire back off the mat or floor. You don't have to go up far, maybe only a few inches. This will work your abs.

2) Again, lie on your back with your knees bent, raise your butt up from the ground so your torso is at an angle from your knees to your head. You should feel this in your lower back and glutes (the exercise is called Glute Bridge), Hold slightly at the top, then come back down and repeat. I do 10 in a set, two sets total.

If you want to add to this exercise, on your last rep, hold the position for 30 seconds or so.

These exercises will work the front core (abs) and back core (glutes, lower back muscles).

I suggested dry needling earlier. I would find a PT at your hospital who does this. They will perform an evaluation before doing the needling. The evaluation is useful, and the PT will likely find things you hadn't considered. The PT can also suggest stretches for your lower back.

Hope this helps!

Joe