Low Back Pain Going into Hip and Leg

I could feel your pain as I read your post!! I hope you do get some help here......I feel like you matched my story of pain...all this pain and suffering is totally new to me, and I am so glad I found this group to help me weed through the mess we are in. hope you find some relief, may the force be with you...

I'm in a somewhat similar situation although I have not had surgeries. I have three books by an MD named John Sarno. He gives a very unusual take on back pain. He is now dead (of old age, not back pain!). If you are interested, you should be able to get a used one cheaply on Amazon. When I work with the mind tools he suggests I do feel better. Right now I have not been doing that and the pain has returned. Must give self kick in the butt.

Hello @donaldjames1 and welcome to Mayo Clinic Connect. I understand you have lower back pain that is going into your hip and leg following your 5 surgeries on your back/neck and are looking for some ideas on what to do next.

You will notice that I added your post to the Spine Health group and also updated the title in hopes of attracting other members with similar experiences will provide their support. Members like @johnbishop @cb772 @maryflorida and @jimhd have shared about their back pain and may be able to provide you with some additional information.

In the meantime, this article may be beneficial if you haven't read much on spinal cord stimulators:
- Back on her feet and free from debilitating back pain thanks to spinal cord stimulator:
https://connect.mayoclinic.org/page/adult-pain-medicine/newsfeed-post/back-on-her-feet-and-free-from-debilitating-back-pain-thanks-to-spinal-cord-stimulator/
Where are you at in terms of communication and next steps with your doctor? Can I ask how old you are?

Hello @donaldjames1, I would like to add my welcome to Connect along with @amandajro and other members. There is another discussion that was started by @jenniferhunter that you might find helpful for alternative treatment/therapy. @artscaping may also be able to provide some suggestions.

Myofascial Release Therapy (MFR) for treating compression and pain: https://connect.mayoclinic.org/discussion/myofascial-release-therapy-mfr-for-treating-compression-and-pain/

@donaldjames1 Hi Donald, I am a chronic pain person as well, with peripheral neuropathy. First, I suggest that you research Kratom. Kratom is made from the leaf of SE Asian trees and is ground into powder and pills. It manages pain quite well. It is not FDA approved, and 5 states do not sell it. Go to the American Kratom Association to learn about it, and private message me if you want more information. Also, you might want to research Neuro plasticity and Dr. Norman Doidge on you tube. He teaches about how the brain gets very good at pain, and giving it to you! He also teaches ways to manage it, and basically, that you need to retrain your brain to feel less pain. I also bought an app for my computer called Curable, which helps to teach neuro plastic techniques in managing and lessening pain. In theory, if done consistently, it can rid you of pain entirely. The curable app cost about $50.00 for a year's service, and teaches you to teach your brain to stop giving you unnecessary pain signals. Based on theories of neuro plasticity, your brain can change, and stop hurting you. I have spent many hours listening to Dr. Norman Doidge, and I am practicing techniques to manage pain. I know that this allows me to not wallow in pain as much as I did. I really don't know if it will work to eliminate my pain, but I do already know that I manage it better. My best to you, LoriRenee1

Hi, I am 63 years old. I was given a trial on a stimulator. The problem is that I have so much metal in my back they could not get I to the proper position without surgery just to remove hardware. But it did not help with the pain.

Thank you, I have been on that site curable. I did try some of the techniques which like you say helps, but the pain is not diminished for me. I am working to get through the pain but to tell you the truth, I'm tired, my body has been run down by pain. I will look into the other advise you gave me, I appreciate it.
TY
Don

TY John, I appreciate the information. I will look into it further. Sounds very Interesting.

@donaldjames1 I find that the curable techniques help me manage my pain, more than get rid of it. I have heard that neuro plastic techniques do not work that well for eliminating nerve pain directly from Dr. Jonathan Kuttner who is a well known pain doc from New Zealand. He is actually another great doc to learn from, though. Another problem, as you know, is that chronic pain wears you so down, that it is hard to practice techniques that are learned. But when I am up to it, I try very hard to manage pain. Such a hard battle. LoriRenee1

Yes, pain is very debilitating and makes it hard to cope with anything