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

Hello @elizabeth17, Welcome to Connect. I'm not a doctor and have no medical training but I think sciatica may be one possibility. Mayo Clinic has some information on the condition here if you want to see if all of the symptoms are familiar - https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/sciatica/symptoms-causes/syc-20377435.

Have you discussed the pain with your doctor?

Would agree and as we age, the nerve passages become narrower and can be impinged. Best to go to the doc if it is effecting your sleep and comfort.

Hi- Thank you, my doctor said we will "watch it" so I was wondering if anyone knew of vitamins or anything that might help. Thanks for answering.

Hello John- Thank you for pointing out this information. It was very helpful. I never heard of sciatica before, but it sounds like this may be an issue. I will ask my doctor about it, and also start getting more exercise. Thanks again.

There are exercises that can help sciatica nerve pain but you generally know what is going on and how to deal with it after an MRI. If it is bothering you and effecting your ability to function or sleep, ask your doc about getting one done. This could be a lot of things but until they can see it, everything would be a guess based on symptoms.
If you have never had an MRI done before, they are painless and there is little to no prep involved. The noise of the machine and the close quarters can irritate but most MRI’s are done within 20 minutes or so.

B vitamins are good for nerves as is magnesium but don’t start these until you discuss with your doctor first. You may already be in the range for both which is determined by a blood test so you don’t want to whack out your system although at low doses, the risk is low.

Thank you I will try them, I appreciate your help. Elizabeth

@elizabeth17
I have cervical/lumbar spinal issues (stenosis, degenerative disc disease, myelopathy, osteoarthritis, neurogenic claudication) and small fiber/peripheral. It affected my head, neck, shoulders, back, arms, hands, legs and feet.

It seems you may have issues with spinal cord/nerve root compression (may be from disc/bone spurs/vertebrae issues) that radiates and shoots electrical shocks to your upper/lower back and legs.

It would be good for you to see an orthopedic spine specialist and/or neurologist for MRIs of cervical and lumbar spine. They should be able to help give you options for treatment (pain management, nerve pain medications, spinal injections, PT) based upon diagnosis.

You will want to be careful not to fall or get chiropractor adjustments which could worsen symptoms (especially if you have compression of your cervical spinal cord). I do not believe taking supplements for your symptoms will make a difference (they help small fiber neuropathy if diagnosed through neuropathy bloodwork/skin punch biopsy) but do little for your spine. Supplements for osteoarthritis/inflammation and change in diet to reduce inflammation may help if diagnosed.

@elizabeth17
P.S. Cervical pillow plus pillows to support legs when on back/side may also help. Salonpas lidocaine nerve pain patches may help if you put one on your back at night. Taking melatonin and magnesium (like Calm) may help you relax and sleep better.

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.