Sciatica

Thank you very much. I have compression caused by the narrowing of the canal due to osteoarthritis (spinal stenosis). Knock on wood/Hail Mary’s, I do not have any disc damage at present. Every couple of years, if in cold/rainy weather, I experience a flareup; otherwise, I have a stiff lower spine which makes my gait less fluid than I’d like. Possibly because I take real Celebrex (generic did not work for me), I thankfully do not have back or sciatic pain. But my OS and I monitor the condition for change/acceleration. Because I do not like surprises or emergencies, I do my research ahead of time, so knowing the actual experiences of others is a very useful part of my plan for the future. Thanks again for sharing.
PS Beautiful horse, by the way

@denman55 My spinal cord stimulator has completely removed my sciatica. It is not perfect and does not remove every bit of my pain elsewhere however, but my sciatica is gone.

I had the band aide surgery with a very good Neurologist. All Orthopedic Drs. I had consulted with told me I needed to have poles, nuts , bolts, a cage etc, I have severe stenosis, scoliosis, spondylosis .herniated and bulging disks, my spine has shifted so much as well as my rib cage, I have a huge painful bulge in my back, as well as my spine protrudes though my back and is very visible looks like it will pop through my very thin skin.. . and horrific stenosis.. which is now worse a year after my least invasive band aide surgery. What my Surgeon did I really do not know, he did a 3 level laminectomy and a lot of arthritis. The band aide surgery was not out patient for me. I was there 3 days in the hospital . When I awoke the pain was horrific, the Dr gave me Demerol shot, and I asked for an ice pack.. during my time there I used all of their ice and ice packs,, it was my only relief .. The next day PT came to get me up . I refused the day before, which is not normally me, but I couldn't move,. After my walk on the walker I told PT I could do more.. then the nerve pain in my leg became intolerable. at that time my Dr, ordered morphine shot, then a pump. then the Pharmacist overruled the Dr and gave me a shot every 30 min, I finally must have been knocked out as I dont remember anyone after `10 pm.. I went home the next day,, I live alone , had the dog at a place. But by that weekend I was up and shopping which was literally 5 or 6 days later.. I did my Pt faithfully and was back on my treadmill slowly for 2 hours a night, I was good... Somewhere about 5 ot 6 months ago the sciatica came back, and with a vengeance. as well as the pain in my back,,. I trudge through it, try to stretch it out but I can feel something went really wrong inside,, I am having an MRi next week to find out, I will have surgery again of thats what I need.. I wish you well , Band aide may work for some but it all depends on the severity of your issues.. Mine were and are very bad, I am 62 and 5 years ago I was told I had the spine of an 85 year old woman. and the Ortho showed me the pics of one. I have survived Stage 4 metastatic lung to colon "terminal cancer" and a year plus of intense chemo,. which I believe has damaged my bones and joints. and my spine,,, I remain active,, but geez when my heating pad is my best friend it becomes a depressing thought. I can;t even walk in a store with out a basket with out severe pain. Living with chronic pain like this it too much,,, This time I will py much more attention to what my Dr is doing and suggests because I am more educated now and I come first,, before I was helping my Mother with my Surgeon and I was dismissed as I have been consumed with her care.. I have had to take a step back from the all consuming job of caring for elderly parents who didn;t plan.. when that is the case it is easy to add anger and so much stress which makes ones own health take a toll.. I wish you relief ,, none of us should have to wake up every day to this. best to you. J

Try stretches for piriformis syndrome. I did go to PT where I learned the stretches. Amazing relief. I used to go get a shot from the Orthopedic, but the stretches I've learned pretty much eliminated that need. I like Dr Jo on youtube, as well. Ice and heat can help, as topical CBD might. https://www.youtube.com/watch

I am so sorry for everyone’s pain…and thank you for sharing how you deal with it.
I have serious scoliosis from neck to buttocks, as well as all of the other “ wonderful” spine things that go along with being over 70.
A blessing is that there are so many curves I look straight; I’m just a lot shorter than I should be.
After an accident 6 years ago, my spine started doing all kinds of painful things, all over my spine, legs, neck and pelvic region. Was told that no surgery would help by every (many) doctor I have seen since then.
Pt and meds have been my only treatments. Actually, I think that too much pt gave me a great core but caused big pelvic pain issues.
Anyway, I was about ready to get a pelvic and also a spinal implant. I couldn’t stand it anymore-not being able to sit and the pain…
My almost last thing to try was suggested by my orthopedic doc, prolotherapy for the diagnosed ischial bursitis, which makes it impossible to sit for more than 4-5 minutes. Working on one side now and seems to be helping, but takes time. (Over working pt and too much trail walking seem to be the cause…) pt is wonderful and has helped me for so many things, though.
The other thing I am doing is having test injections for spinal area nerve ablation. The first series have helped immensely! The pain in my butt and that wrapped down the back of my legs to the front is all gone!!! I don’t know why I waited so long to do the ablation…I have more areas to work on, waiting for the neck mri to be scheduled. This procedure is covered by Medicare.
Every thing takes a long time to get from A to B, but it seems to be moving forward so I’m happy.
No meds at all for the last 8 months; not perfect, but sooooo improved!
Doesn’t fix anything, but a great thought for pain management if it would apply to any of you. 😘

I know my sciatica is caused by my Lumbar spinal stenosis....
I do honestly believe I need surgery and that I need to see a neurosurgeon.
Getting an epidural steroid injection is not going to help this horrific pain that I'm having, which as I've mentioned is just crippling. So, I think I will go for a consult and see what the neurosurgeon says or recommends. Thanks everyone for your input to my posting.

Strange situation for wife-Surgeon did operation for back and leg pain (Stenosis) As part of op removed 2 sp;acers from back from previous operations-X ray now shows spine totally misaligned was straight before pain is much worse than ever surgeon now says need oblque operation. She says no more operations

@denman55 I encourage you to do a lot of research when picking a surgeon because they are not all equally skilled. Find the very best you can, and look for their publications, where they trained, make sure there are no disciplinary actions against them. Look for any online videos of them and if you find some with them speaking at a spine conference for surgeons, you may want to watch if you have access. Look for awards from spine societies, etc or anything that indicate they are held in high regard by their peers. When you have a consultation, you should fully expect that they will explain any imaging to you in person and not just review it ahead of time so they can save time, and go with a list of questions. Make sure you understand exactly what they recommend. It is always worth it to get several opinions because that will help you judge the other opinions, and discuss this with your primary care physician. They can help you understand this. If there are questions you want to discuss here, please don't hesitate to ask!

Good luck in your quest!

Jennifer

I have experienced sciatica intermittently, ranging from mild to moderate. I have had back problems and do have some bit of osteroarthritis. Not sure if this is the cause but I have found that if I stretch my hamstrings, for example, putting my heel on steps or in a chair and bending forward and holding it for a few seconds and doing this frequently has really helped. Daily stretching of the core area has has also benefited me. Good luck.

I had terrible sciatica, I did have surgery and the pain down my leg was relieved. That was 13 years ago. So I think doing research on orthopedic spinal surgeons and consulting with them. I wish you well.