UKC

Pulled a muscle in my lower back last week digging the garden - thats not the problem - I'm getting transmitted pain, tingling and numbness down my hip and thigh, which makes it a nightmare to drive, sit still for long in the same place, and generally lots of discomfort..
This to me suggests its similar to sciatica.

Anyone got any experience of this and what I can do to help get rid of it.

I'm due to see a physio on Thurs anyway so I was going to ask her....

Ta

In reply to JamButty: Glad you're seeing the physic, that's the advice I'd give.
When I had what I thought was sciatica I actually had a prolapsing disc pressing on the nerves in my back and confusing my brain into thinking the pain was were I felt it.

Good luck, probably best to keep mobile and enjoy a blend of paracetamol and NSAID like brufen if your tummy allows.

In reply to JamButty: Try to get Bowen Technique done.

In reply to JamButty:

When seated can you place your ankle on the opposite thigh (note how high the crossed over knee is), if you do it the other way is the knee the same height ? Does that make sense as this could indicate if the periformis is causing the problem

most cases clear up within 6 weeks. i wasn't so lucky, ended up having mri, l 3/4 disk blobbed out. had the op to chop it off and am now back on the fells and climbing better than before.

if needed gabapentin was the only pain releif which worked for me.

acupuncture can also trick the brain to forget about the pain in the leg.

In reply to JamButty: the symptons yiu describe would suggest the possibility of a herniated disc, probably between L4/L5 vertebrae. When the disc bulges the softer internal substance leeks into the harder external material (think of it like a jam doughnut) it causes the disc to bulge and that can put pressure on the nerve root (sciatic nerve) resulting in the referred pain. Most sort themselves out with pain killers, keeping as active as possible and being mindful of posture etc, physio csn help and be aware of the possibility of it reoccurring.

In reply to JamButty:

Same. I am on week two. All pain and numbness in leg but diagnosed as back and trapped sciatic. Ibuprofen, keep moving and physio.

Told 6 to 8 weeks to sort out.

In reply to JamButty:

Nasty business.

Currently suffering from sciatic problems having hurt my back in distinctly un-heroic manner (vomiting violently during a bout of gastroenteritis!).

I am trying to manage without pain relief at the moment and am relying on stretching, kneeling, crouching and standing to make it through the day. Sleeping on my side is much better than back or front.

I will seeing the GP next week if things don't improve but most advice suggests a sports physio or chiropractor is the best option.

Bon chance!

In reply to TMM: My advice would be not to see a chiropractor but to see a physio.

To Op the physio I saw mentioned that they don't worry about injuries unless they take longer than 12 weeks to heal.

In reply to JamButty: Could be anything from bone, nerve, muscle.

Piriformas, Psoas, Sciatica, I'd go and see an osteopath over a physio.

In reply to puppythedog:

Wow.. thats awful advice. Thats 12 weeks of potential inactivity...

In reply to IainRUK: Sorry Ian I was inncoplete in my explanation. I recieved treatment to alleviate the symptoms all the way throughout that time an dmy back healed with I assume the help of the treatment but possibly on it's own. I also had advice about activity which i followed. their point was their worry would not escalate if it had not healed in that time because that is the normal amount of time (or the outside edge of a normal amount of time) for soft tissue damage like I had to heal.

To be pedantic there was no advice from the physio mentioned in my post. I wouldn't give it becuase I don't know what is wrong with the OP. I was merely attempting to reassure the OP about things getting better even if they seem to take a long time. I did that badly. I'll come back to ou on the other thread when I have had chance to do some reading. I remain sceptical about chiropractors though.

In reply to JamButty: i slipped a short distance coming down kinder plateau & did mine. A minor fall so i got up and carried on. Later that night i could barely move & needed gas & air from the paramedics to get down the stairs. Was given co-codomol to see me through a week to see the physio but they didnt get rid of the pain, just made me stoned so i stopped them. Physio gave me yoga poses and i arrd on with gentle exercises. Worked on core muscles and only occassionally have numbness & the weird sensation of warm water running down the back of my leg

In reply to RockAngel: carried on not arrd. Stupid little keys on my phone. I also got a new memory foam mattress which has helped enormously

In reply to JamButty:

To me it also sounds very much like a disc herniation pressing on the spinal nerve roots leading to the radiating pain. I'd get to the doctor and wouldn't let a chiropracter touch me with a long stick.....

In reply to puppythedog:

I did something similar, it took a few months to be 100%. Didn't bother seeing anyone though.

Neil

In reply to Dave: All a doc says is... take some anti-inflamms.. rest.. come back in a few weeks if its not better...

In reply to IainRUK: Sometimes doctors say that becuase it is sensible advice, not always because they are inept and don't care.
i know it's hard to work out which time is which but it's not unreasonable to assume that acute injuries just need to heal.

In reply to JamButty: Saw works physio this lunchtime. Pain in thigh is towards the front and sides, not at the rear which would point more to sciatica.
She prodded around the spine - L3/4ish was pretty sore, and with some stretches, massage and prodding etc I left 20 mins later being able to bend over and put on my shoes without screaming.
She's freed something up and whilst its still a bit sore, at the mo its soooo much better - due to see her again Thurs so I'll see how it is then.
I was tempted to kiss her, but may get sacked ;-0

Was going to stop driving as it was actually quite dangerous!

Cheers for comments and advice guys....

In reply to lost1977:

This was going to be my suggestion,

Try rolling out and stretching your ass (& hips, thighs, back)

In reply to JamButty:
Mine was sorted ut by regular visits to the physio, massages and treatment with plenty of take away exercises to do. All sorted now -)

In reply to andic: The move 1977 describes is now one of the favourite stretches of the doctors who work with the german athletics team. Basically almost all runners have an issue somewhere in that 3D stretch, and bydoing it you can identify where the tension is.

Puppydog.. of course, but unless their is an acute issue I don't see how rest is the answer. Even after a bad strain a physio will try to get you mobile within a few days. It can be very light at first.

In fact bed rest is rapidly becoming something which is really really frowned upon. To the point where they advice nurses to walk elderly patients soon after operations. Its something like one week of bed rest is one year of your life. We atrophy rapidly.

In reply to IainRUK:

Whilst thats often very good advice its certainly not always the outcome of a visit. Disc herniation is sometimes operated on, depending on circumstances, and can be very effective at reducing the nerve compression and pain.

In reply to IainRUK: Going from rest to bed rest is a bit of a leap. Rest can be helpful, some mobilisation is usually good. Hvaing been to the GP's with my back before, having friends who have because of the professions we are in I d not know one person who has been told by the doctor to bed rest. Many have been told to take anti-infamatories, rest (avoid doing harmful things) and that has been the correct advice, many have also been to see a physio through the NHS and they all got good service.
You have a sciencey mind yet your comments about this don't follow for me, it doesn't seem a reasonable way to disagree to mention one thing and then when I say thta's a good idea describe it in a much expanded degree i.e. rest and bed rest are not the same thing.

In reply to puppythedog: I don't agree with rest in general.. unless there is a break, or something to repair, say a snapped tendon. But even then its hard to not think of an exercise that will suit.. aquarunning.. swimming.. bike.. weights.. rowing..

Kelly Holmes won double olympic gold off aquarunning whilst injured. You look like a drowing pup but its great training.

I do think anti-inflamms play a role, short term, maybe even long term, but they do have serious side effects and I've shat enough blood to know..

But for example take an ankle sprain. many won't run for 4-6 weeks.. you should be out on it within 2-3 days if at all possible. Maybe walking at first, maybe with support, but mobility is crucial. hopping, balance work.

But I only see physios who are ex sportsman/woman generally because they know what it means to not be going forwards. when I ask can I run, they know I mean, will I make this worse, or just slow recovery a bit, or aid it. So when my physio says 'look you need to not run'.. I know he's serious. Even with broken bones in my ankle, I think i was 17 days later and I asked him when can start training, and so he gave me a bike programme to be started after 21 days post break. I think many are too cautious.

In reply to IainRUK: I think we probably agree then maybe not always about degree of rest. We started this discussion with the premiss seek professional advice. My belief is the best advice to get for musculo-skeletal stuff is a physiotherapist's advice.

In reply to Dave: As a Chiropractor, why wouldn't you let one touch you with a stick? Just out of interest.
PS. we don't tend to use sticks, as chiropractic means to "do by hand", not "to do by stick".