Numbness, tingling, spasms in leg long after sciatica diagnosis

I have been going through the same thing. I am 44 years old now. I have had back pin since I was about 20. Most of my lumbar discs are bulging and its spreading to the thoracic and one sacral. One of my lumbar disc (Last MRI was in 2007) is splitting in half and a year ago I fell on ice and broke my tailbone.
Back pain if something I have just had to deal with. I just keep in mind that I have good and bad times.
2 years ago i had lost feeling in my outer parts of my feet and my outer toe. It just felt like dead tissue. However my father died in 08 and I went to California and we there most of two years. I dont know if it was the barometric pressure, the dry air or what but over that time I slowly got to where I could walk up to 5 miles a day and my feeling came back. I felt so good. However, I had to come back to PA. Slowly my pain has been returning with a vengeance .
In Sept I went out and tried dancing for my birthday. I had some drinks which dulled my pain as well as my good choices. I danced all night. The next morning I I really felt it in my spine. It went away after about two weeks and then I had a few days where I had some lumbar spasms. they went away and a couple days later I began having sciatic pain. I have had sciatic pain before in different forms. Sometimes it went from my butt down the back of my leg into my heel, sometimes it went from the outside of my hip, down the front of my thigh into my knee. It hurt but it wasn't so bad that I couldn't push through the pain.
This time it started about 3 weeks ago when I got on a plane back from Ca. Over the past few weeks it keeps getting worse and worse. Its in the same places as before but this locks me up and at times makes me scream. Its inside my hip and in my foot.. It isn't the tugging nerve feeling that I normally get with my sciatic pain.
This is a mind blasting pain that just zaps me in the hip and the foot. Not so much down the leg. I have the regular pain down the leg but the hip and foot is indescribably intense. When I get them it feels like my muscles are locking up and my leg gives out. Different moments the pain is in different areas. Sometimes on the top of my foot, sometimes on my heel, on the inside of my ankle etc. i dont know if its the same nerve being pinched or different ones. The past couple days I am getting the numbness and feeling of my foot falling asleep only on the top center of my foot.
I dont even know what to do. When I go to the Dr she runs her finger down different areas to make sure I still have feeling and since the neurosurgeon said they didnt want to operate due to the location of the discs. They just tell me to notify them when I lose continence.It doesn't make me feel hopeful. Just confused and frustrated

I'm the "Guest" from 10/10/10. It's been two months since the big disc blowout and I'm happy to say that I have almost no pain in my right butt, thigh, calf or toes. I'm seeing a PT regularly for traction, TENS and ultrasound on the back. Not sure if it is doing anything for me, but I want to do everything I can. Also had an epidural injection of steroids (methylprednisolone) a week ago. I was a bit frightened at the thought of needles in the back but it was a piece of cake; just a local that I didn't feel and the next thing was the doctor asking if I could feel something behind my knee (the stuff working). Took about 15 minutes at the doctor office.

My big problem now is the numbness in the foot. As well as numbness, the foot feels like I have a wadded up sock in my shoe (otherwise known as stones in your shoe). I'm looking everywhere to see how long this persists and the info I find is not encouraging. If anyone finds a cure for the numbness, please post it. Thank you.

I have the same problem everyone else has. On October 9, 2010 while doing Zumba, I felt a sharp pain in my buttocks but continued exercising for another 2 hours. Well it has been over 1 month, and I have pain in the rear of my left calf. My little toe and the next two toes and the left side of my left foot are numb. My doctor stated that degenerative disc, L4 and L5, I think. I went to 1 physical therapy session and with no effect; thinking about getting acupuncture. I still still 5 to 7 miles a day.

My heart goes out to everyone who is suffering...and I am thankful that you have all shared your stories. Although we are in pain, I feel somewhat normalized knowing that I am neither alone nor crazy regarding this horrific problem.

L5 discectomy in January 2008, couldn't stand or walk too far at that time, sitting was my relief. In September 2010, after an almost complete recovery, I turned in a funny way after riding a bike and was hospitalized in pain for a few days. I haven't been the same since. Was given Lyrica and Tramadol for pain management but now the pain is unbearable when sitting!!! I travel for a living and am supposed to be on a bus to airport for helsinki-london-miami flight in a few hours and am scared to death!

Mckenzie technique and stretching is helping a tiny bit, but am most worried about the pinching in lower back/buttocks and the numbness in the left leg.

A friend told me that turmeric can help as an anti-inflammatory and there is even a Time magazine article online discussing the potential benefits fo turmeric...haven't yet tried it.

Am thinking of seeing chiro and acupuncturist for pain management but I am more concerned about the cause, not the symptoms! I know I have to strenghten my "core" (torso) to help take some of the pressure off the sciatic nerve. I am just so incredibly frustrated and saddened. It hurts to sit at a desk to get work done, and the painkillers keep me fuzzy and unfocused. Am trying to breathe deeply and push on. My numb right leg is the scariest!

All the best to everyone who reads this valuable forum.

Marlen
Finland 12/2010

Good Morning. I have just read all the posts on sciatica. Thanks to all for sharing. I began having back pain and had a CT which showed I have herniated disc L4 L5. I began taking muscle relaxers and 800 ibs. After 10 days the pain in my back was getting better so I begin Physical therapy. My first visit I was given a TENS treatment. It was very uncomfortable to say the least. By that evening I could put no pressure on my left leg without pain. I phoned the PT office the next day and was told to rest it would be better in a few days. By Monday I called my husband’s neurologist and was seen immediately. I was told I had sciatica. The pain is horrible. Down the front of my thigh, under my knee and in the side of my calf. I cannot walk more than five steps without sitting down. I have chairs all around my house to rest when walking from room to room. The neuro doc put me on Steroids’ for the inflammation in my back. The funny part is my back no longer hurts. I was doing much better before the TENS treatment. I feel as if the TENS treatment aggravated the nerves and have caused my sciatica. I would only feel a little muscle spasm in my calf while sleeping prior to TENS. I did not have it before having the treatment. Has anyone else had a bad experience like mine?
Thanks so much

Hi all, sincerely hope your symptoms have improved, I have similar issues, I couldn't walk, stand or sit.... numbness down my right side and in particular my big toe and its neighbour. Prior to me waking up in this condition I'd had a stiff back for a week and had also seen an osteopath.

I've just spent 10 days in hospital on enough drugs to drop a rhino.... have had xrays, CT's, 2 MRI's all showing nothing remarkable but on examination the all doctors could come up with was spine wear and tear, what doesn't also help is that I had a hip replaced 7 years ago (age 36, sporting injury) and the problems are all on the same side. Anyway came home for a week and spent it in serve pain until I took enough tablets to zone me out all day in bed.

However, then I saw a top orthopaedic consultant who turned the whole diagnosis upside down by saying that I've contracted Zoster virus which has attacked my L5 nerve canal.... I've just started new drugs to combat this so I’ll know for sure in about a week (will post again) but if you haven't heard of zoster, its also known as shingles.... I've just had a few unusual spots appear over the joint on my toe, apparently this is extremely rare but all the symptoms reflect chronic back pain / spinal problems. Obviously, I’m not saying you guys may have this but symptoms in some rare cases can continue undetected for years.

I had a laminectomy microdiscectomy at L5-S1 on Dec. 8th 2010. I was recovering fairly well untill about 6 weeks when I noticed that the pain stopped getting better and started getting worse, much worse! My Dr. put me on two rounds of medrol packs (steroids) within a two week period with little if any improvement. The pain gets so bad sometimes that I cannot stand up, feels like a red-hot blade is inserted in right hip and all down that leg. I am also sufffering with numbness in my right toes and bottom of foot, and occasionally in a couple of left toes. My right leg will actually buckle under me when the pain gets excruciating. My Dr is sending me for more mri's tomorrow which I cannot pay for, and so am really getting depressed now. I had gone thrue the spinal injections and med treatments before the surgery and nothing worked, now I am afraid I will be in pain the rest of my life. My Dr. says the pain should be all but gone at this point (4 months). I am 57 years old and hate being restricted like this, I can't sleep. I can't sit, walk, stand, for more than half an hour, till I am in pain. I am praying that the Dr. has a miracle up his sleeve. Has anyone else had a failed surgery, if so what happened?

Wow! I have been wondering if this was all in my head. I Went through a bout with sciatica several months ago. On Thanksgiving day I noticed I could not get my right leg into a comfortable position..then I started having excruciating pain from my right hip down to my toes. My wife took me to the ER where tests were run, and sciatica was diagnosed. For the first time ever I had to call out from work. I am a LNA on an alzheimers ward and do a great deal of heavy lifting and assisting. I have always been careful about body mechanics..IE: bending at the knees, etc. My doctor thinks it may have even come from a long car trip my family took from RI to DC a couple weeks prior to the first attack. He diagnosed a lower-back sprain with severe muscle spasming..causing the sciatic pain. I was put on a mucle relaxer, 800 mg. Ibuprofen, and ice-packs, and it was recommended I have physical therapy 3x a week. However, at 50 bucks a pop, I honestly could not afford it. My wife and I have 4 kids, and it was right before the holidays! I did research and downloaded excercises and did them myself at home. They helped quite a bit and I returned to work after 3 days, (hurting!)out of necessity. I had a pronounced limp for about 3 months, which grew worse as my work day commensed. My nurses worried about me continually, but I had no choice. Actually, it felt better to be up on my feet than sitting or lying down, the most severe pain being when I would first stand up. Now, almost six months later, the pain has disappated greatly, I DC'd the muscles relaxer some time ago, and only take Ibuprofen occasionally, but the numbness and tingling are still there. Mine seems to be the opposite of everyone elses here though. The numbness goes down the surface of my my shin, top of my right foot and down my great toe, which is totally numb. It doesn't hurt but is more bothersome than anything else. I also have a tingly sensation in my right hip and still have a slight limp by the end of my work day (after being on my feet several hours) My greatest fear is of the sciatic pain coming back, which I hear is quite commom. Is there anything preventative that can be done to keep this from happening? This is of the utmost importance as it not only would affect my livelyhood, but could endanger my patients. Thanks for all and any imput....Bill

Quote: Hi , I too have had a similar experience with the tens unit stimulation , I felt it was too high of a voltage and made things worse , it caused numbness in my low back and legs , please contact me i would like to discuss it . Your the first person I have heard had this similar experience , thanks . R

Hi,

I'd like to give you the benefit of my unpleasant experience that all started last October whereby I had pain in my left buttock, only!  No back pain nothing and I was exercising regularly x3 per week to which I found after an hour of excercise the pain would subside.  After 3 months of this and the thought of going to see my Doctor, in January early morning whilst erecting the ironing board a shooting pain shot down my left leg and was intense whereby I became all hot (the feeling you get when you're about to faint). 

I managed to limp to the couch whereby I sat (angled) as I wondered what the heck was happening.  I began to make my way upstairs to return to bed for a lie down, but I never made it as I literally passed out and came around laid out at the bottom of the stairs, luckily my husband was at home!!

As I came around wondering why I was laying on the fall, I attempted to stand whereby I simply couldn't move for I had pain and also the feeling of passing out once more, so a call to the Doctor was made, whereby I was informed to lay there till the feeling of passing out went away and that my OWN Doc would call me later, but should I feel worse or experience more pain then to call for an ambulance!!

Anyway, 4hrs later (lunchtime) Doctor calls and I explain the episode I had, to which I'm informed Sciatica and slipped a disc??? HUH!?  I again explain I've no back pain, but diagnosis remains the same and my husband is off to get Diazapan (unsure of spelling) whereby I'm advised to take 5 immediately. Best thing I did as after 30mins I was able to at least stand and slowly hobble around.

I'm now 5mths on and still have numbness in my left baby toe and I to had the feeling of my left foot being like a block of ice, although that's improved greatly.  I've no pain, although I've weakness and am still unable to jog and my fitness level is poor.  I've recently began gentle swims without any adverse effect.  I've exercises that my physio gave me to do at home and I've only bothered seeing them once as I continue these exercises at home and they relieve the odd day that I feel uncomfortable.  I've been informed I need to keep the nerve that runs alongside my buttock as flexible as possible to prevent a reoccurrance of this.  I look forward to the day that I get back to my outdoor training programme as soon as possible.

Hope this helps anyone who's in the same situation.  I'm just wondering how much longer till I can jog, run? How long is the recovery process for this? No-one seems to know :(

Wow...to the originator of this post, our symptoms are exactly the same! I never in a million years would have thought that another person in the world had experienced the pain I am experiencing. I easly compare this to giving birth....and if I had a choice I'd gladly chose giving birth first! I was in a car accident about 6 years ago and have had some degenerative disk problems since. My sciatica started about 2 weeks ago. My leg is extremely weak and I'm still in pain and I can hardly stand on my tip toes on that side. My three toes from my pinky toe in are numb and I'm having some numbness on the outer portion of my foot as well as my leg. The pain has subsided barely, walking is a challenge which affects my quality of life. I have always been totally against any sort of back/neck surgery, but if I have to continue to deal with this pain I will gladly lay on the operating table! I just want relief and to be able to walk without the pain and weakness.

It has been 7 months since my sciatica began and I am happy to report it has all but gone. I have a little numbness in my leg but other then that I am ok. Back to work. Never thought I would work again after 2 months of using a walker. No surgery just gave it time to heal. I was very lucky. I swim and I think that has helped a lot. I even did leg kicks in the bath tub when I was unable to leave the house. Good Luck. It will get better!

It has been 7 months since my sciatica began and I am happy to report it has all but gone. I have a little numbness in my leg but other then that I am ok. Back to work. Never thought I would work again after 2 months of using a walker. No surgery just gave it time to heal. I was very lucky. I swim and I think that has helped a lot. I even did leg kicks in the bath tub when I was unable to leave the house. Good Luck. It will get better!

Hi everyone,

I've read many of your posts not all but enough to know I'm not alone. For about the past year I have been dealing with Sciatica. I am a 35 year old active female with a number of slips and falls in my past and a recent MRI shows a severe herniation between L4 and 5. Various movements and stretches have made my condition worse and some better. I don't think there is rhyme or reason but only what feels good. Now, I must say that at times when I've pushed through the pain doing mild walking, although the pain was excruciating, the next day the pain subsided. To get to a tolerable place I've had success with: ICE ICE ICE packs, an anti steroidal inflammatory and a muscle relaxer NO HEAT. Prior to when the spasms were intolerable I had to take Valium to sleep and even went for a cortisone shot to release the major spasm I had in my mid back due to the lumbar injury. My symptoms are like many of yours. Pain begins in my right buttocks and goes down my hamstring. Then, I have numbness and tingling all the way down the posterior part of my right leg down into my foot and my foot feels cold. So far I have no nerve damage (I had a test) Pinky toe being the most numb and decreasing to my big toe. When the sciatica began it was the reverse and the numbness and tingling happened in various parts of my foot. One year later, I feel the "injury" because regardless of when this happened it's still an "injury" i think has began to heal. Be patient and ask your doctor about a combination of anti inflammatory and muscle relaxers. If it's SEVERE and you can't sleep due to pain, Valium. But only in severe case. Valium is not going to work ling term. Mild exercise and stretching us a must to relieve pressure on the disk. Inversion traction helps. This is a major injury and it takes time there's no easy answer but try everything you can step by step before surgery. Some people I know have had success with an epidural which is typically the last resort before discectomy.