Numbness, tingling, spasms in leg long after sciatica diagnosis

I'm in the same situation. Got MRI that showed a huge bulge at L5/S1 and had a severe case of scistica with it. The 7th will be two months for me. I tried chiropractor, anti-inflammatories, ice, heat, stretching, exercises... I am slowly getting better but the smallest thing irritates especially stretching. I am numb in my four small toes and the side of my calf but yesterday I gained feeling in the toe beside my big one.. done McKenzie exercises all day yesterday and today feel like I'm going in reverse. This is a very irritating depressing problem. I hope you get better soon.

It is six weeks since this condition has hit me. I can stretch, but it does hurt. I am getting a little better, my leg did not cramp up as much last night. I walk a lot every day. I think we have to be persistent, do not give up, try to lose weight, be more flexible and be patient with this thing. It is our habit to compare and when we look around there are worse conditions out there. Please do not get depressed, just be patient and see it as a challenge to get better soon.

Hi all i'm 42 and until I found this thought I was loosing my mind have suffered with lower back pain for months, then one day walked to the local supermarket and that was it my foot when numb I have been laid up for more than a week. I have severe back pain on right hand side (lower buttock) my right leg has seized up and 2 of my toes on my right leg have gone numb can't get to the doctors but thinking it is sciatica.

Hi, I have numbness on my big toe of my right foot. What I have done to relief the pain was some stretching exercises and it does relief some of the pain I had. I tried praying to god every night to hope that the situation will get better and 2 weeks later I discover I had relief so much pain I previous had. I advice everyone pray to the god for help and when god saw your sincerity, he definitely will help you. Amen.:-D

I am still struggling some 6 months after I first had the extreme sciatica.  My MRI results finally showed that I have degenerative damage to my back and also entrapment of root nerves here there and everywhere!

I had a cortizone injection which was the most painful thing I had experience since child birth years ago, but that really did not do much good. I still have a numb and painful foot and struggle to walk properly.  I also wake up on a regular basis with really bad cramp, I think since November last year I have had about 3 nights of sleeping through without having to dive out of bed.

I am now being referred for surgery to have disc/s removed to try and help the sciatica, but I am being told they may not operate because there is so much going on and may deem it is not worth it! We will have to wait and see??

I currently have my leg propped up, and I can just give you my similar account: i had injured my spine in 06 had surgery 07 at age 25. Spine is fused L4-S1 and I have dealt with sciatica the entire time. it nevvvvver goes away fully. i was prescribed gabapentin two years ago by a pain management dr because there was nothing else to do. sometimes i think i've herniated a disk above or below my fusion when sciatica acts up. My right leg, from the bottom of my back across my buttock and down to my pinky toe and the two following are asleep. 2nd and big toe feel mild tingles. i was tired of taking 3 pills a day on top of what i take for spinal pain, even tried a research study for a drug they are currently trying to pass that is a calcium blocker. i find the most relief in getting my nerves in my right leg feeling better is smoking marijuana or edibles. i am young and i don't want to lose my liver! after back surgery you either go through it five more times or deal with the after effects. sometimes i walk funny or trip over my own feet. i once injured my right knee after an anxiety attack (fainting) and it really just aggravates the sciatica issue. my knee will swell and also bring pain down to my toes, and i've also broken my tarsals in that foot. i understand your pain, everyone! legs/feet are important to our livelihoods and access to life, and most of us can't feel our toes :(

I don't know when you posted this but I hurt my back 3 years ago and was diagnosed with a herniated disc which caused sciatica. I had a horrible time with my back. Then as back got better I noticed a numbness on the side of my leg and numbness in big toe and ball of the foot. Well, the numbness never went away and now when I exercise I get horrible cramps in that foot at night when I go to bed. So I get up and dance like an indian for a while and go back to bed and hope for the best. This problem with exercised induce cramps has been going on for quite a while. My doctor told me that if the numbness in foot does not go away by the end of 3 years it probably will stay that way--great!!! So, I try to do exercise to help the sciatica and have reduce my exercise. Walking is the worse, riding a bike is next. Doesn't leave much does it.

Um - No, it doesn't leave much. Looks like I posted here 3 years ago. Nothing really has changed for me and I have looked under - and tried - a lot of information. But those symptoms are just what I have. I'm willing to write more but - need to think about this...

hi iam having the same problem and it also feels like i have a marble under my toes.i have back problems too and my doctor never herd of my syntems.My calf feels like it builds up with presure and my foot and calf will feel like it is in ice water. i could not sit or walk for 5months and i got on to this med that seem to help greatly called Gabapentin .Iam still dont no whats going on and think it might be something elese wrong if it is not my back.Iam going to have blood work done to see if i have lime disease as lots of the syntem seem to be the same and you may never known you were bit by a tick.pls let me no if you find anything out and ill do the same to help you.

I have had the same symptoms as this and have bad back problems around the L5/S1 intervertebral disc. What seemed to help me in the early stages (ie. within the 1st year) were the exercises given me by 2 different physios : 7 Steps to a Pain-Free Life: How to Reverse Back and Neck Pain. And only then if you follow the back exercises to the letter. That centres around practising the Back Exercise No.3 (I think) Extension at least 3-5 times a day. I found that actually helped me in the early stages but I gave up not actually knowing / being told any of the reasons or principles of why to do that. Was only much later that I got the book. It is the L5/S1disc that you are trying to restore some normality into.

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Personally I suspect diet possibly plays a part too - but is too big to go into here.

cIt is great to know that I am not alone at the age of 49 I was dignosed with sciatica (left side) several weeks ago after having lower back pain for several weeks and treating myself with the heating pad and Ibuprofen.  I woke up one morning and the pain was so bad I almost fainted and that was when my left foot went numb. (same three outer toes as mentioned above)  I later had an MRI that reveled a buldging disk in my lower back.  Since then after a steroid pack basically took away the pain so that I could excercise again.  I then started steroid injections at the advice of a physican.  After 2 injections no change in the numbness in my foot.  My problem is my pain is now very manageable but my foot is still numb and it is driving me crazy because I am constanly limping to compensate for it and I afraid that because of this that sooner or later I am going to ruin my hip or knee.  Before this happened I was a fairly active person who excercised regularly and this has really changed things for me.  I am currently seeking chriopractic treatment to help the foot situation but honestly I have seen no difference.

Hi,

Thanks for posting and let us know if anything works. I'm 49 and have had this for 5 yrs. To me - the problem - if it can ever be solved - seems to call for radical change. Maybe an alkalising diet? then (various different) exercise (including pilates) from there. I have actually no idea. :|

Rob

so happy to hear that I am not going mad......I have never had pain like I have for the last 4 days in my life. I also wowuld rather go through child birth again....I am going to try ice tonight...anything but this......dying in Canada

I had similar symptoms. Mine is because of B 12 deficiency, but unfortunately no doc could pin point it, i tried a lot of medicines and physical therapy, the only thing that worked was methycobol 500mcg thrice daily for several days, i started to feel better day 2nd.

I am a 24 year old female. I was diagnosed with sciatica at age 18. I have had "flare-ups" on and off every since diagnosis. It would generally run the entire length of my left leg, causing painful shock-like waves of pain from my left hip through my butt down my calf and ankle to the side of my foot. Though uncomfortable, the pain resolved on its own after about 2 weeks during each flare up. Well, needless to say 8 weeks ago it flared up AGAIN, but this time it was something else entirely! It started out as this: The pain is still in the same place but is so bad i could not stand for longer than a few minutes without sitting or bending over. Walking was nearly impossible after about a block's distance and the pain was constant with no relief in any position. After 3 ER visits, cortizone injections, anti-inflammatories, muscle relaxers, oral steroids and pain meds it is still present, and only getting worse. I am now waking up multiple times per night with sharp stabbing pains in my hip/feet/calf. I find some comfort getting out of bed and walking around for a minute (if i can stand long enough) and placing a pillow between my knees while bending them up to my chest in a fetal position. It seems to take some pressure off of those nerves. My pain comes and goes during the day but is so intolerable at night I'd almost rather die then cope. New symptoms include numbness/tingling/pins and needles feeling(as if my leg fell asleep) and loss of sensation in my lower extremities(especially toes) coldness of foot,  Also the palms of my hands and soles of my feet itch INTENSELY. I've done some research and discovered this is a cause of nerve damage-which is not reversable. I do not have insurance my local hospitals were unwilling to give me the necessary MRI testing i need to find out what exactly the cause of my sciatica is. Ihave an appt at my local health clinic but that is still a month away. I cannot tolerate this pain a single more day!!! Not to mention , after than initial appt I still need to be referred elsewhere for my MRI. Hospital said it's likely caused by slipped (herniated discs) in my lower (lumbar spine), but other causes include spinal stenosis, quada equina syndrome, narrowing of the spinal canal, vitamin B12 deficiency, spinal tumors, and diabetes. Hope this helps, seems no one can get relief for this unbearable condition :(