Yesterday I started with a pain in my buttock and was convinced it was sciatica. I have had it now and then over the years and it has always gone with diclofenac after a couple of days. I did not have a good night with it last night and as today has worn on it is excruciatingly painful. I have only been taking paracetamol for it. Even when I pull my my jeans it is AGONY!!!!! As though raising my arms is sticking a knife in my right buttock. QUESTION! Does PMR make sciatica much much worse OR could this be a flare up although it is much worse than the pain I had in my buttock pre diagnosis?
Hello
I've suffered quite badly with sciatica in the past, but for the last 17 months from commencing pred I've not really had anything like the amount of pain. I have been wondering if the pred is suppressing the sciatica, so I'm very interested in reading your replies. At the moment I'm on 5/6 mg and it hasn't returned fully, just the odd twinge.
hope you can soon get your pain under control, I found it very difficult to relax of sleep .
I hear you! I have the same kind of pain in my left buttock, and it took a LONG time to get dressed this morning. It is tough to get a good night sleep and turn in bed. This kind of pain is PMR muscle/nerve pain....and would make sciatica worse. Prednisone helps, but I do not want to increase the present 15 mg. I hope it is better tomorrow.....and I hope the same for you, Rapha.
12 days ago I reduced to 20mg pred from 22.5mg. I don't know if this is a flare up or sciatica. I really need to know as if I have a flare up I can be put on a drug trial perhaps I should ring the nurse at the hospital tomorrow and ask what she thinks? I am fine sitting down but getting up, walking around, raising my arms and straightening my body is agony in my buttock.
I also have excruciating pain in my right buttock ,and like you guys have difficulty turning over in bed with such terrible pain ,and getting dressed in the morning trying to put on trousers makes me cry out with pain ,I have always thought that PMR makes siatica more painful ,I have also developed a funny little walk when the pain is at its worse ........
I am walking funny too with the pain today, so you think it is sciatica Karen?
My PMR is at 8 mg., lowering 1 mg. after every month.
I have had painful sciatica episodes in the past, but ever since quite a while ago I researched exercises designed specifically to deal with it, there were no more such episodes--just a very occasional short twinge of reminiscent pain. You can find a number of appropriate exercises on the internet.
Lots of luck, Barbara
rapha, I have been having bouts of sciatica for many years due to a slipped vertebrae. When they arose during my PMR/GCA/steroid days, it could sometimes be very confusing knowing which pain was which. I feel that most of us who are generally prone to sciatica are more likely to experience attacks alongside PMR. However, my sciatic pain always starts in the centre of the buttock and usually spreads down the outside of my leg and into my foot. Although I haven't tried it, I believe a good physio could locate the right spot in the buttock and give gentle massage to relieve the pain. I do know someone who is at present being treated by a Bowen therapist and has experienced relief from long-term sciatica.
Will look into this Mrs O. My friend is an osteopath and his daughter a physio so will ring them tomorrow see if they can help me. I lay on the floor tonight to do some exercises from the internet and it nearly killed me such agony I couldnot get up off the floor awful! My hubby had to rescue me.
Went on line, had a look and lay down to do the exercises and could not - such agony, couldn't do a thing, had to be lifted up from the floor by my hubby! I will have to give the exercises a rest Barbara but thanks for the advice.
Hi Rapha; yes, as Mrs O says, Sciatica, is a result of a pinched nerve, radiating from a slipped disc in the lower part of your spine (sacral area)....the pain starts in your buttock and then goes down the affected leg....this is very painful....and if the physio does agree that you have sciatica, hopefully she will show you exercises to strengthen the musles that support the disc....good luck.....Bron
Thanks Bronwyn appreciated
Oh these hubbies do come in useful don't they. I remember on one occasion bending very quickly down through my knees to reach something, totally forgetting for that moment that I could not get down as my knees wouldn't bend! I hit the floor and couldn't get up again until hubby came to the rescue. I was in my mid-60's at the time but felt as if I was in my 90's.
Yes, Rapha, I should have mentioned that you have to consider each exercise and whether you are physically able to do it. Some of the ones shown on the internet are absolutely too difficult or painful for most of us, but many of the simpler ones are perfect for getting relief. Anyway, my fault, so please forgive and don't give up on researching simple fixes.
Good luck and would of course love to hear about anything that gave you relief--
Barbara Y.
Hi Karen, it is bad and it hurts and hurts......and I don't walk a normal kind of walk because of the pain. It is embarrassing. Hopefully, it will go away soon, but then a different kind of pain will pop up. This is PMR
I feel for you and can relate --- I have the same agonizing pain! The reduction to 20 mg from 22.5 mg might cause it, and maybe in 3 days the body has gotten used to it, and you have less pain --- hopefully!
Yes Ralph I do think it's siatica ,hope you are pain free soon ...x
Yes Ralph I do think it's siatica. X
Ditto, Mrs O! What would we do without our hubbies? I really feel for those who have to suffer this b.... of an illness alone.
What an agonising night! I cannot stand up today, have to walk bent over double facing the floor....have been crying my eyes out with the pain. Have now got an emergency appointment with my GP for one hours' time, hope she can help me! I have found out that an acute cause of sciatica can be coughing and sneezing! The day before yesterday (when it all started) I got up and sneezed my head off, the sneezes where so strong my hubby heard them at the other end of the house! I expect that is what did it...I will ask the doctor. Who could believe that? I found this out from googling sciatica on wikipedia.