I've had problems with my back for about a year now.
About a year ago my back went very stiff and I was misaligned. I went to an osteopath who said that my sacroliac joint was slightly 'out'. After several sessions I was pain free and standing straight again. It happened once again in July 2007 and I had the same treatment again with great success. On both these occasions I took diclofenac for a short time.
In December 2007 I started with back pain again, so once again visited the osteopath. This time I had severe pain in my left buttock which was radiating into my calf and foot. After nine sessions I was walking upright, but still suffering from pain in my legs and tingling in my toes. As I couldn't afford to pay for any further sessions I visited my GP who referred me to an NHS physio.
I have been attending for seven weeks now and doing exercices up to four times a day. I am slightly better, but my main problem is that I cannot stand for my than a few minutes without the need to lean on something or sit down. I have two year old twins and a seven year old and it's so frustrating to not be able to do day to day tasks.
My physio has now said he will refer me for an MRI scan as although I'm progressing slightly I cannot stand or walk for long.
Has anyone else had a similar experience? The osteopath didn't think that my disc was bulging?
It sounds to me that you have a Prolapsed Disc, I've had 2 ops for the same thing, the Sciatica and numbness is a sure sign of Nerve Damage.
Once you've had your MRI Scan I'm sure it will confirm that you have a Prolapsed Disc. You should ask you Doctor for stronger painkillers, I think that you might need an Op to relieve your pain.
Thanks for your reply Angela. I only discovered this forum yesterday and it's just nice to know that I am not alone with my bad back.
I have feared that I've got a prolapsed disc though the osteopath and physio both have said not. I've had my reflexes tested and they appear to be okay. I'm managing without any painkillers at the moment and just take the odd ibuprofen when having a bad day. As I said in my post that the main problem is standing or walking for any length of time..... my leg just feels like it's going to give way!!! Also sometimes when I walk bare footed around the house it feels like I have something stuck to my left foot like a small pebble? I get a few spasms in my left leg and around the ankle area too. I'm able to drive again and have been working (I only work 2 days anyway). On reading all the stories I seem to be a lot better than some of you folk - I really do feel for you all.
I'm hoping to hear about my MRI scan next week. I was wondering if it would be worth going back to the osteopath again, as I did feel I was making progress - just couldn't afford to keep paying. The physio just gives me exercises and I have had some machine on my back called a megapulse?
Anyway I wish everyone a nice weekend and look forward to any futher replies.
I think I might have had a prolapsed disc for a while but apart from a bad back every now and again, I didn't know about it. Anyway, when my back really went then the sciatic pain was immediate and the numbness came within 2 days. Hope that helps.
Yes it was a really bad back at first. Started on a Friday, back pain still Saturday, went into spasm at one point, but then started to go down my left leg on Sunday if that makes any sense.
Intrigued with your questions now but I shall be patient ha ha.
Mine started off with literally \"a pain in the butt\" felt like I'd pulled a muscle in my left buttock, which gradually worsened over 2 weeks or so until the pain was unbearable down my left leg..this worsened over the next 4 weeks to include numbness and loss of ankle reflex.
Incidently, prior to the back pain, I had been having strange sensations down both legs as if the circulation was being cut off!!
i hope i count! ok the sciatica pain is in the arm not leg but same sort of pain i had the \"sciatica\" in the arm first i argued with the docs that there was nowt wrong with my neck but of course it was my neck not arm lol, hopefully this may help those with neck prolapse discs. gail
I woke one morning last Janaury with the back pain. The butt/leg pain joined it a few days later. Just to the knee at first. Then below the knee too. Then the numbness, followed by burning at night, then my toes all locked/clawed up. Since then a variety of combinations. I refer to it as a moving target. At one point I had really bad leg pain and no back pain at all.
But I was told by the Chiropractor (and the hospital agreed) that a lot of the initial back pain wasn't just from the prolapsed disc/compression. I also had....wait for it.... acute left sided sacro-iliac joint syndrome with associated piriformis muscle strain, and I had misaligned my pelvis and one leg had become longer than the other. And all this damage....all that I did was go to bed on 4 January 2007 perfectly healthy and this was what I woke up with!!! This was where most of the initial pain came from. To be honest the pain from the prolapsed disc was just lost in the midst, until the rest cleared up some weeks later and the prolapsed disc/compression didn't!! Apparently this level of damage only usually comes from a major fall or car accident etc. And no my name isn't Lesley Ash!!! :D :D :D
Hey guys, thanks for the replies so far, all very very helpfull...
For me I had the slipped disc starting November 18th 2005 but my leg pain / sciatica didnt start till about July / August 2006.....
There is no correct answer to any of this, its not like the same applies to any two people..... I am now however worried as my sciatica didnt come on for over six months from the initial disc prolapse
Will give it a couple more days to see if anyone else replies.....
maybe the initial disc prolapse, didn't compress the nerve much, but then prolapsd some more, hence the sciatica??? Some people can have a prolapsed disc with no leg sympoms at all. As I said before the whole thing is like a moving target. I've spent many an hour trying to make sense of how/why. I still am!!!
mine came on more or less together , but initially i had a slight twinge in my back then one day i lifted my dissabled daughter and within an hour i had both together.
I had excruciating pain for 3 weeks then awoke next morning without the pain but with the numbness down the sciatic nerve in to the foot and two smallest toes. That remains after 4 months of regular traction and now ultrasound too. However the professionals seems to be seeing some imporovement in my walking. I don't.
my girlfriend went to see consultant on thursday and was told that her last mri scan was out of date and he cant do anything till she has another one so wait for another 3 weeks
in pain ( you all know the pain ) so three weeks is long
would it be quicker to go private if so how much quicker ?
i told her that as soon as appiontment comes i will ring for cancelation soon as
plus how long to see concultant again after mri scan
the bit that pissed me off was he walked in to his office and left the nusre to try and reasure use that it will be alright. when sha been it pain from her back to her foot.
the think is they lost her file in first palce so they put her at back of que
i think the carry on doctors could do a better job as these
You shouldn't need to pay for a scan privately. It probably wouldn't help much anyway, because you would need to get another appointment afterwards with the Consultant. Which could take several weeks.
If the problem is that they lost your girlfriends file, I would call the Patient Complaints Officer at the hospital, tell her your story. They will have the power to speed up the new scan date and get an early appointment back with the surgeon. It's called \"forced booking,\" there are many of these slots available, even if you are told that due to waiting lists you can't be seen sooner, they keep these open for such situations as this. The NHS can actually move very quickly when it wants to, but unfortunately you have to have good grounds to get taken seriously. If you feel that they are at fault, it is worth a call. Sounds to me like it is all turning into a bit of a circus. Time to talk tough??????
Sorry to hear your girlfriend is in so much pain, it all sounds so familiar!
I paid to see my surgeon privately initially and then had a three wk wait as his private list is as long as his nhs one. He then fast tracked me back to nhs for mri and had to wait two wks.
Then came the hiccup with getting a nhs follow up appointment, I was told twelve week wait! Anyway I kept ringing to get a cancellation and was successful.
Your GP should be able to get your girlfriends appointment accelerated. Don't be fobbed off keep pestering. Also get the number of the consultants secretary and pester her. Its the only way to get somewhere unfortunately.
The nhs can fast track when they need to, I had a date for my op within two days of appointment for two wks after seeing surgeon.
over the last two days its moved from her foot up to the knee of it bearable at moment. we are going to see the gp and find out what he can do to speed up the appointment.
girl friend said i would like to see a doctor who as this so they really know the pain.
hi, i paid for my mri scan and it cost me £550.00 but worth every penny just to prove to my doctor i did not have a pulled muscle in my back.
i hope i will be reinbursed at some point when the lithuanian hgv driver who sideswiped me is taken to court, long process though.
i am currently having physiotherapy 3 times week and also having traction although i dont believe that the traction is actually doing anything to help.
my consultant doesnt think it will come to surgery and i hope he is right.
stick with it, shout and scream at the doctors if ness and make them listen