[retiredguy123]

Originally Posted by Boomer

Hi VILLAGERBB,

Please forgive me if I appear to be badgering you by repeatedly saying to please get an MRI.

You have been in pain for a long time. A nerve compressed from the spine can cause excruciating pain that can feel like electric shocks, lightning bolts, bugs crawling, bees stinging, and can eventually make walking difficult and sleep impossible.

I once read something on a neuro’s website that said after a nerve has been compressed for a long time and the source of the compression is removed, it can take a long time for the nerve to find its way back to normal. It was compared to what can happen to carpet fibers when heavy furniture is moved. Sometimes those carpet marks bounce back, but sometimes not all the way or it takes a while.

True story:

One day, in — dare I say it — Costco — a conversation was overheard. A man was saying to another man, “Yeah. I FINALLY got an MRI and found there was a cyst in my spine pressing on my sciatic nerve.”

I have known of others, too, who ended up with a synovial cyst. I am not anything medical, but as I understand these cysts, they are made of synovial fluid that hardens. Not sure, but it might come from the spinal discs trying to make a better cushion as we get shorter with age. (I don’t know for sure, just a theory. Sometimes the cyst can be aspirated, but that does not always work, especially when it has had time to turn into what is basically a rock. The surgery to remove them can be done out-patient through a tiny incision. Of course, anything near the spinal cord comes with risk, as does any surgery. It’s the old “Risk vs. Benefit” thing.

I hope you will find out the source of your sciatic pain so you can then decide how to proceed, based on an actual diagnosis of the root of the cause of your pain.

I wish you well.

Sincerely,
Bossy Boomer

I agree. OP, you need a real medical doctor to diagnose your condition. If you actually have sciatica, an MRI will show you what is causing your pain. A chiropractor cannot cure sciatica.