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 back pouring out extra synovial fluid, 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.

Chiroproctor up north helped me immensely.

Me too, after two physical therapists made it worse.


There are good & bad chiros just as there are good and bad doctors. Dr. David Kuhn is one of the good ones.

I found my PCP to be useless in terms of my sciatica. Same thing--attack the symptoms and not the cause. I finally asked for an MRI. The radiologist who read it said Oh, nothing out of order. I got it on a cd & took it to a chiro, who read it, immediately found the problem and showed it to me on the screen. I have no faith in Lake Imaging--won't even go there for my mamo.


I took the cd to Dr. Kuhn (did not care for the first chiro), and the rest is history--or should I say pain free.

Aaaaaaaaugh! Oh, BB, I must finally confess. It was ME! ME! I! I was the one with the synovial cyst and had I not been an advocate for myself, I hate to think where I could have ended up.

(The conversation overheard in Costco as mentioned above was heard by Mr. Boomer. I wasn’t there —- probably a good thing because I would have needed to restrain myself to keep from interrupting the stranger’s conversation so we could commiserate. :) )

Anyway, I am fine now. Later I probably will regale you with the details, but for now, I have to stop procrastinating — and get the tax stuff together.

Boomer...your support definitely gives me hope. I agree with you that an MRI seems to be the next step. Why are doctors so reluctant to recommend this procedure?

Have you seen a neurologist or an orthopedic surgeon? I cannot imagine that they would not want you to have an MRI.

Long story, but if it helps someone else, it is worth taking the time to tell it
 

.........

Try Etheridge Chiropractic. Dr Ethedrige took mine completely away after years of pain & Botox injections!

Thank you
 

Boomer...as always - thank you. I hope one day to start a group for folks who suffer with this condition. All the pain will be worth it if I can help others.


VillagerBB, I obviously have no way of knowing if your longtime pain is from the same thing. Also, letting someone cut near your spinal cord is a scary choice, I know. That was the personal choice I made when I felt like I had no other. Your situation might be completely different. I would never give medical advice. I am just sharing my personal story in case it might help. But, I hope you will choose to ask about an MRI. It seems like it is time to try to know the cause, not just the effect.[/QUOTE]

[QUOTE=VILLAGERBB;1716564]Boomer...as always - thank you. I hope one day to start a group for folks who suffer with this condition. All the pain will be worth it if I can help others.


Mine was not a permanent condition. As my full-page saga said, I was fixable, still fixed. It has been almost 9 years since the neurosurgeon fixed me and I am ever thankful. Mine was not something I could fix myself. Had that thing occupied more space for even longer, who knows what could have happened.

This thread started many months ago. You have been in pain for a long time. I hope you can get more help from your doctor soon. I wish you well.

Brad and bob - youtube physical therapists
 

These guys seem a bit goofy but they know what works!:thumbup: Proceed with caution.