what should i do about my sciatica /leg nerve damage?

Question

i have had sciatica for over a year. you wont believe how painful this is. one time i cryed in pain because of this. im completley disabled i cant work because i cant stand on my leg for more than 1 hour. 1 have been to physical therapy and it still hasnt gone away. i have had xrays, mri done. i have a few loose discs. the doctor said the only way to fix it is through back surgery but im afraid of that becuase one wrong move can paralyze me for life. i have been on pain killers, sucha s tramodol(currently taken), vicodin, ibeoprofen 800mg, and nexproxen what should i do anyone else have this problem thanks

Answer 1

have you heard of Spinal decompression therapy? This works on sciatic pain. I've enclosed information on this treatment and I think you should talk to your medical doctor about having this therapy. It seems to work better Then surgery for many people.

It is a nonsurgical treatment for low-back pain and pain in the leg, sciatica, neck or arm that works by reducing loading of the spine.

Spinal decompression therapy to address loading customarily involves near-daily, hour-long sessions over a span of roughly 2 to 6 or 7 weeks during which spinal stabilization exercises are a regular component.

Giving encouragement to the proponents of spinal decompression therapy are numerous clinical studies demonstrating that the therapy does indeed cause disc space to decompress, generally by producing and sustaining negative intradiscal pressure. One such study looking at patients with herniated and degenerative disc disease found that 86% of 219 subjects who completed decompression therapy reported immediate disappearance of symptoms, while 84% of the total remained pain-free for 3 months afterward; 92% of the cohort showed varying degrees of physical improvement—those gains were locked in for the vast majority of them 90 days after treatment.

Naturally, spinal decompression therapy is not for everybody. Conditions helped by it are largely confined to sciatica, disc hernia, disc protrusion, spinal stenosis, and radiculopathy.

Answer 2

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Answer 3

Oh, yes I would/do believe how painful it is!!! I'm living it too.
Maybe not as bad as you anymore. Because I did have the surgery. I will never, ever forget it though. I am not sure who told you that the discestomy surgery was that threatening, but its not. (There are other spinal surgeries that are very dangerous, though). Before my surgery I don't even know how to describe the misery and hopelessness I felt. When I could get up to walk at all, I had to drag my leg, I would get stuck, It would throw me to the ground. At the end even Morphine wasn't helping the pain. Trust me when I tell you this.... I WOKE UP in the recovery room and I was 70% better.
Within 2 wks I was walking, sitting, able to climb stairs & sitting in the bath tub. Did your doctor explain to you that your disc is ruptured into your sciatic nerve? It is damaging it and will eventually cripple you so bad that you will feel paralyzed anyway. I had the surgery done Dec. '05 and I am being treated by a pain management clinic for the Nueropathy (nerve damage) , degenerative disc disease and chronic osteoartrhitis so i will always be disabled but I gotta tell ya, I feel alot better now!! To give you an example, I broke down in the doctors office the other day, I mean, full blown panic attack, because he mentioned that he would like me to have another MRI, because he suspects another ruptured disc. I was sooooo scared of going back to that pain again that I lost it. I would be happy to talk about the surgery with you if you want to hear my experiances, e mail me @ [e-mail]
Meanwhile, I wish you the best and hope you can find some peace through your pain.

Answer 4

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Answer 5

Tom, now that I've read this question, i understand why you are so scared. The first thing I would say is that if PT hasn't worked, understand that there are many different approaches. However, the MDT method is THEE most reserached approach to conservative care for your type of problem. At the very least, a good MDT therapist should be able to tell you within 7 visits whether this problem cannot be fixed conservatively. Namely, this would be if the disc has extruded so far that it has entrapped the nerve root, or that the herniation is so large that fluid dynamics in the disc prevent either relocation or vacuum affect of the disc.

There is also nothing wrong with the spinal decompression mentioned above...yet the research is not as extensive as what has been completed on MDT. Furthermore, a physical therapist with MDT experience will tell you how to keep the problem from coming back, whereas spinal decompression makes you dependent on the machine anytime you have a problem you need to come back for another 20 visits. Spinal decompression usually costs around $4000 and required you to come 5 days a week for 4 weeks under most protocols.

Both are good conservative methods, however, if these both fail, what you need to realize is that if there is a disc protusion that is compressing a nerve root, then think of it as a pebble in your shoe...You may be able to shift it around to make it feel comfortable, but if the disc is truely irriducible, surgery is that way to have the "pebble" taken out.

I would DEFINETELY request a PT with MDT expereince, or go to www.mckenziemdt.org

Answer 6

When you think about one wrong move paralysing you for life; keep in mind the benefits versus the risks. Though paralysis is a possibility in any spinal surgery, the frequency of it is fairly low.

I have degerative spinal disease in my cervical spine (neck) but I also suffer occasional sciatica due to DSD in my low back. When my low back flares up it makes my neck pain feel like nothing at all.

Has your doctor tried syeroid epidural injections? Also radio frequency nerve ablation is another option for extreme pain symdromes coming from the spinal nerves.

Also sometimes an anti-convulsant (such as neurontin or topamax) can help relieve the burning nerve sensation. Lyrica is another medication that can help with the nerve pain, as opiate painkillers generally don't cut the mustard with nerve pains.

Another possible option is an SCS implant - Spinal Cord Stimulator. They usually won't go that route however until many of the more common treatments (including surgery) have been tried, as SCS just masks the pain. The only real 'cure' for pains from discs is to have the problem fixed eithr via surgery or a PT plan that works well enough with your body to encourage and allow it to heal.

Best of luck.

Answer 7

I currently have this problem and YES I UNDERSTAND!!! It is freakin horrible!!! I'm only 26 and I'm working 2 jobs because I'm still paying off college debt. I work in an office during the day, but I wait tables at night. By the end of my shift, I am hunched over and can hardly move. Last night, moving to get into my car hurt so bad that I literally sat there and cried. I feel you. When I get up from being seated, my back hurts. When I sit down after standing, my leg spasms. I just recently saw the doctor and I'm in physical therapy. It seemed to be helping at first, but has gotten progressively worse after last Sunday when I had to pull a 9 hour shift at the restaurant.

I go to the doctor this Wednesday and I am serious about this!!! I'm going to get some much better painkillers (Darvocet SUCKS!!!) and discuss some options for getting rid of this for good. And please don't be afraid of the surgery. I've talked to many people who've said it's really not that bad and they only have to make a very small incision. I am more than willing to go through with that than to live my life like this. I also don't want to be stuck taking painkillers for the rest of my life. There's a girl at my job who is 36 and has had this for the past 10 years!!! I suggest you do whatever it takes. I feel for ya!

Answer 8

I've been battling sciatica for close to a decade, after a minor car accident, and I had tried everything the doc threw at me�pills, injections, special mattresses� This guide was extremely eye opening and within one week of the regimen you gave me I can barely feel any discomfort. You have no idea how much of a relief it is to be finally getting rid of a pain I've had to bear for so many years.

Sciatica Exercise Guide?

Answer 9

Your comments that the left leg is now much thinner suggests to me that the gunshot injury occurred quite a while ago. Any repair to the sciatic nerve would have best been done immediately after the injury. Progress has been made in nerve repair over the past few decades, but your cousin would have to consult a specialist to get a reliable answer whether further surgery would be helpful. I personally am not optimistic. Muscle wasting is common after nerve damage, which is probably why the leg is thinner. To prevent further deterioration he should see a physiatrist, a doctor who specializes in physical medicine and rehabilitation.

Answer 10

Did you ever tested out Sciatica Self Treatment program? Check out at this site : http://Sciatica.NatureHomeCure.com . This is able to definitely help you!