For those of you with sciatic pain......

Hippona

Hippona

Well-Known Member
Joined
23 June 2008
Messages
9,741
Location
The independant state of Yorkshire
Visit site
Just been doing a bit of research whilst at work ( well, you gotta show willing now and then....)

I've been getting sciatic-type pain in my right leg along with tingling and numnbess.....although I dont have any back pain so I didnt think it could be a back/disc problem.

Anyhoo....did a bit of research...apparantly there is a small muscle in your bum cheek ( technical term, that) very deep down that attatches from your lower back to your hip bone and is used to rotate your hip outwards. In young (ish
blush.gif
) women who are physically active it can become inflammed and tight and squash the sciatic nerve mimicking the symptoms of sciatica.

It is called PIRIFORMIS syndrome....if you google it you can find excercises to help stretch this muscle and get it back to normal.

Just thought some of you may find this helpful, as it is unlikely your GP has ever heard of it......(our physio hadn't - which I was surprised at)
 
I got Sciatica and couldn’t get out of bed i have never known pain like it i thought i had slipped a disc, after 20mins i managed to get up then passed out with the pain.

I went to physio and the best exercise i was given is to lie on your tummy put your hands next to your shoulders, as if you are going to do a press up, then push your body up but keep your hips and legs on the floor. DO this 10 times and it stops the pain altogether.

I find i have to do this about once a month and it really works.
 
This is what I have - it is agony when the muscle spasms. Some people's sciatic nerve runs AROUND this bum muscle, some people's run UNDER, but I am one of the 2% whose sciatic nerve runs THROUGH the muscle *rolls eyes* which makes it even easier to trap as any inflammation will do it. The exercises are pretty simple but they really work. A locum for my usual UK osteopath told me all about it and showed me all the nerves and muscles on one of those pretend body things.

Couldn't be normal could I?
crazy.gif
 
As a physiotherapist myself I must say your physiotherapist must have bad anaotomy not to know about piriformis and most GP's are well aware of it!
 
THANK YOU FOR POSTING THIS!!!!!! I get the SAME thing!!! I just put it down to my L5/S1 discs being buggered too but when I went to the doc last year about it, they said that they didn't know what caused the numbness tingling thingey and if I just wanted some painkillers?!!!!

Sometimes it gets so bad that when I lay in bed, I get my OH to punch my butt cheek but more towards my hip as that relives it.

Hallejuah, I know it's PIRIFORMIS syndrome.

Gosh, I LOVE this forum!!!!!
 


my father (62) suffered from sciatica it got so bad his leg kept giving way, he also could not walk more than 100 yards... NHS were not interested told him to keep taking various painkillers which none gave him any relief he was in hellish pain .. anyway

my father ended up paying to go private and had Spinal Decompression surgery done .. he now has no pain and can now walk about fine but has a leg brace and a walking stick for the rest of his life . its wonderful seeing him enjoying life again .

i just feel NHS let my father down after he had paid into it very well all his life

sorry bit of a rant .. but i honestly feel for anyone who suffers from this condition..
 
God, i am feeling really sorry for myself! have got really bad sciatica atm and am waiting for surgery, have got a prolapsed disc and stenosis, a narrowing of the spinal canal, so everyone who has sciatica has my full sympathy as its really sh1t!!
 
[ QUOTE ]
Oh dear. Backs are very complex things! Everyone with similar syptoms won't have the same condition!

[/ QUOTE ]

No, but it's a heck of a lot better than when you get a bunch of doctors who don't know what it is and just want to know if you would like some painkillers. I'd rather take my chances with the butt cheek exercises than pump myself up on drugs.
 
I had really bad sciatica due to bulging disc. Had it operated on and have had no pain at all since. I had suffered with back pain for over 12 years and had the sciatic pain for about 9 months starting with just a small cramp feeling in bum to full on numbness in foot and chronic pain in back and all down leg. Couldn't walk, lie down, sleep etc for approx 3 weeks before operation. Ended up going private as couldn't wait the 6 mths to get it done on nhs. It is such a bad pain as its so difficult to get rid of. Sympathy goes out to all of you who suffer with this kind of pain.
 
I get mild sciatica. Not half as bad as some of you thankfully.

I've found a wonderful McTimoney Chiropractor who sorts that out, along with the trapped nerves behind my shoulder blade and in my neck!

I've sure it's all this falling off horses, and lugging buckets and hay nets. None of my non-horsey friends suffer!
 
Really?...because none of the 12 that I work with had heard of it, neither had the physio and obviously I hadn't....I think its easy to assume its sciatica due to a disc problem, and most people would probably end up being treated for this.

I'm not saying that everyone with these symptoms has this condition obviously....I am fully aware of red flag signs and how to assess lower back pain......but its something to be aware of and mention to your health care practitioner certainly, just in case they didn't know about it...because GP's are exactly that i.e. 'General' practitioners and they cant know everything about every condition.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top