Question:
I have Crohns, hypothyroidism and Fibromyalgia. I am wondering if anyone has recurring trouble with the sciatic nerve? Mine will be like a dull toothache for several days at a time and then will be so bad for a couple of days that I can't walk, sit ,stand or lay and nothing helps the pain. Does anyone else dealing with this and if so, what ,if anything helps?

Answer:

After tearing the majority of the muscles on the right side of my back in 1971 I developed chronic pain down my right leg that is similar to sciatica. Both are a form of nerve damage called radiculopathy. Since 1982 I have been treated at pain centers with nerve blocks for this pain and have found it very well managed in this manner. Initially I had facet blocks, but now I get epidural blocks which cover very well for me.

Don't settle for simple solutions. Take care of yourself and don't over-extend your limitations! (I did and am still paying for it.) You may look into a pain clinic in your area. They are usually run by the Anesthesiology Dept of a local hospital, especially teaching hospitals. Call around and see, if your medical plan will let you.

When the sciatic nerve is inflamed, the condition is called sciatica, pronounced Sl'AD-A'KA. Not all leg pain is sciatica, but most all sciatica involves leg pain. When is leg pain sciatica? This is a gray area. In our discussion of sciatica, let us keep in mind that leg pain may or may not be sciatica but, no matter what the cause of the leg pain, chiropractic care should still be used.

Sciatica sufferers often have severe pain along the sciatic nerve path, usually in the back of the legs and thighs, sometimes to the ankle, foot and toes. There's not only searing, sharp pain but also paresthesia -- strange nerve experiences such as pins and needles, burning, tingling, prickling, crawling sensations or tenderness-that may be felt. Ironically, along with all the pain and nerve sensations the leg might feel numb!

To complicate matters, the location of sciatica pain may vary. Although it's usually in the back of the legs or thighs, in some individuals the pain is in the front or side of the legs. Sometimes the pain is in the hips. For some hapless sufferers, the pain is in both legs: bilateral sciatica.

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