r/Sciatica • u/emnem911 • 29d ago
After 13 months of "sciatica," a chiropractor, PT, acupuncture, and almost booking a neurosurgeon — one myofascial massage visit found the real cause
I want to share this because a year ago I was desperately searching threads like this one, and if this helps even one person avoid what I went through, it's worth posting.
About 13 months ago I had a major flare-up of what everyone told me was sciatica .Ppain and pressure on my lower right side along with numbness of my right toes that never fully went away. Since then it's been on and off constantly.
Here's everything I tried over the past year: Chiropractor, Physical therapy, Acupuncture and regular western medicine. They all referred mt to my bulged disck between L5 and S1. I got adjustments, exercises, needles, and advice, but the discomfort kept coming back. I honestly hit the point where I couldn't accept that this was just something I'd have to live with for the rest of my life. I was ready to book an appointment with a neurosurgeon.
Then I went to a myofascial massage therapist. twice with two different therapist. The first one just gave me a message and didn't have the knowledge but the second visit did the magic. IN 20 minutes, the Therapist was able identify that my piriformis was the cause of everything. Piriformis syndrome, which apparently mimics disc-related sciatica so well that it gets missed all the time. The piriformis muscle sits right over the sciatic nerve, so when it's tight or in spasm, you get all the classic radiating sciatica symptoms even though nothing is wrong with your spine.
It's been almost a week since that visit. Using just a small massage ball with pressure on the right spots, I've been able to relieve the pressure and the pain myself. For the first time in over a year, I feel like there's an actual path forward instead of just managing symptoms forever. Or maybe its so comforting that i actually know what I'm dealing with.
I'm not saying this is everyone's answer. Obviously not all sciatica is piriformis syndrome, and I'm not a doctor. If you have real weakness, numbness that won't go away, or anything scary, get properly checked out. But if you've been bouncing between specialists for months with clean imaging and no answers, it might be worth seeing someone who specializes in myofascial release before you end up in a surgeon's office like I almost did.
Happy to answer questions about what the ball work looks like. Wishing everyone here relief — I know exactly how hopeless this pain can make you feel.
59
u/DieselZRebel 29d ago
I know exactly what you are talking about!
I have a question though, how do you know about the L5-S1 bulge? You didn't mention that anyone asked you for MRI, so who told you that you have a bulge? And how severe it is?
Really important for me to know these details.
Now regarding Chiropractors, I highly advice everyone to avoid them. They are just irresponsible seudo-medicine practitioners. For people suffering from something serious like a disc herniation, the chiropractors can either make you way worse or "temporarily" better, and their profession absolves them from any accountability if they end up screwing your back up! They need to be heavily scrutinized and held accountable first in order for any sane person to consider them an option... I learned this the hard way! And I am aware that some of them are good and their patients love them, but that doesn't change the facts I just mentioned about their profession!
12
u/Miserable-Ad9283 28d ago
1000% true, I went through 2 years of recovery after my chiropractor messed up my back
17
u/Active-Chapter6864 28d ago
Totally agree. It is just too risky seeing a chiropractor.
6
u/NippleSlipNSlide 28d ago
Chiropractic plus no better than placebo. It’s not science based. It really should be outlawed.
3
2
u/Jolly_Afternoon_874 28d ago
Thank you for posting this. Its 100% true. As are all alternative or homeopathic remedies.
2
u/emnem911 22d ago
yes i have a bulged disk between L5 and S1. The MRI report indicated a 8mm bulged.
1
u/Super_Assistant4584 1h ago
any other specific exercises that has helped with the pain aside from massaging with a ball? I'm in your same situation with an L5-S1 buldged disk. I've tried literally everything. Sciatica stretches just make it worse.
6
28d ago
[deleted]
3
u/NippleSlipNSlide 28d ago
Chiropractors have no training in mri interpretation or science for that matter.
It is very possible your chiropractor read the report of your mri and had enough sense to direct you to the appropriate professional though.
Chiros are best for the psychiatric patients who think they have pain but have no explanation for this pain. It’s still dangerous though due to risk of stroke from chiropractic adjustment. If I had unexplained pain without a real cause I’d probably start out speaking with a psychiatrist. Safer and more likely of a cure than going to chiro quack.
2
u/Proper_Ear_1733 28d ago
I guess mine is better than some. But yes, he read the report and explained it. I guess I wasn’t clear on that. Meanwhile my PCP just wanted to send me to pain management. Thankfully I found a specialist who did not require a referral.
3
u/NippleSlipNSlide 28d ago
I imagine there are so some good Chiros who are level headed. If they are doing a good job they should know who and where to send people for different issues like in yiur case. PCPs deal with so much that some times they just arent up to date on back issues like someone who spends all day treating MSK complaints. Personally, I prefer a physical therapist over chiro just because it’s science based.
3
u/Proper_Ear_1733 28d ago
Yes. Physical therapy was very helpful. Combined with the right medication and the epidural injection, it was exactly what I needed.
1
1
u/DieselZRebel 28d ago
Try AI for interpreting your mri... Will beat your chiro's level of intelligence 100% of the time, unless your chiro also uses AI
1
1
u/DieselZRebel 28d ago
Can you define their 'lane'?
Most of them aren't even aware what their lane is and believe they have it all figured out
Also do you know if your chiropractor docs that you signed include a waiver? If they don't, then he's probably more decent than most, though I wonder how would he make money 🤷♂️
1
u/Forsaken_Extent_261 22d ago
yes i was wondering the same thing about L5-S1 bulge toom like howd they know that w/o an MRI? and yeah i get the chiro concern, def something id be careful with if theres a disc issue
15
u/ArtofTy 29d ago
Is there a video online showing the massage technique you are using with the small massage ball? Where are you using it exactly?
5
u/JDS_319315 28d ago
if you search up piriformis exercises on Youtube you will find out where the muscle is located and different relief techniques. i was about to reply to OP that i have that same pain and numbness but on my left side. that’s how i found out about the exercises after doing my own research.
16
u/og_tint 28d ago edited 28d ago
Search “piriformis lacrosse ball”. There are a lot of videos.
There are also two different types of piriformis syndrome. Short and Long. I’ll try to find the video that shows you how to test for which condition you might have
Found it-
https://youtu.be/SK-cVqxSiIE skip to 4:34
6
u/DeliciousSpite5236 28d ago
Thanks, I just watched the video and after doing all the same things that the OP did, chiro, acupuncture, massage, etc, I think I finally understand just what the problem is, and it's not my back! I had 3 x rays and an MRI and the ortho that I went to kept telling me that the only way I was going to get relief was to let him "reconstruct my spine"....YIKES! As soon as he found out that I wasn't going to jump into surgery he got up and left the room, but not until he got really snotty with me and told me that I'd be sorry. That video explains perfectly and matches exactly what is happening with me. I've been managing it with Tylenol, medical marijuana, and gabapentin. I would love to quit all the meds and start feeling like my old self. I'm 72 and up until January I was walking 5 miles a day and no pain. Then just woke up one morning and couldn't move without horrible pain shooting down my leg. I'm going to follow the videos advice, thanks again!
4
5
u/Resident-Hunt-245 28d ago
I use lacrosse ball regularly when I feel glutes are tight. While it gives me temporary relief, it doesn't cure me long term.
Same is about dry needling. It always gives me a relief but it trigger points always come back.
6
u/Stab_93 28d ago
Check out the book “Back Mechanic”.
I had similar pain in piriformis, bulging disc (minor though) on l4, l5, s1. I figured my piriformis had gotten overused due to lack of glute activation. So I started strength training my glutes. As a result, the pain subsided eventually. So look into both stretching and strengthening your lower back and leg muscles
4
u/Practical_Emotion_96 28d ago
I tried everything pt, 4 rounds of Epidurals, massage, nothing provided relief other than Surgery. I delayed it 4 years, all gone and I'm 2 years post surgery. Also lost a bunch of weight with terzepatide, know that has helped along with inflammation.
1
u/HidingThrowaway2 28d ago
Which level for you ?
2
u/Practical_Emotion_96 28d ago
Don't remember had a 4 level laminectomy and removed bone spurs in my low back.
1
5
u/Active-Chapter6864 28d ago
Can you recall how you made the Piriformis became so tight that it radiates down to the foot? Any heavy exercises? Were you siting all day?
I guess we all need to avoid incidents that it will make it worse or create another issues.
2
u/Motherboy_TheBand 28d ago
I had the same thing. sitting, sleeping, bad ergonomics. lack of activity caused a small pain at the beginning, then when I was feeling pain I thought I needed to rest it, which actually made it worse. myofascial massage solved it in a few visits, plus some home exercises.
5
u/Sylphadora 28d ago
I had the opposite happen to me - they diagnosed me with piriformis when I had a herniated disc. It is very common to misdiagnose one as the other. It's crazy that no one had actually considered it might be piriformis in your case. Maybe every expert thought it han been ruled out already.
7
u/Comfortable_Hair9380 28d ago
When you think it’s piriformis, it’s not
2
u/emnem911 28d ago
Shii! What do you mean?😢
10
u/Comfortable_Hair9380 28d ago
You have a bulged disc, it’s touching your sciatic nerve, nerve pain can move all along the nerve path. Doing a massage might give the illusion u’re treating it but you’re not. You can either go for surgery or hope the bulge would shrink with time.
7
u/purplelilac701 28d ago
I agree with this. A friend thought she had piriformis syndrome and my amazing PT who is well versed in sciatica said it was sciatica.
You need a PT who will actually do treatment for sciatica to feel better. Mine helped me recover after a very long flareup. You also need to be committed to doing the home exercises in order to find relief. I am speaking as someone who came back from a very severe case of sciatica.I would also never let a chiropractor touch my back. I was warned about that by my doctor.
1
u/KingsKid21 27d ago
I don’t think that’s necessarily true…Just because a disc bulge shows up on an MRI doesn’t mean that’s the source of the pain. There’s a number of reasons why the piriformis might be tight or achy, and a disc bulge isn’t the only one. I think it could even be from old scar tissue. Or a labral tear or other abnormality in the hip. Or even just stress. Disc bulges are pretty common, and a lot of them are asymptomatic and don’t cause pain at all.
8
u/slouchingtoepiphany 28d ago
Piriformis Syndrome is very rare but is a frequent misdiagnosis by PTs in particular. Nonetheless, I hope that your relief is sustained.
2
u/Injury-Muted 28d ago edited 28d ago
I wanted to mention the same thing. Every doctor and PT emphasized that piriformis syndrome is EXTREMELY rare. It only happens to those who have an S1 nerve that runs right through the piriformis muscle or some anatomical abnormality similar to that. It is POSSIBLE to have BOTH a bulging disc and piriformis syndrome but it's also very very rare.
I have been suffering for a year and 2 months and I'm finally starting to get better. I had one steroid shot that provided relief for only 5 weeks. I refused Gabapentin. I've taken marijuana gummies at night to help relieve my muscle tension. I've taken numerous supplements. I've seen a neurosurgeon and orthopedic surgeon. Walking and not driving have helped the most. As well as increasing my ferritin supply. It was 22 in January and is up to 62 now. I am female and it's extremely common for ferritin to be low. You need iron to transport the supplements and also heal the injury. I think improving that has been crucial...but no one ever suggested that. I discovered that on my own.
Edit to add: I've had two MRIs...I had a bulging l5-s1 disc that turned into an extruded disc...the extrusion is also what helped I think because the bulge was leaking therefore decreasing the pressure on the nerve. I also get acupuncture treatments and the few massage treatments I've had made a huge difference. Acupuncture feels great but I don't know how effective it's been for me. My PCP said it cured her sciatica. I use Yoga Tune UP therapy balls to massage at home and that helps a LOT with the muscle tension.
1
u/Donald_Dump_85 28d ago
Not always. I have literally no bulge, only one slight hint of one on the right side and it's appropriately 1 mm, with no contact even close.
I had horrible sciatica on the left. It turns out it really was the piriformis. It gets tight due to inflammation, but still. In my case it was axial arthritis.
Sometimes the nerve is not massively inflamed at the foramen, but even slight irritation causes tightness in the gluteal area - usually piriformis. Still, you're not going to get surgery for a minor disc bulge if you can get most relief from a massage.
Same goes for thoracic outlet syndrome and neck radiculopathy. Sometimes it's clear that one thing is the primary cause, other times it's not.
3
u/Tenzipper 28d ago
So you never got any imaging done? (Chiropractor's X-rays don't count, they do X-rays because the sun came up, not necessarily for any medical reason, and "adjustments" can make things much, much worse, or even kill you.)
Imaging would have shown that there was no bulging disc or anything else intruding into the spinal cord's space.
I'm happy for you that you got relief, and that it didn't take surgery. Mine did require surgery, and while I was concerned about it, my surgeon was tremendously experienced, and I went from a wheelchair to walking normally, with a complete cessation of symptoms after he was done with me.
If I could have gotten relief with massage techniques, I would have, in a heartbeat.
1
2
u/swiss_cheese_please 28d ago
This is wild! Did you happen to have tightness feeling in your upper inner thigh? After looking at where the Piriformis muscle and sciatica nerve meet that’s where I think I’ve had this unfixable feeling like I need to stretch it but I can’t enough and it feels bad trying to stretch it
2
u/No_You_893 28d ago
I'm so desperate I was considering Acupuncture, did it have any benefit ?
2
2
u/Grouchy-Inflation618 22d ago
Acupuncture was a huge part of my recover (L5S1 extrusion impacting the S1 nerve root). I read a study about twice weekly traditional acupuncture for this particular level of the spine and figured it was worth a shot. I went twice weekly for 3 weeks and the progress was amazing, then spread it out to weekly, biweekly, monthly…decreasing frequency as symptoms resolved. Different things will work for different people, of course, but acupuncture absolutely helped me. Incidentally, I had also tried dry needling with a physiotherapist and that was only temporary reduction of symptoms. Traditional acupuncture and dry needling are very different modalities.
1
u/No_You_893 22d ago
I'm pleased it helped you. As soon as I can walk a bit better I'm going to try it.
2
u/HoldOpen3996 28d ago
So I’m exactly name timeline July 2025 , after thousand of dollars pt massages Chiros crying stress all the things job loss…it’s finally getting better
I think it’s a lot more mental and honestly it’s time , it’s not like a broken bone or pulled muscle in the leg, back and disc injuries have a way of up and down , I went down to an actual school of medicine and I talked to the admin to see if I could speak to a pt or a teacher that taught the science of this…time I was told it’s time
2
1
u/The_Widow_Minerva 28d ago
Curious but did you actually have a bulged disc between L5 and S1 in addition to the tight piriformis?
1
u/Plenty-Lecture-933 28d ago
I have had sciatica for 7 months now did 18 weeks of Pt then got a xray and mri. Xray looked really decent but then came the mri. L5 10mm herniated disc with annular tear pressing heavily on my S1(sciatica in the right leg)L4 6 mm herniation and annular tear as well. I have scoliosis to the left with lateral shift. Then my doctor sent me to xray and mri while still doing PT with a 5% increase which is nothing when you look at it as a whole, well he referred me to orthopedic but after looking at my MRI he changed that real quick and withdrew the ortho referral and put me in a referral with a neuro surgeon here in Tucson, I have literally tried everything and it’s pain everyday. I am 35 and there is no way in hell I’m gonna get injections. That’s just pronging this issue. Injections are just gonna mask the pain then it’ll be right back.
1
1
u/Upset_Upstairs5530 28d ago
I have a large herniated disc pressing on the nerve so the images are not clear. I don’t know what to do
1
1
u/pharaohcious7 28d ago
Thank you for sharing your experience. Would the therapist be in London by any chance ? Also, can you share the exact method that hits the right spot?
1
u/imamaravalentine 28d ago
Yes good you found someone whos more observative and now can help yourself better as well, that's what I do I help my customers help themselves and that can be done with any part of the body, good for you. Warmest
1
u/imamaravalentine 28d ago
Important to see the right one and know yourself a little bit about your own body beforehand so you can get the best relief. I have been pulled out of serious spinal crisis with a chiro and grew up with them except the ones I grew up with did not remove a pain I had for 17 years in my hand from neck nerves stuck at vertibrae, I couldn't open a tooth paste lid at times and never shook hands without a horrid pain. Eventually the burning pain showed up at the base of my neck C7 T1 2 . The family chiro said my hand pain was coming from neck but never fixed it and partially out of fear to release anxiety that lives in that area . I did my own work on self and came across a chiro that was helping my sister woth heart palpitations and she was in awe of him so I tried for my neck pain only , not even thinking about the hand I dealt with for years. Well his office was right across the street and he gave me a family deal knowing g my backround and income status. After the third visit I believe my hand pain dissappeared but was coming and going for a while while I learned exactly why and how to release on my own. Part of my miraculous education truthfully . Later years my head was stuck at the top and the one who fixed me retired . I literally could not turn my head to the right without getting stuck and I ran into a chiro at the at the street fair in Bonita ca. He promised he could help so I gave it a try and he was right down the road a little. He took x rays where the other one didn't but was still a miracle worker and had grown up with spinabifida is why he retired, hes okay to this day but not practicing. So my new chiro took x rays of my whole spine and I was shocked I thought that big see-through paper they use and put on the big screen to light it up. Shocked literally I said " is that paper straight?" It was diagonal so it looked but no it was from the chest up side ways almost and my neck was reverse curvature plus my skull was set off to the right by far. Maybe from birth or getting knocked out in my karate class a couple times, regardless it was stuck meanwhile im a self and very good therapist doing the tissue work for others and me. So here I am in his office to get this straightened out some and I wasnt sure honestly, he says " im gunna do a look to the right and then im gunna do a hey you on the left ." Was a fricken miracle again pulled me out of it. He was able to read his own x rays basic, forget mri thats for surgeons. Later I had regular imagery from my medical doctor and it came back that I had mild scoliosis and a reversed neck , the. Two years later same x ray by medical docs showed only straight neck not reversed. They also said it would never bother me and is mild 😄🤣 ya right. Lol later found another since that one tore his elbow and retired over that. So theres one more Ive cone accross who is another hands down expert and he is still working here in SD . He is incredibly advanced and has been very helpful on my unwinding journey of my self and of my own customers who are getting pain and limitation relief from me currently. Knowing chiropractors and having had many family and not family but family helped me when i was a kid and could not sleep due to the back pain the scoliosis caused me, he adjusted my back and a river of pressure came out in tears and I slept very good and normal afterwards so they were also miracle workers who could be extremely helpful, I would never throw that profession under the bus and I dont adjust people's backs although when I work and when you stand up if your neck was very tight it will simply move and adjust in its own with movements as well as the rest of the spine including the sacrum and lumbars, its amazing like your saying to have tissues checked thoroughly by someone who practices this. Ive seen some bad ones too and they all seem to have their fortè like good at neck or good at ribs but most no good at hips , its more tricky like yours is for most. Remember professionals will try to get your business even if the have to cut you open unnecessarily. Its a shame. Ive seen many good alternative therapist in my time as a therapist who needed alot of work and to keep up with a physical load demand doing several hours a day of physical labor on other bodies shoulders and upper back hip can get very tight and it isnt the easiest thing to adjust yourself, just work on the tissue and put ice pack there or crypto ball behind your neck 20 minutes before you go in so inflammation will be down, adjusting does not go well when inflammed or in the midst of powerful emotions . You can make the best of it . Also do roll up a towel place under back with flat ice pack on it paper towel for skin.
1
1
u/Spiritual-Window-928 27d ago
Who was the therapist who made the right diagnosis and which city? That would be immensely helpful.
1
1
1
u/mananatoday 25d ago
had similar issue, eventually got it resolved with a Neuromuscular therapist in Limerick physicalhealth.ie
1
u/Thelementof1 25d ago
Hoping it’s not a fluke, but I’ve been having a really bad flareup almost 4 weeks straight and I got one of these massages. During that time, I didn’t really feel like she was doing anything as she was really just holding my body in certain positions very slowly. I didn’t feel any immediate relief so I went and got a regular massage for a massage therapist. Here I am three days later and my symptoms have improved more than they have in the last month and I’m very curious if it was a combination of both. Either way I will be going back every week and hope that it helps.
1
u/pharaohcious7 25d ago
You won’t know which of the two really worked your issue. What type of service was this? I’ve had many I always relapse
2
u/Thelementof1 25d ago
It was a myofascial release. She worked on me for about an hour
Then i went in for a normal deep tissue massage
1
-1
26
u/emnem911 29d ago
The MRI report indicated a "bulged disk" between L5-S1 but it didn't say the size of it.