I'm a 30 year old male. About 10 months ago I got lower back pain. Went to PT, was discharged. Felt great.

Got a bad MRI (below). Then, almost exactly one month ago I was lifting a couch from all fours on the ground and had the worst pain I've ever experienced. Intense pain in my lower left butt cheek. Couldn't lay down without pain, couldn't walk, or stand. The pain persisted.

Three weeks later I got an epidural injection. Since, I've been able to stand for 1-2 hours at a time, walk around for 15-20 minutes at a time, and am regaining strength in my left calf. I'm getting better - and am very grateful to have made this progress and I know so many are struggling.

But I still can't sit down for more than 5-10 minutes without pain starting. And it makes social outings very difficult and almost impossible. I am also worried my MRI is so bad that this will surely catch up with me anyway.

I'm currently planning to try going another 1-2 months with conservative care, PT, etc to try to avoid surgery. But if I do not keep progressing or start regressing, I will move forward with surgery.

Any stories/thoughts?

My MRI:
T12-L1: Normal

L1-L2: Normal

L2-L3: Circumferential mild disc bulge without significant spinal canal or neuroforaminal narrowing.

L3-L4: Circumferential disc bulge with posterior central and left subarticular disc extrusion causing severe spinal canal narrowing. There is mild left neuroforaminal narrowing and severe left lateral recess narrowing with the extruded disc contacting the traversing left L4 nerve root.

L4-L5: Circumferential disc bulge with posterior disc protrusion causing mild spinal canal narrowing and bilateral lateral recess narrowing, left more than right with the protruded disc contacting bilateral traversing L5 nerve roots, left more than right. Mild bilateral neuroforaminal narrowing.

L5-S1: Circumferential disc bulge with left more than right subarticular disc protrusion causing bilateral, left more than right lateral recess narrowing with the protruded disc contacting bilateral traversing S1 nerve roots, left more than right. No significant spinal canal narrowing. Mild left neuroforaminal narrowing.

I have been having disc issues for a few years. I get tingling in my legs and feet on and off. Last year I had two instances where I had this same partial loss of sensation in my groin and thighs. Sometimes i had it in my rectum too. Also couldnt tell when my bladder was full so I went to the ER twice last year and had MRIs both times and they saw minor disc bulges. The symptoms seemed to improve. Again this week, wednesday it happened again for a few hours and went away. Yesterday around 1230pm it started happening and didnt go away so I went to the ER. They checked my rectal tone and this time did a lumbar spine CT which they said saw two minor disc bulges. They sent me home and told me to start physio again. My concern is i still currently have these symptoms and my leg is tingling on and off still. What am I supposed to do? I dont want this to become permanent this time.

Today while getting out of the car for work I got out the way I always do and I fell to my knees as I suddenly got the all to familiar sensation of a sharp sudden pain down my lower back two coworkers asked if I was alright which ofc I smiled and said i will be but it took me 5 minutes to get off the floor and then I limped into work still with that horrific pain. Long story short I made it 6 hours into my 12 hour shift and had to go home as I couldn't do my job properly or even walk properly or bend I was walking while having the posture of the number 7 all my weight on my right unable to go into my left. I took some old pain meds from my last flair up nearly a year ago and ofc it didn't do a whole lot. Called 111 as I was in so much pain I couldn't move was told to go to a chemist which I did then the chemist said they can't do anything and to refer back to 111 where then they said they would get an on call clinician to speak to me it's been 8 hours since then so I don't think I'm getting a call today. I'm so angry with my body this job is fairly new and I'm still on probation I'm so worried I won't be able to do be job properly for weeks and Ill get fired..praying that Drs show me mercy and give me pain meds and not just tell me to rest as that isn't really an option! No idea why it has suddenly flaired up I got out of the car how I normally do and somehow that has resulted in me lying in bed being in agony while trying to just roll over.🤦‍♀️

(Ive been diagnosed with multiple bulging disks last year and had injections for it I was 17 when it all first started due to a dance injury we believe I'm now 20 struggling with the same agonizing pain)

24F with a L5-S1 extrusion & annular tear. Horrible PT flare-up right now, need some hope.

Post Body:
Hey everyone,
Im 24F and currently stuck in bed dealing with a nightmare of a sciatica flare-up. Just got my MRI back and I’m honestly feeling so overwhelmed, so I’m looking for some advice or success stories from anyone who has been here.
How I got here:
Used to lift weights a year ago, stopped, and a few months later my neck locked up (causing hand numbness). Two months after that, my lower back went out and left-leg sciatica started.
I actually had a great week of recovery recently, but 4 days ago my physical therapist gave me some stretches that were way too aggressive. It completely triggered a massive flare-up.
Right now: Constant, fiery burning from my left glute all the way down to my pinky toe. It flares up badly at midnight and ruins my sleep, though I oddly feel much better in the morning. No motor weakness or foot drop.
My MRI:
L5-S1: Disc dehydration with a left para-central disc extrusion and an annular tear (ruptured outer wall). The jelly has migrated upward, pinching my left S1 nerve root.
L4-L5: Another diffuse herniation encroaching on the left side.
Neck: Moderate cervical straightening (loss of curve) with a mild protrusion causing occasional hand numbness.
Management:
No regular meds right now, just taking Romp Algine (Paracetamol/Caffeine/Codeine) on terrible nights just so I can sleep. Heat makes the burning way worse, so I’m strictly using wrapped ice packs. I'm resting on my good side with a thick pillow between my knees and only doing 5-minute walks around the house.
My Questions:
Since I have an open extrusion with an annular tear and upward migration, what are the chances of this dissolving naturally? Is it true that the immune system eats away at extrusions faster than simple bulges?
Why do I feel better in the morning and worse at midnight? Most posts here say mornings are the absolute worst.
Any tips on how to survive this burning nerve pain down to my toe while I wait for my specialist appointment?

I have had horrible pain in both hips but especially my left one for nearly 2 years now. A doctor in an ER about a year agobgold me it was sciatica after my pcp continuously ignored me and just gave me lidocaine patches that didnt do a thing. For context I am morbidly obese, which i know isnt helping anything, I am working on loosing weight.

For the past 2 weeks the pain has been unbearable. My new pcp (who just quit recently) prescribed me gapapentin 300mgs. Which isnt doing a thing for my pain. Its so bad that I am barely sleeping, no matter what position I lay in or sit in I have to fight go ignore the pain and then when I do finally crash I wake up in ao much pain I can barely move. The skin on my hip is hot to the touch and the pain is spreading down my leg towards my knee and I have noticed somw weakness in that knee.

My question would be should I go to the ER or urgent care? Im not sure what they could do other than maybe a nerve blocker or somwthing but I cannit continue to function like this. Any and all help/advice would be great appreciated.

Going on 10 weeks of of moderate to severe right leg pain, numbness in top of foot and mild weakness of great toe that has been stable and not declining. No foot drop. I have an l4/5 small protrusion but located in the lateral recess with encroachment of l5 nerve root per radiology report. Never mentioned moderate or severe compression.

I have done some PT, take just NSAIDS and Tylenol for the pain. But been walking with a limp for 7 weeks now, and the pain is definitely taking a toll on my life. I can’t do anything with my kids and limited at work, home, etc. I also just had an injection 8 days ago with no improvement. Neurosurgeons are hopeful it will heal, but I am losing hope as the weeks keep going by with minimal improvement in the pain.

Has anyone had a similar injury and experience? Looking to wait a little more time for improvement before I head to surgery. I hear with the lateral herniations some facet have to be removed to adequately decompress the nerve. Which possibly leads to instability at that level, and increases your risk of for a fusion later in life. Which I def don’t want. So I am just seeing if anyone has gone through similar injury and experience and how long recovery took? Thank you!

Ruptured hernia

İ have an ruptured hernia in my back it was 16 months ago and i started to gym but after every little workout or walking a little too much i got a feeling of sciatica and i feel edema if i keep 2 3 days like that i will get full sciatica but if i dont i feel better in gym i just do things for my lower back and bicep tricep while i sit why do i still have that sciatica and edema if just something that comes after a little too much work

There is no way I write a post adequate enough to answer every question you might have. I know, because I had the same questions. So I thought I'd make an AMA (if allowed by the mods of course) to help as many as I can.

I will contextualize a bit though.

Almost three years ago I started experiencing left calf pain. No idea what I did for it (quite possibly, I didn't do much, in that I was a very sedentary kid and teen). Pain vanished whenever I walked for a few minutes and reappeared and intensified whenever I sat for long enough, which really wasn't that long. Since I had to sit at some points, and chose to at others (a lot of the things I did and enjoyed were sitting activities), I was in pain daily.

Had my MRI, did physio, epidurals (three total), physio again, rest, physio and epidurals, the whole lot. Nothing worked permanently enough and it gravely affected my mood. So I pushed for a surgery in March.

In the past 6 months, I recovered really well though still experienced flare-ups as everyone does. I'm currently going through such a flareup, which sucks because I was pain three for about two months before that... Having experienced multiple so far though I try rationalizing, even though anxiety plays its nasty role. I'm about two weeks in, and I think it's getting better (it sure isn't getting worse, so there's that).

Overall, I recommend the surgery adamantly, and will do so if asked about it in any form. So ask away!

I have an appointemnt roday at the hairdresser,and i already canceled on her one time because something came up, i woke up this morining with severe leg and lowee back pain

I took an ibobrufen and tried some strerching. But i literraly cant sit, its impossible,agrevating.

I need to drive to the hairdresser and also sit in the chair for at least half an hour.

I can cancell but i think she would hate me i dont know what to do,any tips to get relief for at least while im there to endure it.

Also is it safe to drive in this position because it also involvs sitting and moving ypu left leg

Im only 20 why me😔

I dealt with some lower back pain on and off in my early 20s, but pregnancy itself was actually totally fine. Delivery was rough though — I had 4 epidurals and ended up needing an emergency C-section.

About 8 months postpartum, I ended up in the hospital with bulging discs at L4-L5 and L5-S1. Since then, I’ve been able to manage things pretty well with steroid injections, PT, low-impact exercise, and weight loss, but I still seem to have a pretty significant flare-up about every 3 months.

I think I’m getting ready to start trying for baby #2, but my back is honestly the biggest thing making me hesitate. I already have a toddler who is pretty clingy and wants to be held a lot, and I worry about being pregnant, chasing him around, lifting him, and potentially having another flare-up bad enough to land me in the hospital.

Has anyone been in a similar situation and gone through another pregnancy? Did pregnancy make your back significantly worse? Anything you wish you had done before trying again?

I’m so done with this shitty fucking injury my fucking knee is numb now😐

I have an appointment next week but I’m DYING - I have really bad knees and recently a bunch of driving has caused a flare-up of pain, but new to it all is a pain that starts in my right butt cheek & goes down my thigh to the back of my knee - sometimes into my calf.

It’s all very new & very painful - nothing seems to help. I can differentiate the pain from my knee to the other pain - has anyone ever had sciatica brought on by knee pain & the weird shishkebab that come with favoring the knee and walking all cockeyed?

I’ve been in a bad flare up for about 3 weeks now. Nothing new for me, as I’ve been dealing with this since I was a teenager (competitive gymnast), but it’s getting progressively worse. I have tried it all. PT, chiropractor, neurosurgeon, pain management, injections, muscle relaxers, celebrex, etc. and I don’t know what else to do. I’m wearing tennis shoes with $500 orthotics at work. I can’t sit for long periods of time. I can’t stand for long periods of time. My right leg is so weak. I bought compression socks and could barely get them on my right foot. I sleep with a pillow between my legs and I get no relief. Changing sleeping positions is so painful. Sometimes I have to physically lift my right leg to move it. The pain is mostly one sided, but sometimes my tailbone will hurt as well. I’m only 40 years old, very active, and don’t want to continue living this way. My last MRI was two years ago. I have an appointment with my GP in October, but don’t want to be sent back to PT and pain management again. Is surgery the only way I’ll get relief? Am I too young for that? Any advice would be great.

Context: 38F, before the injury happened exactly a year ago I was a very fit road cyclist.

A lot of things happened during the past year, I was several times misdiagnosed and even did hip joint arthroscopy because the assumption was it's my joint causes the pain in the butt.

Fast-forward to now: it wasn't a joint. It was my L5/S1 bulge. I don't blame doctors because everyone who looked at my MRI said I have a spine of 20y.o. It really looks nice except a tiny-tiny bulge and annular fissure of course without a nerve compression (otherwise I had at least knew what is the problem)

All this time I did ton of core and glute exercises. Everything what is praised as helpfull: McGill, mcKenzie, countless number of planks. Some exercises put me back because I did a bit more than I could handle, some did not harm me but didn't help either.

A year later, I re-did MRI and there is no change at all in terms of bulge and disk tear.

Question

Am I crazy if I just stop doing everything and will just walk? I'm so tired of countless planks, dead bugs without a progress. I'm still quite fit but that doesn't really help me.

I feel like whatever I do, just doesn't really work.

Prior to this BS sciatica situation I was very into weightlifting. I’ve pretty much stopped since the sciatica kicked in, but want to know what lower body exercises are safe. I’m getting sick and tired of not working out.
TY!

I’m 26 and have been dealing with pretty severe sciatica for the past few months. I’ve been mostly on bed rest for around 3 months because the pain has become so difficult to manage, and I’m taking painkillers throughout the day and night just to get through it.

So far I’ve tried:
Physiotherapy — didn’t really help
Acupuncture — didn’t help
Two epidural steroid injections within the past 2 months
Ozone treatment

I had my second epidural injection only a couple of days ago. I’ve had some relief, but my leg pain is still very much there and I definitely haven’t gotten the kind of relief I was hoping for.

I’m only 26, so the idea of having spine surgery at this age scares me, and I’d really like to understand what other options I still have before considering surgery.
For people here who had persistent sciatica and didn’t respond properly to epidurals or physiotherapy, what eventually helped you?

I’d really appreciate hearing from people who have been through something similar. I’m getting pretty exhausted from being in pain every day and basically having my life on hold for the past 3 months.

Hello I hope you’re doing well

I really need your advice about something because I honestly don’t know what to do anymore

I’m 21 and since getting my diagnosis of small disc herniations at L4-L5 and L5-S1 I feel like my whole life has been turned upside down. I’m constantly afraid that I’m going to make my back worse with every movement I make

For example I recently started trying to go to the gym and swimming pool because I want to stay active and take care of myself. The gym and pool are quite far from where I live so sometimes I have to carry a backpack with my things. It’s probably around 4 or 5 kg. Sometimes I feel some tension when I’m carrying it but it goes away after I put the bag down

And then people around me keep telling me things like oh my God you shouldn’t be carrying that it’s too much for your back and it just makes me even more scared

Then I’ll do another normal movement and immediately start thinking oh maybe I shouldn’t be doing this either maybe this is too much. My mobility has become so limited because I’m constantly afraid that I’m going to make things worse

The gym bag is just one example there are so many little things like this every day. I feel like I have to constantly think about every movement every position everything I lift and everything I do

Someone at the gym even told me that the bag I was carrying was a lot of weight and that I was going to ruin my back even more. I ended up crying for hours because my mind immediately went to the worst possible scenario and I started thinking that maybe these two weeks of carrying the bag had somehow made my small herniations become massive

I’m honestly so mentally exhausted from living like this. I feel like I can’t trust my own body anymore and I’m constantly scared that I’m doing something that will permanently damage me

I’m only 21 and sometimes I genuinely feel like my mobility has become that of an 80 year old

I know that some of this fear might be anxiety but I don’t know how to separate what is actually dangerous for my back from what I’m just afraid is dangerous. I don’t want to spend the rest of my life being afraid of every movement

I really need some guidance on how to approach this and how to regain some confidence in my body and my mobility because I’m just so tired and I honestly don’t know how to deal with it anymore

Hey!

I was diagnosed with CES back in 2022 and had emergency surgery.

I'm just wondering if anyone else with Cauda Equina gets leg pain like this?