I have sciatica but today my neurosurgeon looked at my MRI and said its not my spine

I dont understand how I have this pain. Its a strained and stinging pain from my butt/thigh down. My doc transfered me to a neurosurgeon and he looked at MRI of my lower spine and it is completely normal not causing any pain. Neuro told me that he did not know who I should see either. Well, I am going to see my family doc again next week and I dont know who to see for this problem now. This pain has been going on for some time now and it seems to weaken me more and more as I have this.


Can anyone help me understand who to turn to next?

that's EXCELLENT news man!! (no disc herniations). if i were you i'd take a deep breath and have a cold one right about now..... you don't want to deal with disc herniations, believe me (personal experience). you say you've had this condition for "awhile?" how long is that? have you continued working out since then or what have you been doing in terms of medicine and exercise? could be the sacro-iliac deal that the other dude in the category is talking about in the thread by escholar5 on this same page.

if your GP is such a retard he doesn't know how to help you now, then get a new GP.

[QUOTE=WibbleWabble;453816651]that's EXCELLENT news man!! (no disc herniations). if i were you i'd take a deep breath and have a cold one right about now..... you don't want to deal with disc herniations, believe me (personal experience). you say you've had this condition for "awhile?" how long is that? have you continued working out since then or what have you been doing in terms of medicine and exercise? could be the sacro-iliac deal that the other dude in the category is talking about in the thread by escholar5 on this same page.

if your GP is such a retard he doesn't know how to help you now, then get a new GP.[/QUOTE]

Thank you very much for a response. I was very shocked and happy when i heard my spine was normal. Ive had this this pain for maybe over a year when i remember it wasnt very painful at all and i remember when it got to the point of this problem now that its stiffening my muscles and joints. I can lift weight still but i can not run or keep up on a treadmill. I dont take any medications. All i do is stretches to prevent myself from becoming a board.

again, ty for some help i really need more answers

You can have referred pain down the leg and have a normal MRI! What a stupid surgeon.

You can get pain from a strained facet joint and/or a strained disc that has not yet reached the stage of herniation.

Not to mention a variety of ligaments that can be sprained.

Perhaps a visit to a physio / chiro?

[QUOTE=Fresch;453924401]You can have referred pain down the leg and have a normal MRI! What a stupid surgeon.

You can get pain from a strained facet joint and/or a strained disc that has not yet reached the stage of herniation.

Not to mention a variety of ligaments that can be sprained.

Perhaps a visit to a physio / chiro?[/QUOTE]

I called a physical therapist and they told me a good stretch to do while i was on the phone with one of the docs. He said he wasnt sure if my sciatica would disappear but it could get less painful from the exercise. Havent tried it yet. I have went to a chiropractor and I dont think they can help me because i find their practice useless.

piriformis tightness/swelling can cause sciatica...do you sit a lot?

also, impingement at the sciatic notch in the hip

massage and improved hip mobility could be enough to shift things around and help you recover (if it's based in your posture and daily movement).

[QUOTE=DGBoutte;453747881]I dont understand how I have this pain. Its a strained and stinging pain from my butt/thigh down. My doc transfered me to a neurosurgeon and he looked at MRI of my lower spine and it is completely normal not causing any pain. Neuro told me that he did not know who I should see either. Well, I am going to see my family doc again next week and I dont know who to see for this problem now. This pain has been going on for some time now and it seems to weaken me more and more as I have this.


Can anyone help me understand who to turn to next?[/QUOTE]

I had sciatica for 6 years before any doc discovered what it was! Seriously! I also had several MRI's and nobody saw it! I also had injections in the facet joints - they didn't help at all - made no difference whatsoever! I even had a "TOP SURGEON" tell me I needed a pin in my hip 'cause my sacro illiac joint was too wide - glad I didnt do that surgery - cause that is not what I needed at all. I also did MONTHS of physical therapy - that didn't help either - neither did electro stimulation or anything else docs told me to try.
I decided to try a spinal doctor as a last resort and was glad I did - another MRI showed a herninated/bulging disc with the sciatic nerve being pinched! A small outpatient surgery fixed it immediately - after suffering for so long and finally walking with a bad limp after the surgery I had NO PAIN AT ALL!!!!
Exercising can help some depending on the severity of the pinch - but if the nerve is well and truly pinched - exercise alone will not fix it! Try a spine doc - see if you can get help there

[QUOTE=jdmalm123;454214591]piriformis tightness/swelling can cause sciatica...do you sit a lot?

also, impingement at the sciatic notch in the hip

massage and improved hip mobility could be enough to shift things around and help you recover (if it's based in your posture and daily movement).[/QUOTE]

I guessed too that my piriformis muscle was tight. But would that neurosurgeon be able to see my piriformis muscle in the MRI? He told me everything looked completely normal. I also have stretch marks appearing on each side of my hips and on my groin. I dont know how i got those and I cant walk fast or even run anymore now. Dont know how to fix this.

[QUOTE=snackcake;454215311]I had sciatica for 6 years before any doc discovered what it was! Seriously! I also had several MRI's and nobody saw it! I also had injections in the facet joints - they didn't help at all - made no difference whatsoever! I even had a "TOP SURGEON" tell me I needed a pin in my hip 'cause my sacro illiac joint was too wide - glad I didnt do that surgery - cause that is not what I needed at all. I also did MONTHS of physical therapy - that didn't help either - neither did electro stimulation or anything else docs told me to try.
I decided to try a spinal doctor as a last resort and was glad I did - another MRI showed a herninated/bulging disc with the sciatic nerve being pinched! A small outpatient surgery fixed it immediately - after suffering for so long and finally walking with a bad limp after the surgery I had NO PAIN AT ALL!!!!
Exercising can help some depending on the severity of the pinch - but if the nerve is well and truly pinched - exercise alone will not fix it! Try a spine doc - see if you can get help there[/QUOTE]


Spine doc. Do you mean neurologist?

I have had this exact problem for years and years. Literally, nothing to worry about. I'm 23 now. It started I think the summer I turned 16. Sharp pain that ran from my right butt, all the way down the hamstring, just to the knee. The pain came and went EVEYRDAY, at almost the exact same times, and went away at almost the exact same times. It was almost predictable.

The best mediicne I found was ibuprofen. Tylenol sucks. ibuprofen is an NSAID like aspirin and naproxen(aleve) but worked the best and longest.

Went to the doc, they thought it was maybe a slipped or herniated disc in the spine. Did an MRI, x-rays, the whole boatload... general doctor, specialist, sports/chiropractic trainer. Tried all the stretches, got a thing to help support lower back in my chair for posture, started using lumbar support when driving. Nothing worked.

Finally I was precsribed some 600mg Ibuprofen (dont know why, i could've easily just taken 3 advils at a time). Took it twice daily so the pain was never there. After about a month, of taking the ibuprofen, I stopped it. bam! no more pain... well mostly.

Since then I get the pain every now and then. Probably only around a couple of times a month? It'll be completely random. I could be lethargic and sitting in my cube working all day, and it's happened. One time it happened after a long day of snowboarding. I'll just pop one or two Ibuprofen pills over the counter, either 200mg or 400mg, and it magically goes away for the next 2-4 weeks.

But the good thing is, it happens so infrequently now (as opposed to years ago when it first happened), and I just pop an Ibuprofen and it's gone... not really a problem.

I lift, snowboard, swim, hike, and sit in a cubicle all day. No problems. So perhaps try that? It really is just a pinched nerve. You do not have a hernia or broken spine. Take some Ibuprofen at least 2-3 times a day so the pain is not there. Remain physically active like normal - lift, run, stretch, etc.. Stop taking the ibuprofen daily and see if it goes away? If all's good, you should end up like me.


I have a similar problem, in both my hands. Ulnar neuropathy. When my elbows are bent, the ulnar nerve(what gets hit when you hit your "funny" bone), gets pinched somehow. In thise case, there's no pain. But my pinky and ring finger go completely numb. I can fele this slightly after long phone calls holding the phone up to my ear. Really annoying when sleeping, I'll wake up and find my hands are numb and asleep when my elbows are bent keeping my hands under the pillow.

[QUOTE=DGBoutte;454215981]would that neurosurgeon be able to see my piriformis muscle in the MRI?[/quote]

No, not if it was a lumbar MRI.

[QUOTE=DGBoutte;454215981]I also have stretch marks appearing on each side of my hips and on my groin. [/QUOTE]

Did you have recent rapid weight gain or loss?

There are certain stretches you can perform that may lessen your pain. You may want to look up such stretches called the piriformis stretch, pretzel stretch, single knee to chest, SLR stretch with ankle pumps, anterior hip stretch, and a real good one is lower extremity spinal nerve glide. Try these out 1-2 times a day, holding each for 20-30 sec. and performing them 3-5 times each.

[QUOTE=DGBoutte;454219491]Spine doc. Do you mean neurologist?[/QUOTE]

Not a neurologist, they do not perform spinal surgery, although one of those may be able to help some.

An orthopedic doctor is one who specializes in problems of the musculoskeletal system, from head to foot, including the spine. An orthopedist might address conditions such as ruptured disks, sciatica, low back pain or scoliosis.

I found some information for you (below) which may help you or at least give you something to go to a doctor with to try to get some results.


Sciatica refers to pain that begins in the hip and buttocks and continues all the way down the leg.

What Is Sciatica?
True sciatica is a condition that occurs when a herniated lumbar disc compresses one of the contributing roots of the sciatic nerve. This condition is often accompanied by low back pain, which can be more or less severe than the leg pain. The term "sciatica" indicates that the sciatic nerve, which travels from the lower back through the buttocks and into the leg, is thought to be the cause of the pain in this condition.

Sciatica is less common than other causes and conditions that produce back pain. For instance, sporting activities, recreational activities, and heavy labor can cause back and leg pain, which is commonly misdiagnosed as sciatica. The challenge for a physician is to distinguish between radicular pain, which is caused by an inflamed nerve root, and referred pain, which is a result of a musculoskeletal sprain or strain.

What Are The Symptoms Of Sciatica?

The most common symptom of true sciatica is posterior thigh, lower leg or foot pain that can be much worse than the accompanying lower back pain. Usually a patient will experience moderate to severe pain, which begins in the buttocks and runs down through the leg or foot. It is important to know that true sciatica will produce pain that radiates beyond the knee. Often a patient will have a previous history of lower back pain beginning a few days or weeks before the leg pain occurs, then the leg pain becomes worse than the back pain, and in some cases the back pain will completely disappear.

However, in the case of longstanding history of sciatica, the pain may gradually become localized to the buttocks and back of the leg. In this situation, the patient may have a vague aching pain that does not reach all the way to the lower leg or foot, though it may have done so earlier in the course of the disease.

Often there is not a specific traumatic event or motion associated with the onset of sciatica. Standing, sitting, heavy lifting, sneezing, or having a bowel movement may aggravate the pain. Lying down is usually the most comfortable position. Occasionally paresthesias, weakness and diminished bowel or bladder function will accompany sciatica, but these are rare symptoms.

How Is Sciatica Diagnosed?

A thorough history and physical examination is an important part of the diagnosis of sciatica. Nerve root tension tests can be used to confirm the presence of sciatica by attempting to reproduce the discomfort with certain motions and body positions. These tests are performed by a doctor and involve moving the legs in certain ways that slightly stretch the sciatic nerve. If the patient experiences pain during these tests, an irritated sciatic nerve is likely to be a source of the pain.

How Is Sciatica Treated?
Your doctor will be able to discuss with you what your diagnosis means in terms of treatment options. Non-surgical therapies such as medication, rest or physical therapy are typically recommended first.

However, if these therapies fail to provide lasting relief over the reasonable length of time, or if there is evidence that nerve root compression is causing nerve damage, your doctor may recommend spine surgery. The goal of surgery is alleviate your symptoms and prevent further damage by removing the source of pressure on the spinal nerve roots.

Spinal surgeons perform a variety of procedures to achieve spinal decompression. When determining the optimal surgical procedure, a surgeon will consider patient pathology (the structural and functional changes that led to the patient's neurological dysfunction), the level or levels of the spine affected, the patient's medical history and his or her surgical experience and training.

Today, spinal decompression also can be performed using a minimally invasive technique that allows your spine surgeon to dilate the muscles surrounding your spine rather than stripping the muscles away from the spine.

The benefits of spine surgery, however, must be weighed against the risks. Your surgeon will be able to discuss


I hope this helps you - sciatic pain is the WORST pain I ever had to endure. Just wish I had found my spine doc much earlier in that process.

It is not uncommon for the sciatic nerve to pass through the piriformis muscle, and the muscle can impinge on the nerve. I was successfully treated by a chiropractor who did ART (active release) to break up adhesions. Then physical therapy for both strenghening and stretching the piriformis -- a tight muscle is a weak muscle. Therapy also includwd ultrasound (kind of heat) and electric stim therapy.

I think your prospects for recovery are good if you are diligent at rehabbing it. I still do the stretches 5-6 days of the week and hip work on leg workouts!

Good luck!

I am too suffering from pain in Lumber Spine (pain in lower back due to displacement of spine bone), which goes all the way down to my left leg.My doctor has advised me to not to workout, I really really want to workout,so please help me guys.Plzzz Help me.

[QUOTE=user58374;453747881]I dont understand how I have this pain. Its a strained and stinging pain from my butt/thigh down. My doc transfered me to a neurosurgeon and he looked at MRI of my lower spine and it is completely normal not causing any pain. Neuro told me that he did not know who I should see either. Well, I am going to see my family doc again next week and I dont know who to see for this problem now. This pain has been going on for some time now and it seems to weaken me more and more as I have this.


Can anyone help me understand who to turn to next?[/QUOTE]

Hi. I have similar symptoms and have had them for 7 years and many procedures. I was finally diagnosed with piriformis muscle syndrome. The muscle that lies over the sciatic nerve becomes inflamed or entrapped so there is constant irritation, especially when sitting. There's supposed to be a new same day surgery tha is 80% effective but I am having a difficult time finding a surgeon.

Any update OP

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