I have intense pain in my right lower back, hip, thigh and knee?!
Question: I had xrays for hip and knee problems, but only some minor arthritis showed up. I can't sleep on my back because of the pain. I take pain medication, but sometimes nothing helps. I have trouble sleeping because the pain becomes so intense. I use Tiger Balm and hot pads which do help, but I have to keep warming the pad because the pain won't go away. My doctor said he might want to give me shots that could possibly help. Do I have a pinched nerve? I had a pinched nerve about 7 years ago and it went away with steroids, but they made me feel terrible. I felt like I was going in slow motion and had brain fog. I gained about 7 lbs during a short period. Does anyone have any advice for me? Has anyone had any experience with this?
Answers: I had xrays for hip and knee problems, but only some minor arthritis showed up. I can't sleep on my back because of the pain. I take pain medication, but sometimes nothing helps. I have trouble sleeping because the pain becomes so intense. I use Tiger Balm and hot pads which do help, but I have to keep warming the pad because the pain won't go away. My doctor said he might want to give me shots that could possibly help. Do I have a pinched nerve? I had a pinched nerve about 7 years ago and it went away with steroids, but they made me feel terrible. I felt like I was going in slow motion and had brain fog. I gained about 7 lbs during a short period. Does anyone have any advice for me? Has anyone had any experience with this?
Josie,
I have 2 bulging discs at L3 and L4 and then again at L4 and L5. I too sleep with a heating pad at night and can only sleep a few hours at a time before having to get up a while.
I have in the past had several epidurals for the pain and they do help but are expensive. You might ask your doctor about having an anesthesiologist do an epidural for the sciatica pain. It beats having to take steroids orally and deal with all the side effects associated with them. I think before they would do the epidurals on me I had to have a MRI. I'm not sure if you have had one of those yet.
I dont know if you have tried them but I like those pain patches you can buy at the store. They get powerful hot a little bit after you put them on but they really do help out with pain. You cant use these when you use a heating pad but they come in handy for me in the daytime.
Hope you get better soon Josie. :-)
yes this is sciatica or a pinched nerve due to a disc prolapse.
IT sounds like a slipped or bulging disk. Talk to your doctor about this it could get worse and rupter and require surgery.
Or physical therapy may help if they catch it soon enough. Also you need an MRI of your back and spine not just xrays