dude stop trying to workout through the pain, this is one thing that you really have to rest.

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2024: Bevoman, Galveston, Alcatraz, Marble Falls, Santa Cruz

If I could write the exact story of my journey this year, your words would describe it. Very painful year. I have battled the pain since January, so almost a complete year. I tweaked my back, I believe doing weights, and never let it heal properly.

I made it through the year competing in a few races, but injury put a hamper on performance, especially since I couldn't run much or go hard in any sport. I tried everything, including long rest period, except acupuncture. I am curious to hear more about the poster and his acupuncture experience.

The epidural steroid helped the most, but the sciatica pain would always come back around 30 days or so. For me, i survived by doing whatever needed to be done to make the inflammation go down to tolerate the pain. PT/Chiro would last 24-48 hours. Yoga/stretching would help, but sometimes pain was too much to even try it. Massage can help, but temporary and sometimes it would make it worse. Steroid packs help about two weeks.

With that, I had enough, and Monday I had a microdisectomy done. I was already back at work yesterday for a few hours. So far, the sciatica pain is 100% gone. To me, it is a miracle of sorts. But, time will tell of the full "effect".

Every situation is different and a good Doctor and MRI will be your best bet. I have a history of disc issues and was sick of dealing with it. You may just need to rest and start over with good lower back strength regime and time to let the inflammation completely go away. Everyone is different.

It does sound like you have a lower disc herniation. I have had the left side limp for almost a year! I suppose you get the knife in the left glute feeling as well.

From what I hear, disc issues are somewhat common with cyclist and triathletes.

Get the MRI if you are planning on having a spine surgery, otherwise it is not needed. If prone pressups are working, you should be doing these all day long. Find a McKenzie Physical therapist in your area and that person can lead you in the right direction. PM me if you have specific questions.

And get this book: http://www.amazon.com/...-802-9/dp/0987650408

Ok, stopped all working out since original post. I've been doing the press ups a lot still. I have reached out to my Dr and should be getting in for an mri this week. I will provide an updates with results back from that as soon as I know anything. I will use this thread to help track progress, I never realised how common of a problem this was. Thanks to all for the information and input!

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Mason

epidural steroid shots were a life saver for me.

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Dave Campbell | Facebook | @DaveECampbell | h2ofun@h2ofun.net

Boom Nutrition code 19F4Y3 $5 off 24 pack box | Bionic Runner | PowerCranks | Velotron | Spruzzamist

Lions don't lose sleep worrying about the sheep

Same here. I had two docs recommend a discemtomy, but a third wanted to do the shots first. That, with PT, brought me back.

There's nothing fun about disc problems. Keep your head up. On the plus side, you have a built in excuse on why you can't help your buddy move for the rest of your life.

Good that you're taking time off. When you get the MRI the is to separate out wear & tear degenerative things like a disc bulge which may have been there for years and not bothering you from acute injuries like pars fracture and disc herniation. From your description I'd wager you have a disc herniation. If so then they resolve in most (90%) of cases without surgery.

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Brian
“Eat and Drink, spin the legs and you’re going to effin push (today).” A Howe

i've had a disc issue that was caused by a really bad fall when i was 15.....i'm 48 now! herniation l4-5. it flared up about 15 years ago when i started running over 50 miles a week ----and i couldn't even walk. after many orthos and misdiagnoses, i ended up in a chiropractor's office. he's amazing with athletes. i have found relief from seeing him on a regular basis,doing my stretching/strengthening religiously, and icing my lower back after every hard run. also resting when i need to. sometimes the sciatica gets bad,but i find if i'm very disciplined with my stretching/strengthening, i have fewer issues. btw i have completed 11 ims and over 20 boston maratons since that time. don't give up! make sure to find some really good docs/pts/ etc. who you trust and you can work with long-term. good luck!

Herniated L5-S1 confirmed by MRI. First, every back is different and you will get 100 different response as to what works. Fortunately mine calcified or got absorbed and I recovered. My only recommendation is to continue moving, even if its walking. Your back will recover when you find something that works but you will have a mental block,thinking you will have a bad back the rest of your life. Thus, I would read the following book as well.


http://www.amazon.com/Healing-Back-Pain-Mind-Body-Connection/dp/0446557684/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1447180827&sr=1-1&keywords=sarnoff


Good luck

Engaging a treatment plan without knowing completely what is or isn't happening with your spine is foolhardy, IMO, and in many minds of the medical professionals I have spoken with if you wish to minimize exposure to a future surgery.
Though continued exercise is not a bad approach in and of itself and is highly thought of by some as long as you heed your body telling you NO, continued rest is the ultimate healing solution. Taking PT and Flexoril for a month or so with no gains, risks more damage than good, prolonging further the recovery time. My wife (57yo, All American triathlete, Kona veteran) experienced similar symptoms, (intractable pain, progressive, complete leg numbness to the toes) though more profoundly, after a MTB ride last Thursday. She barely made it home, and then was reduced to the fetal position on the floor crying in pain. MRI the next day revealed a herniated disc at L1-2, and some other mildly contributing degenerative factors in L3-4, and L5-S1. The real benefit of having the immediate MRI was the doc wouldn't release her from the ER until he'd consulted a neurosurgeon due to the extent of the herniation. You don't see that without imaging. Going in to PT without KNOWING would've been potentially worse.
Rest is the main prescription, (plus 5 days of prednisone, and Flexoril and a strong NSAID as needed). After doing nothing over the weekend, she tried some decompression therapy at a sports chiropractic clinic yesterday, that was magical for an hour after (all discomfort gone). But the discomfort re-appeared as the spine settled back. Over time, this will likely see more prolonged benefits, but it'll be at least two months of taking it easy.
I guess the takeway is KNOWING what is going on in YOUR spine, not taking a "most likely" diagnosis.

Word of note.....if you go through Urgent Care at a hospital vs. the ER, be prepared to hear that your insurance (if you have it) won't authorize an MRI immediately without first trying other approaches to a remedy. As well, some UC docs don't have the authorization to get you in the cue for an MRI right then and there. Here are the keys to the kingdom..

1) Be sure you are admitted through the ER. Even if they do, or they triage you to UC, still do 2 and 3
2) "I am in intractable pain that has progressed from my hip to my toes"
3) "I don't feel safe at home" This is by far the most important point.

You WILL get an MRI that day.

update:

Had the MRI done and it came up clear. So this sciatica is not related to a bulging disc like we thought... which leaves piriformis syndrome or something else. Since it's not spine related there are a few new exercises/stretches I can try that may help that would have been too aggressive before. Most recently I have been getting some feeling back in my foot, it feels like warm pins and needles at times, like a sleeping leg thats waking back up.

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Mason

Can you comment on your progress since last post? Very interested, thanks

Knock on wood, for me, surgery was the best decision I could make. I have had no problems since the surgery. I am already swimming, biking, and running with NO pain. Pretty amazing to wake up with no pain and be back after it in six weeks. Kudos to technology, and my awesome doctor.

yes please, has it resolved?

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2024: Bevoman, Galveston, Alcatraz, Marble Falls, Santa Cruz

So the mri came up perfectly clear.... After all that trouble I am doing physical therapy, still..... and now looking into doing some chiro, as well as acupuncture.
Symptoms persist and all symptoms lead to bulging disc NOT PIRIFORMIS and things have been getting slightly better on average but still just as bad on the bad days. Still no running, still no biking. Swimming is all I can really do without making the symptoms worse.

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Mason

How quickly did the epidural work for you?

man that sounds like such a disk issue to odd nothing showed up on MRI, i wonder if a MRI 100% would catch all disk issues or if they can be missed? Does you PT want to treat it as a disk issues?

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2024: Bevoman, Galveston, Alcatraz, Marble Falls, Santa Cruz

Treatment is still going on this. Going decent.... The ridicular pain seems to be going away from my hip and upper leg but is still very much present in my lower leg and foot, along with the numbness. Has anyone else experienced this radiation of pain going away like reverse centralization?? I've been told the pain should be centralizing towards my back but the pain never started at my back, it started at the foot... Now it's going away up top and moving towards the foot... Feeling about 40%.... Was feeling about 0 percent when this all started.

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Mason

Yea as mine got better pain/numbness would dissipate first in the foot then calf as i got better pain was only extending into hamstring and lower back. Now when i get minor flare ups pain will only shot down lower back and into butt if its getting worse.

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2024: Bevoman, Galveston, Alcatraz, Marble Falls, Santa Cruz

that's what makes me so curious about mine. We are also doing piriformis stretch as well and I think that is helping. Just seems weird that my pain begins at my foot, moves up leg to glute... and stops.

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Mason