Hey Neph... Doc... Help a guy out?

Ivan, I was just asking right because that's the side his low back hurts on. Typically, Sciatica (which is nerve root compression of L5/S1 by herniated nucleus pulposus--disc) is associated with regional muscle spasm and low back pain as well. The nerve roots exiting @ L5/S1 (lumbar 5, sacral 1) control a dermatome and myotome corresponding with the hamstring, lateral and posterior calf, and lateral and plantar aspect of the foot. What you lose is ankle jerk reflexes (achilles reflex), plantar flexion of the ankle (standing on your toes), etc. I don't do MRI's unless someone has severe pain, or loss of motor function, since they're expensive, sensitive but very nonspecific (30% of healthy high school boys with no symptoms had abnormal MRI's of the back--including herniated discs :eek: ), and operations are reserved for people with serious neurological compromise and risk for further loss of function (rarely). Surgery can actually worsen outcome in a large percentage of cases. Steroids and marcaine injected into the foramen every 2 weeks for 3 shots works VERY well in a lot of cases. These are done by anesthesiologists/anesthetists (typically), and are fluoroscopy-guided.

He'll be an ex-NFL lineman with BIG ole hands LMFAO. Size 17 finger.

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There's a nephrologist @ Kansas University named 'Chonko' that used to play football for Woody Hayes in the day at Ohio State. He's about 6 and a half foot tall and 330 pounds. You wouldn't want him to do a rectal on ya' for sure (or anyone else for that matter :think: ).

Are you speaking from experience?

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...experience...as in, from what end of the deal? :scream:

Okie, if it hasn't bothered you since taking the flexeril or robaxin, skelaxin, etc. it's probably a minor strain issue. Our back muscles, multiple layers of them, are at a disadvantage from a 'frame geometry' standpoint and any off angle event can set up a series of events resulting in deep muscle spasm. The best thing in the whole world for that is having your wife freeze water in a styrofoam cup, peel off the top of the cup, and apply DIRECTLY (no barrier) over the area and move it around until the entire area is numb. This will block nerve conduction, resulting in a release on the muscle, which will then relax. You'll probably need to repeat that several times a day until it doesn't come back.

Get a 'care for the low back' type book or pamphlet, and do the exercises religiously. Weight loss is ideal, as it takes torsional forces off the axial spine. I broke my back in highschool (farm accident) and when I gain 5 or 10 pounds, my back starts killing me.

However, when you said rhythmic...what did you mean? Like at what frequency?

The answer to the question regarding whether or not a muscle relaxer could help something 'renal', and not just low back---probably not. eg, if you had a stone, and were passing it, a relaxer couldn't help significantly and could not alter its course, since they're designed to relax skeletal muscle, while smooth muscle is the kind of muscle inside those ureters responsible for moving the object down the tract.

:eek:

If my wife is at work can my girlfriend do it?

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Yes, you have my recommendation on that. Just following doctors orders... ;)

Originally posted by nephron
Weight loss is ideal, as it takes torsional forces off the axial spine.

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Nephron called Okie fat and stupid!

Hey Nephron, I was just diagnosed with a pinched sciatic nerve. I am taking perscription naproxon and doing prescribed stretching exercises from a PT.
My god, I swear it's worse. Walking more than 20 feet becomes so painful that I have to stop. My doctor suggested that I take Vicaden(sp?), but I don't want more drugs, just the pain to stop.
Do you think Icing is the answer to releasing the nerve from inflammed tissue?

Might help, depending on where the impingement is. If it's at the nerve root exit site @ the 'neuroforamen' (spine), it probably won't help much and a fluoroscopic guided steroid/marcaine shot x 3 or oral 'medrol dose pack' might help a little better.

If you feel like there's some pinpoint pain or trigger point sensitivity over the gluteus muscle (your BUTT ;) ), the ice might help there some.

Vicodin is just an opiate/narcotic and will only cover up the problem. However, what your doc may be trying to do is simply getting you through the painful phase of the thing until it goes away itself, in which case it's pretty tough to beat a good opiate for pain control.

Another possibility would be a misdiagnosis, and that's why things are worsening. ...never know.

Well, I wacked my lower back about 3 months ago, so with my symptoms, my doctor said it was classic sciatic nerve pinch. I called my PT and she said to stop the yoga strech(lying on my stomache and lifting myself by my hands) and to ice it. It's the worst in the morning. My entire foot, and backside of my leg go numb with sharp, pricking sensations. I haven't worked out in a week. Should I go work out? Will it loosen/strengthen my back or aggrevate the problem, thanks, FE

Wow, that sounds pretty damn ugly. You definitely don't want to work out right now. Those Yoga stretches will absolutely ruin you as well (in your current condition)--sounds certainly like you have a herniated disc. Bedrest was the rule in the old days, now---just resume 'normal' activity, do exercises that will 'stretch' the lumbar region and strengthen the abs (except situps). Get a low back book...they're everywhere. Here are some ideas in the meantime.

1) Lay flat on the floor, relax, and push (with your abs) your lumbar lordosis (that curvature in the small of your back) down flat against the floor three times a day, 10-20 reps (or more).
2) Lay flat""", pull one knee up gently with your arms to your chest, leaving the other leg straight. Hold it there. Ahhhhh...then do it with the other. Same reps. Same frequency. More if you can tolerate it.
3) Lay down, pull both your knees to your chest, roll up like a ball, and gently rock back and forth on your back. Oh yeah, baby. Stretch those zygapophyseal ligaments and muscles out...
4) Lay down, easy does it--some very 'unaggressive' crunches, starting with simply applying 'strain' on your abs without lifting your head or chest up. No situps.
5) Lots of NSAIDS (naproxen/ibuprofen/aspirin), rotate some Tylenol or some Vicodin in there.
6) No lifting over 10 pounds.
7) Lift with your back straight, and use only your legs.
8) If you're around children, don't pick them up.
9) NO manipulation (chiropractor) because you have freakin' radiculopathy. I can't stress that enough. It's ok to do it when you just have muscle spasm, but your case sounds like bonefide herniation of the disc on root.
10) 90/90 rest position as much as possible. Lay on your back, flat, and elevate your feet in such a way as to result in 90 degrees at the hip (perpendicular to your torso), and 90 degrees at your knees (calfs will be parallel with your torso)--eg, using a small kitchen table chair. You get the point.
11) Consider ultrasound therapy (through your physical therapist) or massage--now THAT feels good.
12) Sit in a small chair, bend gradually over until your chest is on your quads (differing degrees for different bra sizes, I'd guess ;) ), stretching your low back while touching your toes. Keep it relaxed.
13) Lay on your back, and elevate your leg to say, 90 degrees or so. Then throw a rope around the middle of your foot (laying across the arch). Keeping your leg there, and unbent, use your arms/hands and the rope to pull your leg gently towards your head, stretching the hamstrings, low back, calf muscles and Achilles.
14) Aquatic exercise
15) Chinning bar stretch--hang from a chin-up type of bar, relaxing your back muscles.
16) Keep the weight off.

Most importantly, if you lose bowel or bladder, or become weak in your leg...go in right away.

Hey Neph. . .does this look infected to you?

Dang JP, that looks like gangrene too me!

Great thread, my back has hurt forever just about ... learned a bunch from your last post Doc.

BTW, Neph ... You aren't that far away, we may have to come get you if you don't show up!! :laugh:

That looks horrible JP I would look into amputation if I had an infection like that growing on my shoulders :scream:

Hey Neph. . .does this look infected to you?

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Yeah. And looks like she just 'lost bowel and bladder'.

Thank you so much for all of your advice and information.
Maybe it hurts so much in the morning because I've been laying down all night. Someone told me that lying on my back was a bad idea. Really, the only relief I get is from lying on my side where I have the injury. The exercise that helps the most is the hamstring stretchers...

Originally posted by grackle
I had a similiar pain and it turned out to be kidney stones.  I went to the Dr. and we scheduled an appointment with the radiologist to find out for sure, but the night before while I was doing my overdose of laxatives I verified that it was a stone on my own.  If you think it might be a stone, I'd get it checked out. 

 Passing a stone was by far the most painfull experience of my life.  It was like a bb covered with jagged spikes.  People assume the pain is while passing it through the urethra............That part is painfull, but it is so much less painfull by the time it gets there that it almost feels good.  I wouldn't wish it on my worst enemy.

Good luck........Hope it isn't anything serious.

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Ditto: Been making stones for years, My stone Doc has it under control :thumb: Go to your doc and get a X-ray! belive me if you have stones. you do not want to pass them. back away from salt too!

Yea that's what they doing for me. If the pain has been that long. It's a good Idea to see a good internal medicine doctor. My stone problem, the pain was staggering. But only last one or two days? Then it was gone, once I passed the stone. I did end up @ emergence both times.