On Dec 27th 2013 I had a siatica flare up. The original back injury was 2 years prior with extreme pain in the left leg from *** to toes. It lasted few days and went away in time on it's own. I seemed to be fine except very slight tingling in left foot. Could walk and run as before. I dd get an MRI and it showed a herniated disc but I was advised against surgery since there was no pain. I was told the nerve would slowly regenerate a mm a day or something like that.
The 2013 event came out of nowhere and I was in pain except when laying down it was slightly better from Friday night until I called the DR on Sunday the 29th and got a prescription for pain killers. That got rid of the pain and then I saw a doctor the same DR as before who was a back and spine specialist and a Professor at George Washington University here in DC. He did say I was not a candidate for an injection in my back or for surgery and the usual warnings that surgery may make tings worse and again told me it would take a lot of time for the nerve to heal.
Today over 2 and a half years later I have some numbness in the lower left leg on the outside and the ball of my left foot is numb and feels like it has a bulge in it. I don't push off when I walk, can't stand on my toes on that foot and walk sometimes with a limp and occasionally the left side of mu foot gives out and I almost fall over. I did do PT for a few months in 2014 but at $500 an hour for traction and then do my home exercises on their table and a woman moving my foot from side to side I had had enough. I was not making progress. My muscle in the left leg is almost 2" smaller than the muscle in the right leg.
I need to exercise it or find a way to build the muscle back up. I am 55 and worried it will get weaker and something will eventually brake or I;ll not be able to walk well. At 55 years old this makes me wonder if I'll make it 10 ears or so until I can retire before I become disabled due to this condition. I am thinking it is too late for any intervention anyway unless I were to have another siatica attack and was in pain.
Are there any recommendations or something that is working for others? Something I can do at home or while out walking would help. Oh and BTW that same DR told me to walk a lot.But if I walk a lot the numbness gets worse and I really start to limp badly and it wears my leg and foot out.
Thanks for any insight you might have.