Other causes of sciatica?

  I am 27 year old male who underwent a successful laminectomy in October of 1995 due to a sports injury.  In October of this year, I jumped up and landed on my left heel.  I immdeiately had a "shooting" pain all the way up to my kndney area.  I really don't have any back pain.  My doctor thinks that there is probably no disc involvement this time, and I somehow irritated my sciatic nerve in the pelvis region or there abouts.  My only symptom is difficulty in laying down, as I am able to sit, walk, stand, bend and lift without pain.  When I lie down, my whole left leg swells up and I experience "pins and needles" in my outer chin and top of the foot.  Thus I am unable to really sleep.  I have a few questions. First, is it possible to have a sciatic problem without  disc involvement (such as piriformis syndrome)?  Second, could this be a scar tissue problem I hear so much about that suddenly manifested itself after my injury (my symptoms are the exact opposite of my previous symptoms in 1995)?  Also, is scarring from laminectomies as prevelent as the posts on the internet suggest?  Do you know of any long-term studies that show percentages of sufferers?  I thank you in advance for your time and consideration.
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Thanks for your question and sorry to hear about your problems. It is unfortunate that you have had to undergo major back surgery at such a young age. I'm not sure how to explain why you are having swelling of your leg when you lie down? unless you are somehow obstructing your vascular or lymphatic flow but that does not make sense to me. There are several tests that can be done to help investigate your problem alittle further. You could have an MRI of the lumbar spine to rule out a nerve impingement proble. An EMG study of the leg can be very helpful in diagnosing sciatic nerve injuries but I would still expect symptoms at other times as well. A CT scan of the pelvis could help rumle out an abnormality around your piriformis muscle. If all this is negative a vascular specialist could examine your leg for vascular problems. Scarring is not that major a problem but of course you hear alot about it because those are the people that will post questions. Hope this helps. If you wish a referral to CCF call 216 444 5559. Good luck
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