Left Leg Pain - Sciatica

[mdb001]

My wife has been suffering with left leg pain and numbness for the past 14 years.  She has had countless MRI's of her low back and hips which were all negative for a pinched nerve or other skeletal problems that could be causing her pain.  She has seen her GP, Neurologist, Pain Management DR and unfortunelty, we cannot get a DR to diagnose the problem and I find it very hard to believe that her leg pain just happens without there being a cause and effect relationship somewhere in her body.  She is currently taking Tramadol and gets occasional injections into her left buttocks. Each offers very little relief.  Any ideas on other measures she could take to relieve her pain; or what in the world could be causing the pain in the first place since her MRI's and X-Rays have all been negative?    

[idesofmarch]

does the middle of your left buttocks hurt real bad and can you feel a really tight knotted area there?  If you answered yes talk to a pain doctor about getting a shot or 2 of steroid into your piriformis muscle.  I had it for over a year before I fell upon my symptoms on the web.  If it isn't that then it could be a misalligned pelvis which gives the same pain and symptoms but also hurts where the leg meets the body if you know where I mean.  Does it also feel like your leg is not fully attached sometimes? If you answered yes to the mis.pelvis then you need to have a physical therapist make the right adjustments maybe more that once and show you a few exercises to strengthen the muscles to keep the pelvis in the right place.  I have had experience with the later too.  It was out of wack for so long that I had to have many readjustments because my muscles fought the correct placement of the pelvis.  Good luck with all that and it doesn't really show up on films.  Doctors look at your leg length because one will be longer than the other until it is fixed.

[bjquil]

I have a protruding disc and nerve damage in my left leg (pain goes down the backside of my leg all the way to my big toe) and now I am getting numbness in my right leg.

I have never had an MRI but I have had 2 CT scans - one with contrast and the other without.  Plus I just had a myelogram done last week.  I am waiting to go to the neurosurgeon on 4/17 to see what else can be done as the pain management place is out of ideas on reducing the pain.

I take tramadol and tizanidine - they prescribed lyrica for me but my insurance denied it as it is considered experimental for the condition being treated.  I am waiting for the drs to call me back to see if there is anything else to put me on.  

I do feel for your wife - it is painful.  Has she had a myelogram done?  They shoot dye in your back and take x-rays and then they take a CT scan (called with contrast) - i just had this done and believe they will find more damage in my back and both legs.

if your wife has not had this done i would suggest it - sometimes MRI's don't pick up damages and the CT scan will.

Good luck and keep us updated

[anjel75]

I, too, have leg pain. Mine starts in my lower back in to my bottom and hips and down my right leg in the front of the thigh. It stops right before the knee and then again into my toes. The pain is more at the top but when it gets on down my leg it is mostly numb and tingly but painful. Hard to explain if one has never been through that type of thing. I was put on Lyrica and it has really calmed those symptoms down. I still have my pain and on meds for those, but I have been able to cut the dosage in more tan half. It just really works for me. I have DDD, facet syndrome and 2 bulging discs one with a tear. But drs. have told me there is no nerve impengement. OK... Tell that to my back or brain, because someone is getting there signals crossed! I have also found PT helpful!