Possible injection complication

[punkchica]

On April 6th, I went into the ER for back pain. After I had an x-ray that turned out to be fine, it was determined that it was just a muscle injury. I was then given an injection into my right buttock of Norflex. Soon after I was given the injection, I became sedated, and when I was discharged and tried to walk, I noticed that I had a lot of tingling and numbness from the waist down. I was given a prescription for 100 mg of Norflex. After 2-3 days on the medication, I returned ER with a drug allergy. The allergy is now gone. Now, 6weeks later, I am still continuing to have numbness and tingling in my right leg and I have sharp pain in my buttock and down the center of the back of my leg. When I followed up with my regular doctor, he suggested that perhaps the initial injection may have swelled up and hit my sciatic nerve. (He said that if the injection had been directly to my nerve it would have been quite painful, and I don't recall having pain during the procedure, just gradual numbness.) He started me on a course of prednisone for the possible swelling, and referred me to a neurologist. The prednisone didn't seem to help. The neurologist gave me an EMG test to check for nerve damage, but to my suprise, the results came back to be normal. I returned last week to my regular doctor, who suggested that since the EMG was normal, there has been no permanent nerve damage, and prescribed me Gabapentin, but due to side effects, I've had to stop taking it.I called my neurologist back, he isn't available until July, but I've been referred to a different neurologist.

If my injection did directly hit my sciatic nerve, would the pain be immediate? Since I was allergic to it, could the swelling have irratated the nerve? What would the appropriate treatment option be? Could there be permanent damage, or will the nerve heal?
I recently saw an orhopedic, after a suggestion that they could help my sciatic problem. They did a MRI, that showed nothing wrong with my back, but the orthopedic told me that I had foot drop, and hyperreflexive reflexes.

[punkchica]

It was initially in both legs after the injection. I had my back MRI, everything looked fine, but I have a referral for a neurosurgeon.

[Karen99]

Hello and welcome to the MedHelp Neuro forum.  I would guess that if the needle stuck the sciatic nerve directly you would know it immediately.

Interesting that you went in for back pain and now you have numbness.  Where was your back pain located when you went to the ER? Was the numbness and tingling you felt after the injection on BOTH sides or just the right? Is your foot drop and hyper-reflexes on the right side also?  

Your regular is probably correct. I guess your 1st neruo missed the foot drop and hyperreflexia? Tsk tsk!  Do you still have the initial back pain?

This is an interesting link:

http://www.spine-health.com/conditions/sciatica/types-sciatic-nerve-pain

Let us know how it goes at the 2nd neurologist appointment.