Pinched Nerve

[pjf46]

I am a 64 year old male.

I have been having a problem for about 9-10 months, I first thought I had sprained my ankle on the treadmill and didn't go for treatment.

I have had pain from time to time in the ankle, calf, thigh, and buttock, I have no pain when i sit, sleep, or drive a car.

I am having pain in my ankle when I stand or walk, initially I could walk 15-20 minutes before I would need to rest however now the pain starts right away.

I have had Peripheral Arterial Disease, Deep Vein Thrombosis , x-rays on the ankle, knee, and hip.

I went to a podiatrist and he recommended that I go to an orthopedic, the orthopedic suggested physical therapy. I went to physical therapy where I did exercise and traction it seemed to help the first 30 days , however it didn't seem to improve during the next 30 days.

Is it common for a pinched nerve to only cause pain when on stands or walks, if not a pinched nerve does anyone have any ideas what it might be that is causing the pain

I went for lumbar spine x-rays and received the following report. I would really be grateful if someone could tell me what exactly the report indicates. I have left four messages for my doctor and have not received a call telling my the results, I finally went to the hospital and received a copy of the report and the cd with the x-rays.

The report says ' there is facet hypertrophy at L4/5 and L5/S1. There is disc narrowing at the same levels.
There is no hardware, fracture or subluxation. There is mild dextroscoliosis. No spondylolsis.

What should I do next as far as test, and what might be a solution for my problem

thanks

[meniere135]

Your symptoms are exactly the same as my sister's symptoms.  She is 63 at this time.  She has spinal stenosis, which is usually relieved when you sit down or bend over a shopping cart.  I'm not saying that is what you have, but it is quite common at your age.  Many people start in their 40's.  My sister had steroid shots, but got minimal relief from them.  She is not a surgical candidate.  So pain meds are probably somewhere in her future - but she's not ready for that yet.  She feels fine if she's sitting.  If she goes for a 3 mile walk, she might have to sit down 6 times to relieve the pain.  She did try Physical therapy - she had no problem doing the exercies, but over a few months she realized it stopped helping.  

That is the extent of my knowledge.  I hope this helps.

[pjf46]

Thanks for your response.

What I don't understand is that I have no pain in the back it is only in the ankle.

[Jaybay]

Basically, the report reflects what happens to most people's spines as they age.  The discs in your lower spine (L4 to S1) are kind of crumbling and not as able to absorb the shock of movement as they once were.  Here is a link that does a great job of describing fact hypertrophy, which is a result of the disc degeneration noted on your report.  You'll have to copy and paste it into your browser since Med Help doesn't have 'live' links.

http://www.dr-bertagnoli.com/facet-hypertrophy.html

It doesn't sound like you're a surgical candidate yet, but you probably will be eventually.  Try not to be afraid of it if your doctor recommends it.  Techniques have change drastically in the past decade or so toward minimally invasive procedures, some of which are even done on an outpatient basis.  My non-medical guess is this is something your doctor will want to keep an eye on for a while before going the surgical route.  For now, keep up with the physical therapy and target your abdominal and back muscles.  The stronger your muscles are, the more stress you take off your spine and other supporting structures.