Sciatic Pain

[DebZab]

52 year old woman with sciatic pain in both legs and buttocks....cannot stand still, sit or lay down.  What should the doctors be checking?

[sundew]

sciatica only effects the right leg your problem
sounds more like a pelvic problem.
people with brittle bones can suffer hairline fractures
should get this checked

[Gio77Italy]

I had the same thing, it's called Pseudosciatica or non-discogenic sciatica, because it doesn't originate from spinal disc herniation which commonly is the cause of sciatica.

it can be caused by a few different problems, also Spinal Stenosis, which is easy to diagnose but probably not your case. it could be something of non orthopedic origin that won't even show up on radiological tests.
x-ray to the spine would be the first thing to do, then MRI eventually. it would be best to check the whole spinal cord but the area interested should be Lumbar. Another related test is EMG Electromyogram.

the specialists are Orthopedic and/or eventually Neurologist.

the question is are you also weak on the legs? do you have muscular weakness in general? other symptoms? no pain in the back or the pelvis?

[acidtummy]

Spinal Stenosis

[mkh9]

I would get an MRI and possibly a bone scan if that is negative. It doesn't exactly sound like sciatica. Usually, that is in one leg. I don't know what doctor you went to but I would go to a orthopedic surgeon (not for surgery) to find out what is going on.

[doekna]

WHEN I WAS TOLD I HAD SCIATICA,,ALL 4 TIMES I WENT TO ER IN THAT HORRIBLE TWO WEEK PERIOD OF TIME,, IT ENDED UP BEING SOMETHING VERYSERIOUS I STILL AM NOT SURE OF BUT PROBALY A FRACTURED HIP FROM JUMPING OUT OF A VERY TALL TRUCK,, AND THE FIFTH HOSPITAL VISIT WAS BECAUSE THE OPPISITE LEG HAD SWOLLEN TEN TIMES FROM NORMAL AND THE BLOOD IN IT FROM ANKLE TO HIP WAS THE CONSISTANCY OF JELLY WITH PULMONARY EMBOLISMS TIMES PROBABLY TWENTY... I HAD DIED IN MY SLEEP AND MY BOY FRIEND SUDDENLY FELT THE NEED TO WAKE ME UP BECAUSE HE SAID I WAS SLEEPING STRANGELY,, AND THE BLOOD HAD STARTED TO SET UP... WHAT SHOULD DOCTORS DO??? STOP USING THAT GARBAGE CATCHALL DIAGNOSES OF SCIATICA WHEN THEY FEEL NO DESIRE TO GET OFF THEIR THINKING CAPS AND RESEARCH A MEDICAL CASE LIKE THEY USED TO DO... YOU SHOULD HAVE XRAYS, MAYBE A CT. BLOOD WORKUPS TO CHECK FOR DEEP VEIN THROMBOSIS AND/OR FRACTURES IN THE BONES,, AND IF EVERYTHING ELSE LOOKS OK,, ALSO CHECK FOR BONE DENSITY LOSS AND ANY POSSIBILITIES OF THINGS LIKE SLIPPED DISKS AND SPINAL COMPRESSION,, THEN REFER YOU IMMEDIATELY TO PHYSICAL THERAPIST BEFORE STIFFENING OR IMPROPER HEALING SET IN... GOOD LUCK TO YOU..