cronic lower back and right side hip pain

[Bill15525]

I have had this pain for over a year and it just gets worse. I see a pain doc for neck problems caused by a car accident . I take percocet and fentinal patches for that but, you would think I would get some relief. Does anybody have any ideas or are you going through this. Please help

[AShaw55]

Unless there is the characteristic pain traveling down the leg its rather premature to classify the low back pain as sciatica.  When sciatic nerve irritation is present its REALLY obvious.  Where as with generic lower back and hip pain can be caused by a number of issues.  More often then not hypertonic (really tight) muscles are the primary cause of these types of issues.  With that said, if these conditions progress they could very easily lead to sciatica.  Theres more of a wide variety of things which could cause the low back pain but from our sedentary lifestyles these days almost everyone has really tight muscles deep within the hip.  The piriformis is often the main culprit and if the hip pain progress untreated it can lead to piriformis syndrome which subsequently can irritate the sciatic nerve.

TENS are good in a clinical setting but I don't agree with the vast amount of people who have these at home now a days.  Doctorandnurse I do agree with you in the aspect that it would be a better alternative then prescriptions but not for a prolonged period of time.  Finally I use to take epsom salt baths after extremely strenuous exercise to remedy muscle soreness but I cant say that worked to much for me.  Particularly in the case of chronic low back/hip pain its worth a try but it would do nothing more then provide temporary relief.

[doctorandnurse]

Sounds like sciatica.  Have you tried chiropractic manipulation, acupuncture or a TENS unit rather than the pharmaceutical medications?  They don't do anything except block the pain signals to your brain so you end up making matters worse by continuing to use the affected area further adding to the issue.  The first and easiest thing you can try is the trusty old Epsom Salt bath.  Grab a glass of ice water, go into the bathroom and get into the tub 'while' your water is running - you can tolerate the water at a higher temperature if you are already in it as it is running versus attempting to step into a tub of hot water.  Add 2 full cups of epsom salt to the running water and make sure you have the painful areas submerged for 20-25 minutes.  You can begin timing as soon as the water reaches a level to cover the painful areas, but don't cheat on the time.  Drink your cold water while you are in the hot tub to help cool down your core so you don't get weak from the heat.  DO NOT drink alcohol while doing the bath as your circulation will increase resulting in the alcohol reaching your liver much sooner than it normally would.   Do the bath at bedtime and get ready to sleep like a baby....

[silverfox67]

It took a year of chiropractic treatments for me after a car accident.  I had injured my neck also.  After so many years... my neck is fine except for an occasional spasm.  I can live with that!  I take an NSAID  or Gabapentin and I'm fine again.

Please do see a chiropractor or an osteopath.  Both do manipulations.

[AShaw55]

A chiropractor would be a great person to see for the problems your having.  The chiropractic profession applies a wide range of modalities in combination with chiropractic adjustment to effectively treat many different types musculoskeletal disorders.  I would recommend getting into see a chiro ASAP, usually the types of issues your having can be treated in a reasonable time frame so you can get off those pain killers!!  Its concerning to me because it semes like our health care system has failed you so far by sending you directly to an M.D. who gave you some pretty serious opioids.  I understand there probably necessary with the pain but prolonged use of drugs like that is definitely not good for your overall health!!