I remember my bout with sciatica. Every movement was brutal. You have all my sympathy and my prayers!
Tomorrow at The Flame of Love Rosary I will be praying for you Brian K and also all others on here asking for prayers.
Oh my that can cause a lot of pain as I had the same issues with sciatica. Horrid pain. My prayers are with you!
Thanks everyone for your prayers! Quick update - the oral steroids the doctor prescribed yesterday worked quite well and I got a long good night’s sleep. Since getting up I haven’t had any episodes of the extreme shooting pain in my right leg. (But I haven’t done much either.) Now it’s more of a dull ache. So hopefully things will continue on this trajectory! Again, thank you sincerely for your kindness and prayers.
Just thinking out loud, no need to read further if you’re not into the medical aspects of this. I circled the area I hit when I fell two weeks ago. I get that severe electric shooting pain while sitting if I try to abduct my right foot and especially to flex (lift) my right thigh/ leg. So from what I’ve read gluteus syndrome can be a subset of piriformis syndrome. I’m thinking I have swelling in my glute medius and minimus and that’s pressing on the piriformis while I’m sitting and causing the nerve entrapment. And lifting (flexing) my thigh mimics the test they do to test for piriformis syndrome. Piriformis acts as external rotator in the erect position and as abductor in the supine. gluteal muscles mainly to facilitate abduction and extension of the thigh but some also assist in the adduction, external rotation and internal rotation of the thigh Gluteus maximus - Extension, external rotation, abduction and adduction of the thigh Gluteus medius - Abduction and internal rotation of thigh; pelvis stabilization Gluteus minimus - Abduction and internal rotation of thigh; pelvis stabilization
@BrianK What your describing is classic Sciatica I think you might have pinched your sciatic nerve or a swelling might be pushing it.
Definitely. I’m a doctor (of sorts) and I am ashamed to admit I thought herniated disc pain was the same thing as sciatica. I’ve had two herniated discs. They weren’t fun either. But this was different.
Maybe I can help because it's my specialty... You have a pinched nerve somewhere, steroids help because they resolve the inflammation, but they disrupt everything else and cause osteoporosis (bones lose calcium, become soft and brittle). In other words, they lose mineralization. First, the piriformis stretch. There are many exercises. Some are a little harder to do. Maybe this one because that's how men have often sat throughout history. Normally you sit with your feet perpendicular to the floor and cross one heel, i.e. leg, over the other knee. Even in this position, if the pain is severe, you will feel a stretch (slight pain) when sitting upright. To increase the stretch, lean forward slightly. First a little, then hold. Rest, then a little more to increase the stretch, hold for about 10 seconds and then relax... I also recommend this exercise (it's actually a hamstring stretch along the sciatic nerve), do it a few times and you can do it in the morning and evening. Just be persistent, do that stretch with both legs. Like in the picture. Only this girl is in shape so she can lift her leg high. It will hurt a little, which is what it should be, just make sure it's easy... So first lift your leg a little, about 15 centimeters. It's important for you to be upright, your leg must be stretched out and tight, especially in the knee, and pull your toes towards you. Hold for at least 10 to 15 seconds and then relax. Then when the muscle stretches, you can lift it a little higher, slowly come closer and again, tighten your leg and hold your toes for 10 to 15 seconds and then relax. You can turn your foot so slightly that your toes point inward and outward, then you "change the position of the nerve stretching. You can slightly rotate your torso to the opposite side of the leg that hurts while stretching. If your right leg hurts, stretch like this, everything is tense and that leg stays in place like this, and rotate your left leg and torso about 45% to stretch this further. Also, when you are straight, you can intensify this stretch by lowering the leg you are standing on at the knee. This feels like lifting the leg you are stretching upwards. Only when you bend your knee, there is more load on it, so I don't know how much you can do... So I told you both approaches. Do everything slowly and carefully, without sudden movements and of course if it hurts too much or the pain increases drastically, stop immediately. It is important to be persistent, when the pain stops in the future, be sure not to forget to stretch because, as with machines, it is easier to maintain even old ones than to replace parts Good luck!
Prayers for you, Brian. Don't be ashamed to ask for help from others if you need to. (I think this would be harder for me personally than the physical aspects...) I hope you're getting some relief from the pain! God bless!
