Pinched nerve

[Brewtus]

I'm having a problem with my leg. The muscle in my right thigh is numb. Sometimes it feels like it's on fire. My doctor says it's a pinched nerve. They x-rayed my lower back and everything seems to be normal. They gave me a steroid pack for 5 days. It didn't help the problem. The doc says the next step is cortisone shots or a chiropractor. Has anyone had a similar problem or had a good experience from the shoots or chiropractor.
Thanks, Brewtus

[GSP]

I'm having a problem with my leg. The muscle in my right thigh is numb. Sometimes it feels like it's on fire. My doctor says it's a pinched nerve. They x-rayed my lower back and everything seems to be normal. They gave me a steroid pack for 5 days. It didn't help the problem. The doc says the next step is cortisone shots or a chiropractor. Has anyone had a similar problem or had a good experience from the shoots or chiropractor.
Thanks, Brewtus

I don't know your insurance situation, but if possible, push for a MRI. CAT scans, xrays etc are gonna not show pinched nerve.
Chiropractors can and will relieve pain, but it may only be temporary.
Also if they push you toward physical therapy, push back for MRI. I went through all the above and I have some permanent nerve damage because Dr treated all the wrong things.:(

[killinmammals]

Do like GSP said, my mom went through that years ago. Ended up having 2 surgeries to releive the pressure on the nerve but it was a little to late.

[MikeKy]

Chiropractors can help. They have helped me before but now that I'm an old geezer with deteriorated vertrabae and bulging discs I stick with a physical therapist. Last episode I had I was hobbling around with a cane cause one leg just wouldn't work. Tried one chiropractor 5 times (in Louisville) with no improvement at all. He said it might take 20 more treatments. Went to another one in Glasgow. Had three treatments with no improvement so he said if he couldn't fix it in three treatments then he couldn't fix it and told me to do whatever I needed to do to see a physical therapist. Two treatments there fixed it. The chiropractor in Glasgow, can't remember his name right now, is a stand up guy. I appreciated his honesty.

[BadDuck]

There is no replacement for the modern medical and surgical procedures. With that said though, I love going to the chiropractor.

[C.L.Button]

Thow a rope over a beam in the barn and hang by your ankles for 15 or 20 minutes OR go buy an Inversion Chair. Either will help take the pressure off your spine. It's what I do to relieve the same pain. ;)

The others are dead on with the MRI. The Ins comp's do not like to pay for them if they can get around it. Push hard for it. ;)

[Auk1124]

Leggy did a bunch of chiropractic treatment and it didn't help her back a bit. The others are right - you need an MRI.

Get a referral to an orthopedic surgeon (if you don't need surgery, they will tell you), and get ready for a war with your insurance provider over the MRI.

[drakeshooter]

....get ready for a war with your insurance provider over the MRI.

I've got Anthem Blue Cross & Blue Shield and they OK'd my MRI the first request in about 10 minutes. However, my portion of the bill after the insurance company paid what they wanted to was about $350, which was a heckuva lot better than the entire $1200.

[Cornpile]

Brewtus,I feel for you Man.My back does this also from years of cutting tobacco.If I lift something the wrong way I suffer for days,until my back goes back inline.Now I will tell you somthing you can try, this is going to sound funny.There is a pressure point to the outside of your butt cheeks about a third of the way down on each side.Take your finger and push in till you find the sorest spot,this is the muscle that if rubbed brisk in a circular motion it will ease your pain.It is the only thing that has worked for me,try it. OK guys ,dont start,Iam trying to help this man.

[MikeKy]

The PT I saw in Glasgow said to periodically place my thumbs at the sides of my spine about at waist level and push hard toward my stomach and lean my head back. It helps a lot. Of course, once the nerve that I thought was pinched in my lower back was actually pinched in my neck. Get the MRI if at all possible. It will show exactly where the problem is.

[l_c_s]

I had a pinched nerve that started bothering me in October last year, but it became unbearable in late April early May. Had to skip all of Trukey season. The Dr. gave me Cortizone shots and that helped temporarily. Chiropractor, waste of time and $$. Amazingly enough, the Dr. suggested I stop carrying a wallet and go to a money clip. He thought the wallet was effecting how I sat, and my spine alignment.

I travel alot with my job and my wallet is was always full of receipts(Not $$$:(). I picked up a credit card holder/money clip at GanderMountain. The pain went away and has not returned within 3 days of switching over. Can I prove that my wallet was the cause of my pain? No, but I have had ZERO pain since.

[leggyarcher]

I understand your pain all too well. I had surgery in January to remove a ruptured disk that had collapsed on my nerve. I was fine for about 5 months, but within the last month, my leg has started hurting again. I went back to the doctor and he said that I would have sciatic episodes due to the scar tissue...:( Hopefully the pain will not be as severe as it was in Dec./Jan. I wish you all the luck, but trust me, the chiropractor and physical therapy probably won't help.

[Strutter]

Before you go spending lots of money and having operations and such, find an inversion table and try it awhile. I have the same problem off and on and when it hits, I get on the table.

Rob

[bowhunter08]

Had the same problem last year. I would go get a MRI. Done the x-ray stuff and nothing. Had the MRI and found out that i had to bulging disc. What helped me was physical therapy, then after that i went to the chiropractor and knock on wood i have felt good since. Got any questions about anything feel free to shoot me a PM.

Cornpile, i know what you mean about having to use pressure to relieve the pain. My girlfriend is massage therapist and done that same thing for me. It hurts like heck, but it will help.

[quackrstackr]

I used to have a lot of lower back pain and pinched nerve problems caused by my pelvis getting out of alignment until I started sleeping on a memory foam matress.

The first night that I slept on it was the first night that I had slept over 4 to 5 hours in over two years. I slept all night long.

That was 3 years ago and I have not had a pinched nerve since. It used to feel like having a rusty flathead screwdriver jammed into the ball socket of my leg. I still get occasional back pain but it is nowhere nearly as severe as before and it does not happen at night. It's just a byproduct of too much abuse in my younger days.

[reivertom]

As a veteran of 4 lower back sugeries, I can tell you that the only way to tell if it is caused from a bulging or ruptured disc is to have an MRI or similar test. I don't trust the opinion of Chiropractors any more because I've had two of them be TOTALLY wrong on back and neck diagnosis. One actually made me worse!! I look on them now like snake oil salesmen. I'm sure many of you folks have had good experiences, and so have members of my family, but not me.
Nerve problems can be a really long time healing, and if a chronic problem goes on too long, there can be permanent damage. If I were you I would not fool around if the pain is an everyday, life altering event, over several weeks and doesn't get better. I'd go to the doctor and have him schedule an MRI and a referral to a Neurosurgeon. Take the MRI to some one that knows his way around a spine. I personally have had my life (as I know it) saved by Dr. Tibbs at the UK Med Center on two different occasions. I trust his flunkies more than the Doctors around my local area, but that's just my own experience. He has a long waiting list, but to me it's worth it. He will tell you straight up whether surgery is necessary or not.
They usually will evaluate you and try non-surgery treatment if they can, but if it is so bad that you can't live with it , the surgery isn't near as bad as the everyday pain.
I hope you can respond to therapy, and you get better before deer season. Good luck, Tom

[JDMiller]

The doc says the next step is cortisone shots or a chiropractor.

I've never had a pinched nerve issue but took the max amount of cortisone shots in my elbow & forearm for three years. After the first one it felt brand new ... for about 3 months. Then I had to get a 2nd... 3rd..and so on. I think I ended up with 7 injections total over that amount of time.

The doc was concerned about joint/bone damage with the cortizone and I was more concerned about loosing the use of my right hand with surgery. Needless to say... I just decided to live with it. Tried not to agrivate it and used a lot of ice. Then about 6 months after my last shot .. my grip slowly improved with exercise and things seemed to be less & less painfull.

I'm not a 100% but I can draw a bow of reasonable poundage... turn wrenches and just about do what I want ...if I watch how I go about it. If you decide to go the cortisone route... do exactly what the doc says for your best chance of it working. I think that was my biggest issue trying to work. If I could have been off work and allowed myself time to really mend... I would'nt had to went through what I did.

Good luck & speedy recovery.

[bobtownhunter]

I had a bulging disc in my back 2 yrs ago.They went in and took out part of the disc to get it away from the sciatic nerve.After it healed i was back to normal until recent.I have been having some pain in my thigh on the opposite leg from the first time.The first time i lost all feeling in my right foot.I am going to try and get a MRI on it to see what is going on.

[Brewtus]

Thanks everyone for the advice.
I'm going Wednesday for a EMG and a MRI on Thursday.

[chasinhornsnfans]

i currently have a piched nerve in my left elbow. it took a couple of docs to finally tell me that but i got stuck with a needle no less than 50 times for each arm. doc told me either have surgery and be off atleast 6 weeks or just deal with it. just lucky i guess that i am right handed

[mcdenney]

I don't know your insurance situation, but if possible, push for a MRI. CAT scans, xrays etc are gonna not show pinched nerve.
Chiropractors can and will relieve pain, but it may only be temporary.
Also if they push you toward physical therapy, push back for MRI. I went through all the above and I have some permanent nerve damage because Dr treated all the wrong things.:(

Get an MRI if at all possible before much of anything is done. I feel for ya brother!