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I think I may have sciatica. For years, on and off, I have had pain and discomfort basically in my left buttock. Docs and physio both say it's not sciatica. I even took myself for a sports massage thinking this would help. Eventually it calmed down for a long while until last week when I felt it starting on my right buttock. It seems to be ok all day but as the evening comes it starts to get worse. Sitting down, standing up, bending down etc are really painful. My question is, can sciatica flare up at night or is it one of these  pains where you would have it 24/7?

aabb

1 like, 5 replies

5 Replies

  • Posted

    True sciatica is sharp, shooting pain in the buttocks that runs down the back of your leg usually to the knee but some people feel all the way down to their foot.  It is almost exclusively on one side...not both.  (I had both one time and that was caused by stenosis at L2/L3.)  If you have no pain down the back of your leg, you probably don't have sciatica.  

    I've had it many times.  Some incidents were caused by hip alignment and/or locked SI joints while one time was caused by the sciatic nerve root being crushed by a bone spur at L4/L5.  The former ones were fixed either immediately or over the course of a few weeks by a chiropractor; the latter needed a neurosurgeon.

    Your pain is real and there must be a cause.  Find it...fix it.  Just don't think it's sciatica...but ya never know...

    • Posted

      Thank you for getting back to me. I have no pain in my leg or foot. Seems to always be my buttocks. It's especially painful when I sit on a soft seat. I also have pain to touch areas at the bottom of my spine, almost as if I have a bad bruise. Not sure if this is connected in any way. I have the physio this week (frozen shoulder) so I will mention it to her.

      aabb

    • Posted

      I know nothing about it, but Piriformis Syndrome specifically addresses the piriformis muscle in the buttocks that causes that particular localized pain.  You may want to look into that.
    • Posted

      Thank you for getting back to me. I will look into that as I have never heard of it before. 

      Aabb

  • Posted

    Hi aabb I'm sorry to hear of your discomfort and as a long term sciatica sufferer I know some of what your going through. I have finally been diagnosed with spinal stenosis and underwent decompression surgery to relieve the symptoms, it worked for nearly 3 years but back big time.

    I have found a solution in visiting a local Osteopath who diagnosed me as having skeletal misalignment and she has manipulated (pushed & pulled) me all over the place but I have to say it's starting to make a difference. 

    I would recommend this procedure as its a non surgical intervention which has to be a good idea 🙂 I'm wishing you all the best on your painful journey 

    regards Dave

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