Kickas.org Forums Ankylosing Spondylitis General Discussion #1 AS Web Support Group sciatica

I have had problems with sciatica in the past, but actually in the last couple years, my problem had been numbness in my legs & I didn't feel any sciatic pain.

The numbness quieted down slowly after I began Enbrel, and I haven't had any real noticeable sciatic pain since.

Last week, I was thrown into an extremely stressful situation, which I swear IMMEDIATELY threw me into a flare & the sciatica came back with a vengeance.

My SI pain typically is worse on one side for a period of time, then moves to the other side. I had been having more problems on the right for months, with the left side being down to a "dull roar". But that's actually better for me, because when it's on the left, it's much worse. Which is where it has shifted back to now. So of course I have pain just about EVERYWHERE.

Anyway, my ? is - my phys. therapist said my sciatic nerve is now inflamed because I cannot even stretch my legs out to extension without bad pain. And I knew it was sciatic related before he even told me. But I'm wondering what may have triggered that now - could it be from the left SI being so bad, could it be stress related, is it just one of the things that happens with this disease?

Anyone know anything to help it calm down, because I remember from past experience, it seems to linger on for a while. Muscle relaxants aren't helping much.

I have to go back to the urologist on Mon. to see about the loss of bladder control - could this be related to that?

hey, all to familiar territory...I have chronic sacroilitis and it was on the left side for a year and a half and now has been on the right side for about the same..Every once in a while it switches sides for a minute but then switches back. Right before my period it sometimes is injured more easily..I can roll over in bed and tick it off and it stays aggrevated forever. About making it go away quicker, hmmm, well mine goes away when its done flaring...sometimes a week, and sometimes over a month.Ice helps a little, 20 minutes on 20 minutes off. Bed rest also helps if you can work that in your schedule. Minimize lifting, getting in and out your car, driving long distances, no vacumming at all, and no yoga, no tred-mill. Everybodys body is different but I wish you luck..When I feel pain free I now try to exercise. So far I pretty much walk. It took a long time to get to walk a mile or two. Sometimes I also get middle back pain, and I think its called brecitis(pain in the front of the hip). I do know that there is a hormone released before your period that makes you more succeptable to injury or sacroiliac joint disfunction. There are some articles about it, if I find one I'll send you a private message...Hope you feel better..

Oh man, do I ever commiserate with you on this. Sciatic nerve pain is horrible. My first overt symptom of AS was a sciatic nerve flare that last over six months when I was 23 (I can't believe it will be 20 years this August since that flare! ).

I had just graduated music theatre school and was tending bar during the day at a local watering hole. I couldn't stand (which I did for 8 hours a day), sit (which I did on a stool when I couldn't stand anymore), lie down. It was awful. Five days a week at the chiro and it was finally calming down when I fell at work and landed on my left tailbone (I know we don't have two, smart alecks ) and wrenched my upper back because as I fell I jerked myself forward. I instinctively knew how close I was to the dish washing machine and would have brained myself had I not done so. Anyway, that was another four months of almost daily chiro (this time paid for by workers' comp.).

Now, I don't get sciatic pain so much, but my feet fall asleep frighteningly quickly. Broke my right foot last year because of this.

Have you tried a hot hot bath with epsom salts? People think you should only put a cup of epsom salts in your bath, but try putting as much as the water will take before it stops disolving. When you get in the bath, the extra salts will actually float your body, meaning your butt won't be on the floor of the bath, which means the muscles will have no pressure on them. It's really helpful. At least I found it so.

Hugs,

Hi Janet
Welcome to the grup. I will never forget the pain I suffered with the Sciatica from the A/S . This truly was the worst pain I had from the A/S and the sore ribs at night seem like a " piece of cake " in comparison.
I have now had A/S since I was 23 and now 45. It would hit and then go .. Finally as the years past it gradully bacame better. I would guess because it left that area. I was put on Aitriptyline at the time at night and it really dulled the pain. I still get numbness down my leg ,however if I keep taking the Amitriptlyine it is not noticeable. At that time the Rheumy's didn't seem to recoginize it as a symptom. Can say for sure quite a few of us females seem to have this in the earlier stages of the disease. I was started on NSAIDS finally and that did help, but truly some of newer drugs to help block pain would also help this nerve pain. Are you failiar with Neurontin, Amitriptyline, Effexor ect. If not send me a P>M and I will tell you my story in detail.


I truly understand the pain you are in.
Sincerely,
anet

Hi
Sorry to hear ur havin trouble with sciatic pain. I suffer froma lot of sciatic pain, have been in a flare with it since last week end. Like u i been lookin at what i had ben doin and what was goin on that my have started it, but i do not have a clue with me. I have heard stress can aggravate things like this because we tense up.
I am takin max doses of everythin i got, but its still not working, i would b very interested on any advise u get on this subject. my sciatica is proper doin my head in at the mo!
I sincerely hope urs eases for u soon.
take care
heather

I'm sorry to be keep rehashing my problems over & over, but I can feel myself starting to come unglued.

The sciatica is not only going down the left side, my right SI & hip are now killing me as well, and it feels as if someone is literally trying to pull my spinal cord out. My legs are aching like toothaches too.

Rheumy started me on prenisone pak yesterday, but today it's even worse than yesterday!

Mega doses of pain meds/muscle relaxants are not cutting it.

I was thinking of having my phys. therapist put me in traction to see if that might release the nerve - good idea or bad idea????

i think id rather do pool therapy than traction, and i tried that prednisone pak it didnt help much for me. it actuall made things worse tremors and spasms were multiplied in occurances and pain, but its my opinion i cant say what others will say but if i had a choice it would be a nice warm pool about shoulder deep to take the pressure off of the spine and hips than traction and prednisone pak....oak

When I go to PT after work, I am going to get in the pool, but unfortunately I don't have a pool at home, so I guess I'll sleep in the bathtub again. That's where I got the roughly 2-3 hrs. of sleep I managed to get last nite - in the bathtub.

So between too much medication, too much pain & not enough sleep, I don't know where I'm at today - literally.

I answered the phone in my office this a.m. (my full-time job) with the company name of one of my part-time jobs first, then realized my error, then I said the name of my second part-time job. 3rd time was a charm, by then I'd run out of jobs & figured out where I was.

The lady laughed & said "Honey, either you're having a REALLY bad day or you have too many jobs". I said "both".

There just doesn't seem to be anything that's real effective against sciatica, I guess it's just another issue to deal with.

Hi Janet,
If the sciatic nerve pains are keeping you from sleeping, keep your legs elevated with pillows under your knees. If you're a side sleeper, keep a pillow folded in half between your knees. This always helped me get a few more hours of sleep in. I had sciatic pains that always used to jerk my legs and wake me up in pain, because I always used to stretch my legs straight while I was sleeping. Inflammation from my hips caused mine on both sides, and I had a very hard time straightening my legs without having that jolt from the sciatic nerves. This went on for three years for me.

Those days are over now, because I had my hips replaced, but I sometimes get what feels like RLS now, so it's back to the pillows once in a while.

I hope this little bit of advice does a lot of help for you.
Take care,
James.

i am an idiot i totaly forgot about using pillows i have used them and still using them. they help to keep the hips straight and takes pressure off the low back. ive been using pillow between my legs since the early 90's...it really helps and you do get a better sleep.........thanks james for reminding me...........oak....i also use the pillows to keep my kneees from touching each other because it causes to much pain when they touch(grinding).........