Leg stiffness and pain

by Tim
(Calgary, Canada)

Postero medial disk

Postero medial disk

Leg stiffness and pain

I had sciatic similar pain since a fall 2 months back with absolute leg stiffness. Was diagnosed piriformis syndrome. My leg has now improved but i still can't fully bend over nor sit on the ground with both legs straightened out. Help!





Hello Tim,
I need some extra information. I take it that if you bend straight forward, carefully, with both legs straight, that the one leg is much tighter than the other. Right? Or is it only in the back.

Please take this little Slump Test for Sciatica and let me know what you feel. Be specific.

Was coughing, sneezing, laughing, bearing down on the loo painful at any stage?

Meantime, start these Lower back exercises ... gently, listen to your back, it will tell you, guide you as which are best for you.

What I'm trying to gauge is whether there has in fact been an injury to the disc and at what level. Did the pain go to the foot? Which side?

In the beginning were you standing in an odd posture, leaning to the side? Towards or away from the pain?

Can you raise the big toe, stand on your toes without difficulty on that leg?

Let me know.

Go from Leg stiffness and pain to Chiropractic Tips …

I hope this has contributed.

Dr Barrie Lewis



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Jul 21, 2013
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by: Tim

Answers to lower back and leg pain

Hi Dr B,

Thanks so much for your quick response. To go into detail as per your response:

When bending straight,well i cant really bend straight, but with both legs straightened, i feel it deep in my buttocks. Same goes for when i bend over using my back, feel it in my buttocks.

Doing the Slump Test for Sciatica...pain is minor in my buttocks, radiating inflammation feeling. I've learnt to differentiate between sciatica and inflammation since this injury.

Laughing or sneezing really hard does occasionally set off the pain slightly. Again, it's the inflamed feeling in my buttocks. I had an xray just in case I herniated my disk, but reports came back as everything normal.

The pain is in my right buttock..with the rare times appearing around the ankle area, though i attribute that to me putting pressure on my foot more than anything else.

I can tiptoe fine... though walking on my heels is a slight struggle. Ive never had pain in my foot..yet. In the very beginning i was just limping.. but I never had bad posture from it. I did sit on my left unhurting butt for a week before things calmed down a little.

I hope this is sufficient for you!

Thanks,
Tim





Hello Tim,
Unfortunately you can't see a herniated disk on plain X-ray, only on a scan, and sciatica really is an inflammation that arises from an irritated / pinched nerve.

It's good that the pull on bending is the same in both buttocks, and that Slump test doesn't give you more pain/ tightness in the naughty leg.

However, the fact you still can't bend is of concern. There's enough here for me to suspect this may be more than a piriformis syndrome, but I'm really not sure, being unable to examine you.

Follow your gut feel. A second opinion from another chiropractor, or your doctor, never did any harm. Two heads are better than one.

Just be careful now for a month. If you re-injure it now you will be in trouble. Ask your chiro about those exercises. Do them faithfully, EVERY morning before getting out of bed.


I hope this has contributed.

Dr Barrie Lewis

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Interesting challenges of the day

1. Mr S is a 76 year old man with neck pain of some 9 months duration. Luckily, most of the discomfort is upper cervical which is only rarely arthritic; his lower cervical spine is a degenerative mess that I've left alone. After seven treatments his pain and stiffness is 50 percent better, and he's happy in the circumstances. He can sleep through the night now and that makes a huge difference.

2. Mr P is 32 year old man with very severe lower back pain radiating to the big toe which is 30 percent numb. He had an episode three weeks ago, took anti inflammatories and was soon better as is typical of the medial disc herniation. But before it healed, after a trivia it came roaring back, much worse. The characteristic crossed sign was evident; sitting in a chair, straightening the right leg provoked severe left back pain and tingling in the leg. He's doing well.

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Despite a hectic job, she wisely took my advice and stayed home for what I call exercising bed rest.

4. Mr S has had lower back, groin and back of thigh and calf pain for fourth months.

He has a pincer deformity in the hip causing the stabs in the groin, and a degenerative facet causing the sciatica. Both are responding well to chiropractic and he's well pleased; sixty five percent better after three treatments.

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8. This 65 year old lady is a serious gardener; every day she is bending, lifting and digging for 2 to 3 hours a day. It regularly catches her in the sacroiliac joint, so she has a treatment once a month that sorts it out. She does her lower back exercises faithfully.

9. This 88 year old lady is an inspiration; every day she is busy in the community. With a nasty scoliosis she manages very well with a chiropractic adjustment every six weeks and exercises faithfully done.  

10. Mr X is a 71 year old retired man who wants to continue with maintenance care every six to eight weeks; he had suffered from two years of lower back pain when he first came a year ago. He has no discomfort now after 8 chiropractic treatments, but is aware that danger lurks.

11. Mrs C has been having severe headaches, and taking a lot of analgesics. It's a non complicated upper cervical facet syndrome, and she's doing well.

12. Mr D is a 38 old year man with chronic shoulder pain after a rotator cuff tear playing cricket. It responded well to treatment, but he knows he must do his exercises every day; for two years he couldn't sleep on that shoulder.

13. Mr D, a 71 year old man, has a severe ache in the shoulder and midback since working above his head. Trapped nerve tests are negative but he has advanced degenerative joints of Luschka; after just two treatments he is 50 percent better. Can we reach 90?

And so the day goes; chiropractors shouldn't be treating the elderly most medical sites state but that's so much bunkum.

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