Maignes Syndrome

by lesley
(morecambe lancashire uk)

I am a 55 year old female. I have always been physically active and very rarely poorly. I was an FA referee and worked out at least three times a week in the gym. All of a sudden out of nowhere I started to have lower back ache.


I had every treatment in the book even botox injection into the base of my spine. After five weeks as an in patient at the physio department they decided that I must has mechanical back pain.

At this point I had enough of all the idea's and moved house to another region. After my back became very trouble some I condescended to go to the doctors. Same routine back to the pain management. After nearly twenty years of trying everything under the sun I was not hope full of anything new happenings. On my second appointment I was having a very bad flare up.
So as I was walking down the hall to the department I had to hold the rail to assist me.

When my time came to be seen my physio said "Hi, how are you doing". "Not bad thanks" I replied. I did not realise that she had been following me along the corridor and watched my movement. She took me into her office and told me that she thought that I have something called Maignes Syndrome. She advised my doctor to prescribed Pentagabalin which soon rose to 75mg twice a day.

The spasm in my legs and bottom have got worse. So much so that I actually cry out with the sudden pain every time that I am upright, when I sit there is nothing. I can ride my bike and there is no pain or when I sit and rest but as soon as I stand upright the spasm starts in my leg which then leads to pins and needles in my foot as the pain is only in my right side.

Back to the doctors this week who prescribed me diazepam 5mg three times a day. I am really frighten now as the pain is unbearable, I no longer go out as I shout out when I get the pain spasm. Please can you tell me if this does sound like Maignes syndrome and if so what can be done to make me better, Many thanks for any assistance that you can be in this matter, kind regards Lesley

Hello Lesley,
No, you don't have Maigne's syndrome. The nerves from that part of your back don't reach the foot.

Have you had an xray of your back? Probably you have; can you get a copy of the report for me? Type in, keeping to this thread.

As a general rule, do you have more pain bending forwards, or backwards? As you bend, does it shoot down your leg?

Sitting in a kitchen chair, raise each leg in turn parallel to the ground. What happens?

It's interesting that you have more pain standing. I'd be thinking of two things.

Ask someone to stand behind you, and place their hands on the crests of your hips. Are they level, or nearly level?

A sacroiliac syndrome often gives more pain standing and walking. But you could have a disc or facet injury too.

Let me have answers to these questions. Take your camera to the hospital, and ask if you can take photos of the xrays. If they are digital, ask for copies on a memory stick.

Dr B

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