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LEG PAIN SCIATICA

Slipped disc

Leg pain sciatica usually, like the common cold, starts insidiously. Ignored, they sometimes turn into pneumonia and a foot drop, which have now become medical emergencies. An ounce of prevention ...

Mr Jansen constulted me yesterday, and his history was fairly typical. Three weeks ago a bit of pain started in his low back. A one-man-band contractor he was in an invidious position: NO WORK, NO PAY! Same as me! "Ik kan me voorstellen," as they say in Dutch. I can imagine. I would have probably done the same. And yet ...

There he was, standing before me, twisted like a gnarled tree in what I call the typical "Pisa sign". His frame looked for all the world like a leaning tower as he leaned over to the side in what we call an antalgic posture. Ant-algia. They come in two sorts and fortunately he was indeed leaning 'away' from the painful side.

And yet! Those who lean "towards" the painful side, if they are smart and listen to their chiropractor, will get better much quicker, though the chance of relapse is great, if they will not accpept that, like the "away from" type, the disc will take 6-8 weeks to heal.

If the man in the picture had pain on the RIGHT SIDE, and he is leaning towards the LEFT SIDE, then he has the 'away from'kind. They take longer to come straight, but have a better chance of complete healing.

Antalgia is serious. It is often the prelude to a nasty leg pain sciatica that wends its way down the leg. Follow your doctor's instructions, but my advice is to stay at home at least until you can stand straight. Don't sit, alternate between lying (with a cushion under your knees) and walking. Move onto your side as your back dictates, with the cushion between your knees. During the day, get up at least every hour and walk around. Research shows that too much bed rest is not helpful.

If you've come to this website because you're a bookworm, then you may enjoy this short story from Frog in my Throat. It's all about an antalgia, in an amusing setting.

But a neglected antalgia often leads to a leg pain sciatica with tingling and pain spreading down the leg.

Tip: My rule is: if you are in the Pisa sign then you shouldn't be at work. Don't sit, don't bend, and try very hard not to sneeze. A quick blowing of your nose will usually stop it.

Depending which disc has been effected the pain may go down the back of the leg to the side of your foot, or down the side of your leg and over the big toe, or onto the top of your thigh.

There are four important grades.

  1. Back pain only.

  2. Back pain spreading down into the leg.

  3. Back pain, leg pain with developing numbness and weakness.

  4. In the true hernia, there is less back pain, but the leg becomes a fire of pain. The bladder may be affected.

    The essence is good health care is to prevent this progression. Take it seriously.

    You can test yourself by pricking your leg with a pin. Are the legs the same? Can you walk on your heels and lift your big toe? Can you stand on your toes on the effected foot, and bounce up and down? Can you bend your knee without the leg buckling?

    My rule: You can wait with a sore back, but if you have leg pain sciatica spreading down the leg then it's best to get to your chiropractor fast. To go from LEG PAIN SCIATICA to HOME PAGE


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