Gluteus Maximus

[hifi_dave]

Didn't think I had any muscles but apparently I have because I have damaged my Gluteus Maximus.

Pain came on just over 3 weeks ago and despite the efforts of my Osteopath, is getting worse. Saw the Doctor on Monday and she couldn't give me any help and said it might take 6 weeks or more to heal. The pain is worse in the morning, when I first get up and then again in the evening. Sitting is painful and extended sitting makes it worse. I am even struggling to go to the loo !!!

Pain is mainly in my hip but extends down my leg to my foot. Sleeping on either side is painful and I am using a cushion between my legs to alleviate, slightly, the pain to help me sleep. I am using an ice pack, followed by a hot water bottle whilst watching TV in the evening but it doesn't help. Because of a Kidney problem, I can't take anything stronger than Paracetamol but this hardly touches it.

Anyone have any tips ?

[struth]

i'd get an x-ray in case its the hip socket area. it can give similar feelings at start of the degeneration. maybe a anti inflamitory might help

[hifi_dave]

Thank you Grant.

The Doc and Osteopath are happy that it's not the hip joint as it doesn't hurt at all when they move and rotate my leg and thigh etc. Even the pain in my bum doesn't hurt much when they move my leg, so it's muscular.

I'd love to take anti inflammatory or something stronger but my Kidneys can't take it.

[Edward]

Oh dear. Pain is such an awful thing to have to endure. Especially if you are unable to take oral pain relief or oral anti inflammatory medicine.

Some suggestions for additional pain relief

Tens machine or other electrical stimulation
Accupunture
CBD
CBT


But also as you are doing. Gentle exercise and a regime of hot and cold pads.



§

[struth]

Thank you Grant.

The Doc and Osteopath are happy that it's not the hip joint as it doesn't hurt at all when they move and rotate my leg and thigh etc. Even the pain in my bum doesn't hurt much when they move my leg, so it's muscular.

I'd love to take anti inflammatory or something stronger but my Kidneys can't take it.

As long as its been checked... They spun me stories for a few years then xrayed it and found the issue.. pity about the kindneys... that would have made a big difference... hope it gets better soon, and yes, exercise as much as you dare without over stressing it.

[Sherwood]

I suffered a bad lower spinal injury whilst doing building work when at Uni. It has got worse with age and I am suffering more spasms which are akin to dental brain freeze!

I find this technology to be effective at low cost and with few side effects.

https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/transcutaneous-electrical-nerve-stimulation-tens/

The device(s) I have feature a pain relief mode. It delivers a pulse to the pads which feels like somebody tapping you firmly. It works for my lower back pain and the referred muscle pain I experience in the thighs and hips. I believe that the pain relief works by blocking nerve transmissions.

The devices can be bought very cheaply, though I bought a reputable brand. They operate on 2 AA batteries and are very compact. The only downside is that the pads are made of a polymer gel that has a limited life especially if you are blessed with plenty of bumfluff :rolleyes:

[walpurgis]

I had that a couple of times, Judo injuries actually. Put a hot water bottle against it.

Also, with muscle injuries I have a philosophy of resting them for a couple of days then working them gently and repeating this cycle. Hurts like hell while doing it, but feels better afterwards and seems to assist healing.

[Wakefield Turntables]

If X-ray prove uneventful a simple MRI/ Ultrasound of the area should be useful in diagnosing soft tissue trauma such as issues with your Gluteus Maximus.

[Primalsea]

I tend to get muscle injuries quite often from Karate. At the moment I am sporting a very sore thigh muscle as a result of being kicked. I have a TENS unit that I bought from Amazon for around £25 and its great. The rechargeable battery last for ages. Appraently you can use them for pain relief and this may work for you but I use mine to stimulate the injured muscle and increase blood flow, which helps with healing.

Also gentle strectches will help although these will be a little painful. You can flex your leg and open and close your thighs 5 to 10 times a day slowly while sitting on a chair if you need to. The key is to breathe and relax you muscles on out-breaths.

Muscle rollers are good too. These look like a knobbly rolling pin and are around £7 from Amazon. You can slowly roll it over your sore muscle using as much pressure as you can stand. Generally 5 minutes a day is enough.

Gently working the muscle and helping to improve the blood flow by the things above will aid recovery but you have to take it gently and stick with it daily, its not a magic bullet.

[Macca]

Ralgex or Deep Heat?

Stinks but it does usually work.

[Svend N]

Dave, how did you injure it? It might help us to know the cause.

I second the advice of getting blood flowing to the area. Blood is the most amazing healer. Light exercise, stretching, gentle massage - all good suggestions. If you can sit on a bike saddle without pain, then cycling is great as a no-impact exercise. Failing that, I suggest heading to your local public pool for a swim.

Is there any bruising? If there is deep-tissue injury, this may not surface for days after the injury occurs. If so, I would avoid putting pressure on the area, so a foam roller might just make it worse.

Have you considered consulting a chiropractor? Perhaps there is something structural amiss that is causing major joint misalignment. Sitting at a desk day-in-day-out can really mess up your hip alignment, and by consequence throw your lower back out of whack, and stress all the tendons and muscles that insert into these areas. If you know a good chiro then they can be lifesavers (there are a few quacks out there, so choose wisely).

As for treatments, many people swear by Arnica gels. This is a natural product that helps with bruising and pain. It's been used for centuries. Physiotherapists, chiropractors, and athletes use nothing else as a topical treatment, although doctors would rather see you take a synthetic med from big pharma. If you try it, do not buy the homeopathic grade as that is likely to be so dilute as to be useless. Herbal grade is more concentrated. My wife uses it regularly on a bad knee (torn ACL and meniscus damage...skiing injury); it works well for her. Do not buy the tablets and do not take this internally -- topical gel only.

Another alternative is Voltaren gel as a topical pain reliever -- lots of athletes use this...works great (not sure what the active ingredient is).

Good luck with this! Hope it's nothing serious.

Svend

[Primalsea]

Dave said that the muscles have been sore for around 3 weeks, so I would imagine that if brusing was going to come out it would have by now. I wouldn’t recommend a foam roller either as these are quite painful to use. The roller I suggested looks like a knobbly rolling pin. You hold the handles at each end and roll the centre part over the sore muscle. It is much easier to control the pressure with these. With foam rollers you have to rest your sore body part on them and use your bodyweight to create the pressure. They are quite painfull to use if you don’t have an injury but they are great to use after a particulary heavy workout.

[hifi_dave]

Thanks lads for all the advice.

I haven't had a lot of exercise lately so all I can think of is the 'gentle' stretching exercise I do for my Glute every morning, was responsible. I haven't done any heavy lifting except for an amp or two and a few pairs of speakers but nothing exceptional.

I do spend too much time sitting at the laptop as my postings here prove. Yesterday, the pain was very bad and I stood, paced and walked around most of the day, which does help a bit. Same today. I'm sitting now and it hurts. I have moved my fat wallet (cards not cash) into the other rear pocket, because that hurts the area.

I will do some gentle stretching, keep on with the ice and warm and get some Voltarol gel. See how it goes. What does worry me is that Sunday week is our Grandaughter's 1st birthday party, around an hour each way in the car and at the moment, 5 minutes in the car is agony.

[Pigmy Pony]

As you describe the pain as going from your glutes down your leg and to your foot, I'm going to be a contrary bugger and suggest that it may be a sciatic nerve problem. I've had similar for many years, although not as acute as yours sounds. The pain starts right in the hip joint and extends down my right leg. Sometimes a dull ache. turning into a sharper pain, and sometimes with tingling sensation and even feeling like electric shocks.

Mine is aggravated by standing or walking for a while, or if my work involves reaching up and arching my back for a period of time. Relief for me comes from sitting down for a couple of minutes.

I'm sure your doctor and physio will be on the ball with this, it's just that the symptoms sound a bit familiar.

[Svend N]

Steve could be right on this....

Dave - from all the sitting that you do, your anterior thigh muscles may have shortened up > these insert into the pelvis, causing it to tilt forward > this puts your lower back out of alignment (curve inward) > the muscles around the spine then try to compensate and may seize up > this puts undue pressure on the vertebrae, compressing the discs > this pinches the nerves that run into the hip and thigh....and there may lie the source of the pain. Root cause is tight tendons and muscles in the front of the thigh from extended sitting and no stretching.

I can speak from experience on this: a few years back I had repeated piercing pains in the center-front of my right thigh, like someone was stabbing me with an ice pick. Excruciating. My GP couldn't help, so sent me to my chiro, who correctly diagnosed the problem as being exactly as described above. A few treatments from him to loosen the lower back muscles, together with regular stretching to open up the hip flexors and anterior thigh muscles in order to get the spine back into a normal alignment, cured it within a week.

I mentioned it in my previous post, as it being a possible structural issue. This is what I was getting at. Steve quite rightly went further and pointed out the nerve association.

Might be well worth seeing a physio or chiro on this. They would know in an instant if this is the root of it.

Best,
Svend

Edit: Paul, thanks for clarifying. You are quite right that the foam rollers are painful to use and put a lot of pressure on the muscles and bones. A small handheld roller would certainly help get the blood flowing.

[hifi_dave]

The Osteopath puts the Gluteus problem down to stiff vertebrae in my lower back. I have had several back problems and she believes this is the cause. As you say, it is most likely caused by me sitting too much.

I don't do anywhere near as much exercise as I should, especially this time of year when the garden has stopped growing and I have no need to work on it. I have got the details of a local Yoga class, which I had intended on joining but this latest problem has prevented that. Soon as I am able, I will start the Yoga to loosen myself up.

[Pieoftheday]

Didn't think I had any muscles but apparently I have because I have damaged my Gluteus Maximus.

Pain came on just over 3 weeks ago and despite the efforts of my Osteopath, is getting worse. Saw the Doctor on Monday and she couldn't give me any help and said it might take 6 weeks or more to heal. The pain is worse in the morning, when I first get up and then again in the evening. Sitting is painful and extended sitting makes it worse. I am even struggling to go to the loo !!!

Pain is mainly in my hip but extends down my leg to my foot. Sleeping on either side is painful and I am using a cushion between my legs to alleviate, slightly, the pain to help me sleep. I am using an ice pack, followed by a hot water bottle whilst watching TV in the evening but it doesn't help. Because of a Kidney problem, I can't take anything stronger than Paracetamol but this hardly touches it.

Anyone have any tips ?

Massage with aloe Vera lotion 2to 3 times a day,worked great for my buggered calf muscle:)

[struth]

get Vera to massage you:eyebrows:

[Svend N]

The Osteopath puts the Gluteus problem down to stiff vertebrae in my lower back. I have had several back problems and she believes this is the cause. As you say, it is most likely caused by me sitting too much.

I don't do anywhere near as much exercise as I should, especially this time of year when the garden has stopped growing and I have no need to work on it. I have got the details of a local Yoga class, which I had intended on joining but this latest problem has prevented that. Soon as I am able, I will start the Yoga to loosen myself up.

Aha! Sounds like we're on the right track here. Good one Dave!

Funny thing is, when it comes to finding root causes for such problems, it's easy to look at the site of the pain as being where the problem lies and not to look further. But the actual source of the problem may be elsewhere and it's just causing a chain of consequences in the body which shows up as pain far from the origin.

Yoga is fantastic stuff. I do it occasionally, and not as much as I should, but I feel like all my joints have been lubed afterwards. I don't go for the spiritual stuff that often comes along with it, but the stretching is brilliant. There are some terrific stretches that open up the hip flexors and lengthen the anterior thigh muscles. Careful with lower back stretches -- easy does it at first until things limber up, or you might make it worse. Treatment of those muscles by a professional may be needed to unlock things down there before you start trying any stretches.

[hifi_dave]

"Source of the problem may be elsewhere" seems to be what it's all about.

I ruptured an Achilles in 2015. The hospital put me in plaster and then a boot for 10 weeks and told me to be completely non weight bearing. Cut a long story short, I had a Pulmonary Embolism and almost didn't make it, then my left leg has withered away because of non use. Because of this, I don't walk properly now and that has also affected my back. That and not doing enough exercise and sitting for too long is why I am now like this.

So, I am standing all day, using the hot and cold treatment and will attempt Yoga as soon as I am able.

Thank you all.

[Sherwood]

Massage with aloe Vera lotion 2to 3 times a day,worked great for my buggered calf muscle:)

You say Aloe, and I say ......................

[Svend N]

Best of success getting this sorted, Dave. Hope it works out, and soon, so you can get on with a normal life. This kind of thing can really bring one's daily life to standstill (no pun intended).

Cheers,
Svend

[Pigmy Pony]

Bloody hell Dave, you've been through it! Certainly looks like Yoga could be helpful - I may give it a go myself (I'm old enough now to not give a shit what I look like in a leotard).

Hope you're better soon.

[struth]

Jeez. Please, not a leotard[emoji38]

[Pigmy Pony]

Jeez. Please, not a leotard[emoji38]

Safer than wearing a leopard, and you can buy ones with leopard skin print. Maximum leopardness with none of the danger :)

[julesd68]

The Osteopath puts the Gluteus problem down to stiff vertebrae in my lower back. I have had several back problems and she believes this is the cause. As you say, it is most likely caused by me sitting too much.

I don't do anywhere near as much exercise as I should, especially this time of year when the garden has stopped growing and I have no need to work on it. I have got the details of a local Yoga class, which I had intended on joining but this latest problem has prevented that. Soon as I am able, I will start the Yoga to loosen myself up.

Hi Dave, sorry to hear this has got worse but I can certainly empathise - my back gradually got worse after picking up those speakers from you! It's all down to my never ending disc issue in the lower back - my muscles can't actually support my back for long standing up at the moment, so have spent most of the week sitting or lying down. The first physio appointment I could get is tomorrow morning and it can't come soon enough. I expect after that I will be able to start strengthening it again with light exercise.

I thoroughly recommend yoga if you can find a really good instructor - made a huge difference to me when I was doing it and was a big mistake getting out of the habit of going ...

[hifi_dave]

Poor Julian. Because of my pains he bravely lifted and carried the large boxes on his own to the car and is now suffering for it. I feel gulty.

I really wish you better very soon.

[mightymonoped]

I would strongly recommend a Pilates instructor who specialises in rehabilitative work using a Reformer in a Pilates Studio.

Sorted out 10 years worth of crutch damage for me and was by far the best physio option I have ever come across. Isolated the root cause and treated individual muscle groups to restore the balance of the whole system.

Tony


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[julesd68]

Poor Julian. Because of my pains he bravely lifted and carried the large boxes on his own to the car and is now suffering for it. I feel gulty.

I really wish you better very soon.

Not at all Dave - it was entirely my fault for not moving them more sensibly:doh:

[Parcelmonkey]

Hi,
Pain in the lower back region can be attributed to very tight hip flexor muscles. I would check out a gentleman called Ric Kaselj - Exercises For Injuries otherwise known as the pain man. He is well regarded worldwide & has loads of recommended PDF's and videos available with very good information and easy to follow gentle exercises.

I would also invest in a Foam Roller, easily available from Amazon like this:

https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/513XJ2U%2B%2ByL._SL1000_.jpg

You place it on the floor and gently roll over it. Be prepared for a little pain because the area you are rolling will be tight and sore but it really helps. Having been mostly pain free after following this regime and I had destroyed Glute muscles, poor core, prolapsed discs and shattered vertebrae, before embarking on this, so I know how you feel, poor fella!

Good luck... :thumbsup:

[MikeMusic]

We may have the same thing Dave.

Took me a while*. After an MRI they found a Synovial Cyst on my spine.
Like me it is "rare and harmless". Except for the pain and discomfort.
Back surgery not my favourite and it could come back :(
Full SP on the web

* In no order. Ibuprofen, Paracetamol, Yoga and Pilates every day, walk the dogs, ride the bike, deep tissue massage, Chiropractor.
Symptoms move around. Latest is a stabbing pain in the right glute, less often the right knee.. Can happen at any time

[julesd68]

Latest is a stabbing pain in the right glute, less often the right knee.. Can happen at any time

Mike - do you do any targeted work on your glutes or have you been told to leave them alone?
My glutes were really bad when I had my sports massage the other day - something I used to do was massaging the spot with a tennis ball by sitting on ball whilst on the floor and rolling around on it for a bit.
Painful but does the job!

[hifi_dave]

Still in agony, especially during the night and morning. I can't sit now for more than a couple of minutes.

I have now been examined by my GP, Physiotherapist, Chiropractor and Osteopath in an effort to get some relief. Their opinion is that it is the Sciatic (?) nerve being squashed or damaged where it exits the bottom of my spine. This gives me the pain in my butt and also down my leg.

At least I now have some sort of diagnosis but no real relief. All say it could take 6 weeks or more.

[walpurgis]

Hope it improves soon Dave.

[MikeMusic]

Mike - do you do any targeted work on your glutes or have you been told to leave them alone?
My glutes were really bad when I had my sports massage the other day - something I used to do was massaging the spot with a tennis ball by sitting on ball whilst on the floor and rolling around on it for a bit.
Painful but does the job!
The Glute was the starting point and had lots of work there.
As the sharp pain comes and goes and the dull pain can hang around - or not I was puzzled.
Finding the Synovial cyst and hearing what it can do made sense.
The glute and knee pain are only the results of the cyst.
I now work around L5 and have had some improvement but will be taking advantage of my 6 month open appointment when the symptoms have settled more.

[MikeMusic]

Still in agony, especially during the night and morning. I can't sit now for more than a couple of minutes.

I have now been examined by my GP, Physiotherapist, Chiropractor and Osteopath in an effort to get some relief. Their opinion is that it is the Sciatic (?) nerve being squashed or damaged where it exits the bottom of my spine. This gives me the pain in my butt and also down my leg.

At least I now have some sort of diagnosis but no real relief. All say it could take 6 weeks or more.

Push for an MRI Dave.
My pain gradually got worse over a year and glad to say variable, not as bad as yours.
Sounds like you could have much the same just worse than me.

[Sherwood]

I would repeat my advice from earlier. Even though it may only address the symptoms, whilst you are getting a diagnosis, why not try cheap TENS device.

[julesd68]

Still in agony, especially during the night and morning. I can't sit now for more than a couple of minutes.
Really sorry to hear this Dave, sounds very unpleasant ...

I'm now on the mend but having to be incredibly careful with my movement. Still can't walk too far without lower back muscles getting sore.
The massage I had on Monday helped a lot. Next appointment is with the physio on Saturday.

I wonder if a decent sports massage would help you - have you tried one?

[Svend N]

Still in agony, especially during the night and morning. I can't sit now for more than a couple of minutes.

I have now been examined by my GP, Physiotherapist, Chiropractor and Osteopath in an effort to get some relief. Their opinion is that it is the Sciatic (?) nerve being squashed or damaged where it exits the bottom of my spine. This gives me the pain in my butt and also down my leg.

At least I now have some sort of diagnosis but no real relief. All say it could take 6 weeks or more.

Dave, so you've got a consensus diagnosis, but are you actually getting any treatment as yet? Hope they not only address the origin (sciatic nerve) but also the root cause (misaligned pelvis from sitting too much). Let us know how you get on with this, and best of luck to you!

Svend

[hifi_dave]

Well, I've just come back from an X-Ray for my GP but so far she has prescribed Codeine which does nothing at all except make me constipated and that's no fun with this pain.

I have had treatment from a Chiropractor yesterday but that was disappointing. In the past, when I have had treatment from him, he did a thorough job including Acupuncture. This time, I didn't even remove my clothes. I won't be going back there.

I have visited the Osteopath twice and she does a thorough job of massaging my Glute plus lots of work to loosen up my lower back with twisting motions and exercises. She confirms that sitting too long and no real exercise is one of my problems. When/if I get over this I will book in for Yoga.

I will continue with the cold and hot treatment and investigate the Tens machines.

Thank you all.

[Svend N]

Cheers Dave -- all the best with this. Go find another chiropractor! A good one can do wonders, but there are some quacks out there too unfortunately. If you can find one who specializes in athletes that might be a good one for you, as they usually have a very common-sense, no B-S approach. Hope you find some good help ASAP to get you rolling again!

Best wishes,
Svend

[MikeMusic]

Chiro or Osteo used to work wonders for me
Not this time

Ibuprofen used to be magic
Not this time

The pain is not where the problem is, just the result of lump on the spine

[hifi_dave]

That sounds nasty and I wish you well.

I should have the X-Ray results next week but not sure what happens next. Everyone I have seen say it isn't a lifetime thing and should get better with "time". Meantime I can only soldier on, putting up with the pain. Mornings and nighttime are bad - during the day when I am up and walking about is bearable.

[MikeMusic]

Yours sounds far worse than mine Dave.

Hope you have it sorted soon.
Keep on pushing for answers and then keep pushing for more

[Spectral Morn]

I would repeat my advice from earlier. Even though it may only address the symptoms, whilst you are getting a diagnosis, why not try cheap TENS device.

TENS machines, even battery powered ones can be unsafe if you have any heart problems. Best to check the contraindications list that comes with the device to see if you might have any issues that might make using that specific device risky. Of course there is always a case of trying to 'cover our asses' with those, but if you might think there are some check with your Dr before trying one.

Hope your condition improves Dave.

[hifinutt]

Still in agony, especially during the night and morning. I can't sit now for more than a couple of minutes.

I have now been examined by my GP, Physiotherapist, Chiropractor and Osteopath in an effort to get some relief. Their opinion is that it is the Sciatic (?) nerve being squashed or damaged where it exits the bottom of my spine. This gives me the pain in my butt and also down my leg.

At least I now have some sort of diagnosis but no real relief. All say it could take 6 weeks or more.

i am so sorry to hear all this dave , never realised it was causing such a problem . they do versatis lidocaine patches which you can apply over affected area even with kidney problems

us men often get prostate problems and i presume you have been checked out for this

i only mention becuase sudden onset with no cause might possibly have an underlying cause in the prostate gland . i am sure it is not this but worth just asking GP and as mentioned pushing for more investigations asap

https://prostatecanceruk.org/prostate-information/advanced-prostate-cancer/managing-pain-in-advanced-prostate-cancer

A 71-year-old man, former smoker, referred to the department of neurology from the department of vascular surgery with progressive pain in the right thigh. At time of referral, the pain has been present for at least 2 years, but the patient reports aggravation through the last 6 months, with pain (murmurs) in the thigh aggravated after 200–300 m walk, difficulty in maintaining balance and increased fatigue.

Peripheral neuropathies are among the most common neurological diseases and have numerous causes, including diabetes, alcohol, hereditary, toxic, metabolic, infectious, inflammatory, ischaemic and paraneoplastic. Often, however, no definitive cause is identified and the condition is termed idiopathic neuropathy. Here we describe a patient who was initially diagnosed with idiopathic sciatic neuropathy but who was eventually diagnosed with prostate cancer. This is an uncommon manifestation of prostate cancer, and the diagnostic was difficult because prostate-specific antigen (PSA) was normal and the positron emission tomography scan negative. Changes in PSA should always raise the suspicion of prostate cancer, just as idiopathic progressive neuropathy should always raise the suspicion of an underlying malignancy, even when standard diagnostics fail to explain the patient's symptoms.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3028046/

[MikeMusic]

Referred pain always has to be considered seriously. With the body being such a complicated mechanism must always be on the list

My main problems are in the Glute. Currently the odd stabbing pain which can come and go like a light being switched on and off or linger for 10 minutes or so.
One day I could barely walk due to the intense pain in my knee when trying to walk.
My right calf has been painful for a few weeks.
The nerves all the way to the right foot have also been painful - for a week or two or three
All seems to be coming from L7 in my spine.
MRI for me. Would an Xray show this for Dave ?

[struth]

ive done my bad hip a mischief again Dave so with you in spirit:)

[hifi_dave]

Grant - sorry to read that. I wish you well as soon as.

The results of my X-Ray shows degenerative damage L 3 and 5 I believe it is and that is affecting the Sciatic nerve. The pain is almost unbearable late evening and mornings, only easing during the day when I can walk around. Sitting, especially in the car is excruciating, around 9 on the ' 1 - 10 scale'.

The GP can't prescribe any decent pain killers because of my Kidney condition and has just about given up. The Physio at the GP surgery hasn't even bothered to phone following the X-Ray she arranged. I have booked to see a Consultant privately but not till 7th December. I'm hoping he can help because I don't fancy being like this from now on.

[struth]

Grant - sorry to read that. I wish you well as soon as.

The results of my X-Ray shows degenerative damage L 3 and 5 I believe it is and that is affecting the Sciatic nerve. The pain is almost unbearable late evening and mornings, only easing during the day when I can walk around. Sitting, especially in the car is excruciating, around 9 on the ' 1 - 10 scale'.

The GP can't prescribe any decent pain killers because of my Kidney condition and has just about given up. The Physio at the GP surgery hasn't even bothered to phone following the X-Ray she arranged. I have booked to see a Consultant privately but not till 7th December. I'm hoping he can help because I don't fancy being like this from now on.

hope it gets better. yup they are good at just giving up if its any more complex than what they usually do. im a lost cause. lol

you might try accupuncture

[hifi_dave]

Acupuncture was what I was hoping for when I visited the Chiropractor but he no longer does it. I have looked for someone local but the nearest is 40 minutes away and I can't do a journey that long in my current condition.

I am seeing a different GP on Saturday and hoping he/she will find me a safe painkiller.

[struth]

I understand.. I cant travel far with my manual car... if not on motorway and having to clutch then 10 minutes is too much, and getting back, comical. My new motor is auto so hoping to get further afield. Alas i cant get into a passenger seat either as my hip has to go in first, and back seats are usually to tight legroom wise. Its just a bloody nightmare quite frankly....so i get where your at mate

[hifinutt]

Acupuncture was what I was hoping for when I visited the Chiropractor but he no longer does it. I have looked for someone local but the nearest is 40 minutes away and I can't do a journey that long in my current condition.

I am seeing a different GP on Saturday and hoping he/she will find me a safe painkiller.

so sorry this pain is so bad , my mum had similar pain for many many years and swore by algesal cream

https://www.netdoctor.co.uk/medicines/aches-pains/a6166/algesal-diethylamine-salicylate/


i suppose the saffron walden osteopath who does acupuncture is too far ?

http://www.saffronwaldenosteopaths.co.uk/

[Edward]

Acupuncture was what I was hoping for when I visited the Chiropractor but he no longer does it. I have looked for someone local but the nearest is 40 minutes away and I can't do a journey that long in my current condition.

I am seeing a different GP on Saturday and hoping he/she will find me a safe painkiller.Hi Dave

Did you manage to get a Tens machine? Most chemists have them and only about 25 quid. Many people I know including myself find them very effective.

Also do try CBD which you can easily obtain from most health food shops. Again many people find it effective.

Both can also be obtained from online sources such as Amazon.

E

§

[MikeMusic]

Grant - sorry to read that. I wish you well as soon as.

The results of my X-Ray shows degenerative damage L 3 and 5 I believe it is and that is affecting the Sciatic nerve. The pain is almost unbearable late evening and mornings, only easing during the day when I can walk around. Sitting, especially in the car is excruciating, around 9 on the ' 1 - 10 scale'.

The GP can't prescribe any decent pain killers because of my Kidney condition and has just about given up. The Physio at the GP surgery hasn't even bothered to phone following the X-Ray she arranged. I have booked to see a Consultant privately but not till 7th December. I'm hoping he can help because I don't fancy being like this from now on.

Sorry to hear that Dave.
Physios in the NHS are run ragged so don't hold your breath.
My non medical guess is to have an op to fuse vertebrae. Not favourite but may be the best answer

[Wakefield Turntables]

My non medical guess is to have an op to fuse vertebrae. Not favourite but may be the best answer

No. You would first have a more sensitive scan such as a MRI to further assess the need for surgery. An X-ray is simple not "sensitive" enough to plan surgery.

[MikeMusic]

Whatever you do don't be seduced into Morphine except as a short term fix. Including patches.
It does *not* work long term and is addictive. Coming off it is hard work.
Staggers me it is still used longer term.

Agreed on more detail being needed before back surgery. I would be desperate to have any sort of back surgery.

Deep tissue massage may help

[Wakefield Turntables]

Whatever you do don't be seduced into Morphine except as a short term fix. Including patches.
It does *not* work long term and is addictive. Coming off it is hard work.
Staggers me it is still used longer term.

Agreed on more detail being needed before back surgery. I would be desperate to have any sort of back surgery.

Deep tissue massage may help

+1 with morphine addiction, avoid! Surgery should always be viewed as the last tool in the box. Deep tissue massage may help to keep things from going back into spasm but very little use if the there is no cartilage between the vertebrae.

[Pigmy Pony]

Mrs. P has morphine in her arsenal of pain meds, but is very sparing with it, and only occasionally used when things are particularly bad.

A few years ago she overdid it a bit, and the resulting constipation was excruciating for her. I ended up getting some form of turbo-lax from the all night chemist, by which time the toilet was so under-used we got a rebate from United Utilities. Every cloud and all that. :)

[struth]

The wife was on morphia for years. It does constipate among other things and best avoided. Alas it was only thing that helped her and not always then. Many docs were surprised she was conscious.
Still it made her suffering a bit easier. I wouldn't take it. Tramadol is better imo