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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starstarstarstarstar 		Answers to lower back and leg pain
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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