Sciatic Nerve

[suec4558]

Has anyone ever heard of a way to block the pain from the Sciatic Nerve down to the foot?  Someone was telling me at a recent Pain Management clinic that Doctors can block the nerve up high to aid in pain relief.  I have never heard of this but was wondering if someone out there has come across it.

[HawktheSlayer]

Hi I also have nerve pain going down both legs. I have had 3 failed back surgeries and in the end there where only 2 options for me Fusion or a Spinal Cord Stimulator. I picked the SCS because they would have had to Fuse the bottom 4 vert. I did not want to loose that the ability to bend. I have had a great amout of pain releife from the SCS about 50-60% which is awsome for me.

Now in order to get the SCS you have to have the trial where they put in a wire and the unit is external. You cant take a bath or shower durning that time but you can do a GI type shower. After the trial if it goes good you need to get a psy eval done. If that all goes good then you can have the full implant. I have the unit and have not really had any problems with it but there are some ppl that have had complications with the surgery or with the unit. Its a give and take with the unit. I can live with the unit being installed and with the signals it sends to my brain. It does not in any way get rid or the pain it just tries to over load your brain with a tingle in the leg or legs so that the pain message gets lost sometimes. It helps me and it might be able to help you. Let me know if you need any other information. my email is ***@**** I hope you can find something to help you.

[Tuckamore]

Hi Again Sue,

I know how you feel. My SI Joint causes the majority of my sciatic pain. I think the same, if I could get rid of the sciatic pain I could better cope with the rest of it. I am sorry you are hurting so much. We know what pain is at MH, not fun!

We have not mentioned a medication such as gabapentin. It is a drug that eases nerve pain for many ppl. If you haven't tried it I would suggest that you ask your physician for a prescription. It takes a while to find the dose that works best for you and the drug must build up in your system before it is effective. It didn't help me but that doesn't mean it won't help your pain.

Good luck and please let us know how you are doing. And as always, Take Care, Tuck

[suec4558]

Thank you all for your answers to my question. I have had the Sciatic pain since 1994.  I had a fusion at L4 L5 S1 in 1996 and have had chronic back/leg pain ever since. I some times feel if I could get rid of the sciatic pain out of my leg & foot I could cope more with the rest of the pain.  But the more I look into it the more deadening the nerve doesn't sound like a good idea. I have tried many various medications and like a few other people have found them to have minor relief. I had a Tens machine for a while but found I couldn't get the electrodes and adhesive patches so it has been sitting in my cupboard for a couple of years going to waste. I have had 3 cortisone injections a few years ago into the spine but didn't get much relief from those. Once again thank you all for your advice,  Regards Sue

[Tuckamore]

Hello Suec,

Apparently you suffer from sciatic nerve pain. I do also. It is a horrible pain. I can relate and I am sorry that you are experiencing pain issues with your sciatic nerve. Ouch!

Some years ago it was thought my pain was from my femoral nerve. Through a PM Clinic I was offered something similar to Radio Frequency Ablation but this procedure would basically have "killed" the nerve. I declined the procedure and I am so glad I did. Their diagnosis was wrong and I would have a "dead leg" and still have pain. I believe they still permanently destroy nerves but I would not elect to have it done for several reasons. Once you no longer have feeling or even proper sensation in a limb you are more prone to an injury because you can no longer feel it. So if an injury occurred to the the limb how long would it take you to notice it?  If your prone to diabetes or any disease that interferes with peripheral circulation you could be in serious trouble. You could develop an serious infection or worse gangrene.

There are a multitude of reasons for sciatic nerve pain. Usually it is a "side effect" of another condition. In my case the SI Joint causes the pain. There are also steroid injections called nerve blocks  but I am not certain how often these procedures are preformed. The literature reports varying degrees of effectiveness as with any procedure.

The sciatic nerve can also become entrapped or compressed.  It can be compressed at many sites. The nerve leaves the pelvis through the sciatic notch where it lies under the Piriformis muscle. This is the most frequent site of sciatic nerve entrapment and is called piriformis syndrome. Sciatic nerve entrapment can lead to buttock pain and pain that radiates down the back of the leg to the foot.

Following a nerve block as with any procedure there are risks, side effects and possibility of complications. Some leg numbness and weakness is possible. Risks also include infection and bleeding. Generally you will experience increased pain for 2-3 days following the nerve block.

If you are interested in these or similar procedure obviously I would recommend you discuss this with your PCP.  He/she can refer you to a physician that specializes in that area.  

Best of luck to you. Please let us know how you are doing. I'll be looking forward to your updates. And as always, Take Care, Tuck  

[sandee1818]

I was too ging to have the procedure done and decided against it because of the risk. This is why I advised that a Dr explain all the risk involved with getting this done.
I would not recommend it but everyone has different opinions on what risk they find accptable to get rid of pain or lessen pain.
As always I will tell you this is only advice and knowledge from experience and should never be taken without your Dr's approval.

[Mollyrae]

Hello. I have heard that killing the nerve can destroy the feeling in the leg. I think Tuckamore has some really good advise on the subject as she was a candidate for the proceedure. Good luck with everything,
Mollyrae

[kitty51]

My doc has tried me on different meds to dull the nerve pain,so far it dulled the pain slightly but that was all.So each time i had to take it for 1 month to give it a chance to kick in,but to no avail.So I stopped taking all of it and when the pain really peaks I take 2 and mg of endone and that makes me feel sick but kills the pain.
I also have a tens machine and does something to the nerves to tame them down,maybe thats something you can talk to your doc about,at least that brings relief and you can use it anytime.

[sandee1818]

I do know you can get nerve blocks and this will help withj the pain if done correctly.
There is also a procedure in which the nerves are destroyed, burned. This is very risky as you could injure yourself futher but if the pain is that great you can talk to your Dr about it and asess the risk and see if t is right for you.

[jollyman069]

hi and i suffer with the sciatic nerve problem and i get a series of 3 back injections every 6 months.. it doesnt totally take, the pain away but it does help it alot.. i go to apain manegement dr. i am also on regulr pain meds that i need to trake evry day or wouldnbt have much of a life, but the shots do help with the leg pain...hope this has helped you some