Sciatica Support Group

Hi courtneyjk,

I am so sorry you are experiencing so much pain! But I am sooo happy you have found this site as the symptoms that you are describing sound very similar to what I am experiencing. For me it is more so in the left leg as well, though I also experience it in the right leg, though to a lesser extent.

That is the exact progression I had! I was a very active dancer and tennis player. I started off getting this weird antzy feeling to move all the time. It was almost painful if I didn't move. Did you get at that all? However, at first, exercise relieved this for a while. Then, after time, while still trying to figure out what was wrong with doctors, I got to the point where exercise didn't help anymore. I experienced a huge drop in the amount of exercise I could do and had to give up a lot of things.

It turns out, I have a pinched sciatic nerve which is causing all those symptoms you describe--the tingling and the burning feelings, radiating sharp pains that move to the feet, sharp pains in the hip buttock, and thighs. I am waiting to get an MRI to see if my doctors can discern what may be causing the entrapment --it could be my nerve is trapped in my hamstring muscles somehow, or the hamstrings are pressing on the nerve as they are tight.

Another possibility may be a pinched nerve root in the lumbar spine which does not always show signs in the low back, but can cause sciatica in the legs, making you think it couldn't be an issue with the back! Others experiencing such pain may also have slipped or herniated discs in their spines which can pinch the nerve.

I would definitely book an appointment with your doctor, and, if you can, get into see a sports medicine doctor. I didn't know what was wrong with me for years, but am finally getting some answers with the right doctors.

I sympathize with you as having all these weird sensations can definitely be really scary and painful! Hang in there, you are taking the right steps to finding out what is wrong with you.

I also forgot to mention, something known as piriformis syndrome can also cause symptoms such as this. It occurs when a muscle deep in the buttocks spasms and puts pressure on the nerve. A sports medicine doctor should be able to do some testing which can help rule things out and move towards a diagnosis.