It sounds like this doctor has a pretty good idea what is going on. I get sciatica when I stand for too long. Because I have other issues my doctor just tells me not to stand so long....

Are you going to different PT this time? I'd be curious to get another opinion and I find the PTs are much more knowledgeable about the interrelations of muscle, tendon and bone.

hugs and welcome sorry your having this happen...pain is no fun and I hope they can help you....

Hello PinkAnything!

I had similar symptoms to you. It felt like my leg muscles were wrapped tightly in saran wrap and were going to burst and I experienced burning pain at the junction where the buttock meets the thigh.

I am wondering if you, like me, may have something known as Myofasical Pain Syndrome (or MPS). Have you heard of this before? This occurs when the fascia, or the connective tissue around the muscle gets tight and knotted. The knots can press on the nerves and cause the burning feeling you describe.

This is what I had, but I was able to recover with massage treatment by a trigger point therapist and self-massage.

Hope this helps!

Bio :)

Hi Pink, Welcome! I've had nine major back surgeries. I'm pretty much fused from tail bone to T5. In my humble opinion sciatic pain is the worst. There have been times when I actually had to crawl to the bathroom I really get your pain. One thing that helps a little when sitting in a chair contract your very lower abdominal/pelvic muscles and tuck them in and push stomach out a little this helps to release some of the pressure off of the nerves. Also try laying on several ice packs & if ice does not work try a heating pad. Have you tried a Chiropractor? If not try and find one that uses an Activator. It looks like a large metal syringe only the bottom is smooth & about the size of a penny/quarter depending on what size is used. It does not hurt in feels like someone tapping you hard on the leg. Mine saved me more than once while I was in between surgeries. I prefer the Avtivator method over manual as over time manual manipulation can break down your bones. I've seen too many people come away in so much more pain with manual yet I know there are others that love it. If you google Activator. Com it will bring up a screen that you can type your city & state to find one close to you. I'm also a big fan of Accupuncture along with the Activator treatment. I started out using needles but switched to electric Accupuncture. I found that for me it was more effective. It feels like someone giving you a slight pinch. I hope this helps some feel free to PM if you have any questions about any of it. I would also look for another orthopedic specialist for a second, third or fourth opinion. I know it can be a daunting task to do all of this, but in the long run it beats being in pain all the time. Sending lots of positive energy & prayers your way. Please keep us updated on how your doing.

Hugs & God Bless
Lisa :)

Can you explain what "the pain started after completing insanity" means?

lol, Kat, I was wondering the same thing.

Oh no! Sciatica is the worst. I've had it in both legs (moderate in my left leg and severe in my right) for a few years now. I still haven't gotten the hang of managing it (and my doctors are no help at all-- they're still convinced my pain is all in my head), but here are a few things I do that take the edge off a bit:

*Sit on soft, cushy surfaces-- hard chairs have a habit of pinching nerves
*Try and break up the sitting by getting up and walking a bit when you can (even if it's just a slow stroll around the room)
*Sit on a "Bed of Nails" accupressure mat to break up some of the pain

None of those get rid of the pain, but they at least keep it in check a bit.

Best of luck with your treatments! Sciatica is no fun, so hopefully your Ortho and PT can take care of it quickly.

Kat and Jeremy,

Insanity is an exercise video that is quite hard to do, I believe. I work out every day when I'm not having surgery doing pilates or elliptical, something where I'm not banging my joints but stretching and I've been working out 12 yrs and on my best day, I never could have done insanity video. I would go easy with workouts from here on out. It's easy to pull muscles or worse screw up discs like my back is. I did it from a fall. Exercising is good, but depends on health to begin with.

Pink, I hope you can get some relief and didn't do more damage.

Hugs,

Mary Ellen

I did Insanity and P90X before my knees got really bad...great bad super hard programs!

Anyhow, had sciatica many times...in pregnancy and after ruck matches with the army. The only thing that helped was sitting on peas every day all day (pretty much) for about a week along with a round of steroids.

The pain is awful...hope it gets better soon!

~Michelle

My oldest son (22) is a Fireman and does P90 and free weights as does my youngest (15) who is a high school football player. If Insanity is anywhere close to that window it seems like it'd be a bit much for someone with Sciatic pain.

I do minor Pilates 3 times a week but only on upper body and only when the shoulder joints allow it.

Exercise is very important for a CP'er to keep joints and such mobile, but only as your body allows it.

Kat

Man, you guys are talking about exercising lol. I just had another milestone this past week myself. I got down on the floor withoug using a chair and I was able to get back up again on my own. I haven't been able to do that in two and half years. I still can't jump, like jump to jump rope or whatever because my right leg is weaker than the left leg, but it feels good to see some subtle improvements. I could never even attempt to do an insanity workout in my current condition, but I am considering testing my leg out this week. I want someone to follow me in a car and I want to walk as far as I can go before my leg is burring and ready to collapse. I will use this as a baseline to measure future progress.

Jeremy,

Not everyone can exercise. I couldn't do it for a long time either. I can't walk a half a block because I'd be on my knees in pain in the back and hips. But on the elliptical, my feet are stationary and there's no impact on my joints. It actually loosens up my hips because they get so tight, and eases the pain a little.

What ever you can do, if it's getting out for a walk even if it's 10 minutes, that's great, if you can't, that's fine too. My pain is worse sitting and when I lie down, that I can't lay flat. It's something that eases my pain, but it's not for everyone.

Hope you have a low pain day today.

Hugs and love,

Xoxoxo

Mary Ellen

I just read your post and now I'm really scared. I have enough issues, but about 7-weeks ago I started to get this pain the same place, My left upper thigh buttock area and I work out 4-5 days a week, so I'm gaining weight too. The pain wasn't so bad at first, but it got worse with each passing week. I went to the doctor and she gave me some type of inflammatory med, which did nothing. Then, she gave me another one, which did nothing, and now today after my 3rd request of "I'm in Pain", she called me in some type of convulsive type med and the pain is still here-it did nothing. This has never happened before so, it seems like it must be a sciatic nerve, but why hasn't yours gone away in so long. I was hoping it would eventually go away if I took it easy, etc. but its there every day I have to deal with this pain. Any advice would be great. Do you know the statistics of if it will end or not, regardless of it if will reappear-I will deal with that if it happens but I need it to end and get back to my workouts. I'm a post kidney transplant and on a lot of weight gaining drugs so exercise is vital to me. Thanks for listening! Dyan

This post is from 2014, I doubt the OP is still around.

That is the exact pain area I have. It hurts constantly. Nothing showed up on the Ultra sound. I'm begging my doctor to give me something for pain because the three medications she prescribed did nothing for the pain. It hurts more when I stand in one place than when I'm walking. It has been 7 weeks and I haven't been able to work out on my treadmill-now gaining weight too! If you find any kind of cure or relief, please let me know. I do plan on seeing a chiropactor after getting so many responses to do that, so that is my next step. God, I hope it helps. Hope you feel better too.
Diane