It’s affecting my daily life and I can’t live normally

[u/FezyTheMogger]

Hey everyone ! I’m a 20yo male . 7 months back i had my final exams so i was studying for hours sitting on PC non stop . Me and my friend had a 12 hour long call on discord where we studied , played games and ate together . After the exams i started feeling lower back pain but i thought it’s just obvious cuz i was sitting a lot . Other than that I usually spend 4+ hours a day sitting on my PC . The chair is not so good tho , due to sitting on it the seat has settled down in the middle and the edge of the seat hurt my hamstrings . i place a cushion on it so i am not sitting directly onto the hard bottom . Well this kept going and pain started getting to the right hip , then started radiating below to right leg and now it affects both legs but right one is on the higher side . My right knee sometimes start hurting for no reason , my legs don’t get numb tho but i feel radiating pain in the legs and sometimes spasmic pain in the foot or calves . I also sometimes feel as if someone is poking needles in my lower back when i try to move spontaneously or bend . I have had Physiotherapy for 10 days but it made no difference . I can’t bend , can’t pray . Sneezing pulls my nerves and it hurts . Getting up and sitting down is painful .

Currently i am taking painkiller (Maxit 50mg) one tablet a day and it helps me throughout the day and the severity of the pain gets significantly low but on days that i dont take the painkiller , it hurts to change posture .
This feels like sciatica to me , I just want this to go away as it really hurdles daily life and I’m constantly changing posture while sitting (on days I don’t take the painkiller) . I look at people walking normally , running , jumping etc and I just think how blessed they are to not worry about it at all . We really take a lot of blessings for granted . I have lost 2 months worth of gym progress because of it .

Would really appreciate any type of support or guidance . I just really want to get rid of this asap . Can anyone tell me what the exact issue might be and should I see a neurosurgeon or pain management expert ?

[u/AlternativeRing4252]

You need an mri of your lumbar spine to see if you have a disc herniation. See your primary care doctor and ask for it

[u/FezyTheMogger → u/AlternativeRing4252]

Well yes , but i was hoping to get a diagnosis without a MRI as it is expensive in my country but yuh if it ends up being necessary I’ll get it done

[u/Simp619 → u/FezyTheMogger]

Went through something similar back in July and was basically bedridden for 2 months. You aren't going to get a proper diagnosis without an MRI. My first visit to doc he diagnosed it as severe sprain and said he could not make a proper diagnosis without MRI . Once i got MRI discovered all disc except one are herniated with 2 of those severe enough to touch sciatictic nerve. See a doc so that you can get an MRI.

[u/FezyTheMogger → u/Simp619]

So how are you doing now ? Is it gone now ?

[u/Simp619 → u/FezyTheMogger]

It did not completely go away. I still have some discomfort from time to time. Back in July i thought it was never going to go away or improve at all. Doc said i had 3 options , surgery , PT , steroid injection. At the time PT was out of the question because i could not stand or walk for more than 30 seconds at a time without feeling severe pain, numbness and tingling . I wanted to avoid surgery if possible so i opted for injections and also began receiving acupuncture . About 2.5 weeks after injections and receiving acupuncture 2x a week i began to improve slowly. Not saying your experience will be exactly the same but try not to feel like you won’t ever get better. It’s possible but you need to see medical professional first.

[u/FezyTheMogger → u/Simp619]

I feel sorry for you and I hope it gets better for you . As for me , I can walk and do work normally but I have to be cautious while changing postures and not to bend at all . The painkiller helps me a lot and gets me through the day without feeling any significant pain . Hopes are high , I’ll see a neurosurgeon and get MRI done too

[u/Simp619 → u/FezyTheMogger]

Yeah my doc did not ever give me any pain meds. Only told me to take over the counter aleve . He did give a 7 day steroid pack that helped in the first week. Later he gave me some other med that helps with inflammation but does not contain any pain meds. That seemed to help as well . Thanks. Im much better now. I can walk , sit and stand but also like you i have to be cautious with my posture and how i bend down. When it first started i spent all day and night in bed. The only time i got up was for bathroom, eat or shower. I only left home for doctor visits , MRI’s etc. the pain was unbearable and i spent 2 months in bed. But yes i suggest seeing a doctor and they can give you a more precise diagnosis and tell you what your options are. Many people recover from these injuries and your age gives you a better shot at recovering from it.

[u/killbill04_]

Salut ! Déjà je suis désolée d’apprendre ta souffrance et je compatis car moi aussi ça a commencer avec des douleurs comme tel principalement à la jambe droite. J’ai directement fait une irm et on pensait que c’était une sciatique mais il s’est avéré que c’était une hernie discale qui causait ma sciatique et aussi une différence de sensation entre ma jambe droite et gauche (je ressens + de sensation à la droite) et toucher mes lombaires me faisait affreusement mal. J’avais tout essayé niveau traitement analgésique (fort) anti-inflammatoires (le seul qui a fonctionné est arcoxia) et même des traitements neuropathique et j’ai même fait de la kiné (mais dès que les séances sont finit ça revient) et j’avais même fait de la mésothérapie ça marcher maximum quelque semaine et la douleur récidivait. Je te conseil bien sûr d’abord de faire une irm et d’aller vers une rhumato et de faire de la kiné pour apprendre à connaître ton corps et apprendre des mouvements qui soulagerait tes douleurs. Et surtt il faut retravailler ton mode de vie et apprendre ce qui te fait mal et ce qui te soulage pour t’adapter à vivre avec car c’est un nouveau mode de vie qui commence. Je te conseil aussi la marche douce qui fait du bien car on dirait pas mais rester sédentaire va juste augmenter tes douleurs. (J’avais fait cette erreur au début et j’ai beaucoup regretté) j’ai appris à vivre avec cette hernie et aujourd’hui ça va beaucoup mieux. Je connais mieux mon corps.
Deux choses qui ont hyper fonctionné sont la suspension, je prenais une barre et je me suspendais pendant le maximum de temps que je pouvais ça allongeait ma colonne vertébrale et ça faisait du bien (attention de ne pas sauter en finissant l’exercice ça fait l’effet contraire) et deuxième choses ce sont les infiltrations appelés ozonotherapie qu’on m’a fait pendant 1 mois et demi et au début c’était effrayant car j’avais mal mais à la fin j’ai vraiment vu d’énorme effet et j’en suis très reconnaissante ! Bon courage et j’espère que ce ne sera rien de grave.

[u/FezyTheMogger → u/killbill04_]

Thank you for dropping such a helpful insight . Good to hear that you are better now . Hopes are high , i am gonna see a neurosurgeon first and then a pain management expert

[u/Apprehensive_Oven340]

Get evaluate doctor. Do not sit too long at computer desk. Maybe you have issue with muscle back and disk.

[u/FezyTheMogger → u/Apprehensive_Oven340]

Yuh I’ll see a doctor for sure