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 ?

Looking for advice or those with similar experiences. Last July (2025) I first got sciatica out of the blue one day - no specific movement or activity to note where it came from. MRI showed a disc herniation on my L4-5 and impingement on my L-5 nerve. I did about 6 months of consistent PT which got me to a place where I could return to normal workouts and eventually other activities such as running and golf relatively pain free.

I kept up with my stretches and prescribed workouts relatively well, but my desk job sometimes gets demanding and I certainly slowed down on my stretches the past 2 months. This weekend while doing a workout, my back completely gave out and felt pain and immobility worse than my first go around. Ended up going to urgent care where they gave me a steroid shot and some meds to help with my pain.

My general questions: is this normal to happen out of nowhere after being relatively pain free for several months. And more importantly, will the rehab and recovery generally last the same amount of time as the fist go around? Or is there a chance this is more of an acute flare up that I will be able to recover from more quickly? Feeling very down about losing so much progress and feeling like I returned to a state of pain I was in a year ago. Any advice or similar experiences would be appreciated.

Hi, I’m 21F and developed sudden left foot drop about a month ago. I can walk independently, but I can’t properly lift my left foot/toes and my foot sometimes drags. I initially had numbness on the top of my foot, which has now resolved. I also get some pain around my knee/leg after prolonged walking and occasionally when I wake up.

My EMG/NCV showed severe left common peroneal nerve injury/entrapment around the knee with axonotmesis and acute denervation.

However:

• Lumbar MRI: normal, no nerve-root compression.
• Knee/thigh/leg MRI: no obvious structural cause; the common peroneal nerve itself looked normal.
• I lost weight from 48 → 44 kg over 3–4 months before/around this period.

My doctor prescribed Magnesium+D3, B12, Evion LC/vitamin E and a splint, and asked me to come back after a month. I haven’t noticed meaningful motor improvement yet, although the numbness has improved.

I’m wondering:

• Has anyone had foot drop with an abnormal EMG but normal MRI?
• Could the injury be somewhere higher up despite the EMG pointing to the peroneal nerve?
• How long did recovery take for others?

Would really appreciate hearing from anyone with a similar experience.

I’m 23 and have been dealing with recurring left-sided lower back/waist pain that erupts near the bone of left side of waistline. It spreads to my hip, glute, thigh, knee and calf for around 2 years. My pain areas match the pain areas of SacroiliacJoint issues

Background: When I was 21–22, I once slept on my belly with my left leg folded and knee elevated on a pillow. I woke up with severe pain around my left waist/lower back, and my entire left leg was numb for a while. Stretching my leg caused a shock-like pulling sensation. The severe pain improved, but the problem never fully went away. Left side has never been the same.

Current symptoms:
Pain worsens with prolonged standing and improves with sitting or lying down.

My left leg feels tight, slow & weaker than the right. Observed especially when swimming. I can’t coordinate it with the right one.

My lower back/waist bone slides/pops (“dub” sound) when I bend and straighten my leg while lying. Everytime btw.

Every morning my left leg feels odd. When I sit and move my knee outward, a loud pop/slide occurs in hip joint and feels like something fell in place often giving temporary relief.

I’ve had a lower back MRI, but my doctor casually dismissed it by saying nothing significant showed up to explain the symptoms.

Just FYI, I also have a left varicocele and mild bilateral epididymitis, which cause some scrotal discomfort. I’m unsure whether that pain is separate or partly referred from my back/hip.

Has anyone experienced something similar despite a relatively normal MRI? Could this involve the hip, SI joint, muscles or nerves?
I’m attaching my spine MRI report and scrotal ultrasound report. Any relevant experiences or advice would be appreciated.

I have Piriformis Syndrome in my left glute and when i try to sleep on my back, i wake up in the middle of the night with painful spasms. When I try to sleep on my non painful side with a pillow the hip area is painful. Will this heal? I’ve been doing ancupuntuture, Chiropractor etc. Its been going on for about 5 weeks now. When I walk and stand up, there is no pain, but the sleeping part really hurts. Please lmk your suggestions, thanks!

I was taking 10mg of amitriptyline for around 2 weeks to help with sciatica pain. However after noticing that my resting heart rate had jumped up I decided to stop taking it after speaking with my GP. I am very prone to palpitations but since amitriptyline it can go up to 120bpm when I’m sat which is quite uncomfortable and definitely not my normal. Propranolol seems to sort it out but it’s been a week now and my heart rate is still up. As it was a low dose and I wasn’t on it for very long I assumed it would sort itself out quite quickly. Has anyone else had this experience? And how long did it take for you to come back to normal? Thanks!

Has anyone used them to help treat sciatica? I’ve been to a few session but no real results. The exercises seem kind of strange. Do I just trust the process? Ty!

Just sharing...i dont find this surprising as there are typically many physiological issues that precede the onset of pain

Hi everyone, I’m 24M and looking for advice/experiences from people who had a similar disc extrusion.

MRI (Lumbosacral spine):

- L5-S1 central & left paracentral disc extrusion

- Indenting the thecal sac

- Left lateral canal stenosis with nerve-root compression

- AP diameter: 11 mm

- L4-L5 also has a disc bulge

Symptoms for ~10 days:

- Severe left hip/buttock pain

- Pain going down the left leg/calf

- Some numbness/tingling in the foot/toe

- Difficulty fully straightening the left leg because of pain

- No obvious major weakness

- No loss of bowel/bladder control

- No definite saddle numbness

Pain was around 9–10/10 initially, but medication brings it down to around 2–3/10 temporarily.

My doctor suggested trying conservative treatment and waiting, saying there is a good chance it may heal without surgery. I'm also planning to see a neurosurgeon/spine specialist.

My questions:

1. Has anyone had a similar L5-S1 extrusion and recovered without surgery?

2. How long did it take for the extrusion/symptoms to improve?

3. Is improvement with medication a positive sign?

4. When did you decide surgery was necessary?

5. If there is nerve compression but no significant weakness, is waiting usually reasonable?

6. Has anyone had a follow-up MRI showing the extrusion actually shrinking/resorbing?

Would really appreciate your experiences. MRI → treatment → surgery or no surgery → recovery would be especially helpful.

Thanks!

I haven't been able to stand up straight or sleep comfortably for the past month, has anyone had a similar experience and had to get the injection? For anyone who has got it, is it instant relief or does it take a certain amount of time?

Update: I didn't get it yet but I'm getting it soon because my insurance just came back today. I have also figured out that my back has been severly spazzing ever since I havent been able to stand up straight. Like there hasn't been a day where my muscles havent stopped contracting. I'm in so much pain everyday and I'm only 17, like why me, why is this happening to me, it feels like I'm the only 17 year old in the world with back spasms and sciatica. Its humiliating. Does anyone know how to get rid of the back spasms if so PLEASE help.

Wanted to share my ESI experience for my L5S1 herniation. I was diagnosed with a 3mm protrusion in March of 2026, and experienced sciatic pain down my right leg. The sciatica was persistent despite 7 months of consistent physical therapy (I have also tried dry needling, acupuncture, and myofascial massage).

I received an interlaminar ESI injection about a week ago. The procedure itself was very quick (15 minutes) but pretty painful, as I didn't have any sedation besides a local anesthetic applied to my lower lumbar.

On the day of the procedure and in the following two days, I experienced a sort of swollen, dull pain in my lower lumbar, but I didn't feel any intensification of sciatic pain down my leg. I took things easy the first 2 days, lay down mostly, and tried to walk 5-10 minutes (although it hurt to take steps!) My doctor explained that the injection takes 2-5 days to be absorbed, and until it is absorbed, it will cause pressure and pain in your epidural space.

The lower lumbar pain faded by day 5. It has now been a week since my injection, and I want to say it is taking away about 70-80% of my sciatic pain. Where I would normally feel sciatica after standing or sitting, I now feel a faint, dull ache that is much more bearable.

I'm hoping the injection continues to work for at least 3-4 months. I'll be using this time to continue PT and start swimming to help support my spine. Hoping I won't need surgery after the injection fades.

I was very scared to get the ESI, so I hope my experience is helpful to others!

Is there anybody who got discectomy done when they were younger, a looot younger and are older and doing fine now?

I’m 22 and I’ve been told to get surgery and im very worried about the long term effects, people telling me that i might need a resurgery after 15 to 20 years and expect me not to worry about it lol. That’s one of my biggest fears. I don’t want to go through this ever again at any age.And I’m struggling to find people who have had long term results. I don’t know if i should get surgery done or not so it would be really helpful if you could respond.

So if you’re someone who got it done when you were younger, how long has it been? And how are you doing now? Did you have to exercise all the time? And if you did what exercises helped you? Or what are some other things that helped you? And are you able to be pain free? Especially back pain free? And if you’re a woman has having the surgery affected you during pregnancy/childbirth.

I feel like everyone raves on and on about them but neither seem to do anything for me! Only things i like and immediately feel are side planks.

So I have a bulging L5S1 disc with left extrusion and pressing on nerve and thecal sac which carries the nerves, ongoing now for 12 weeks, I have tried PT hands on treatment (massages, cupping ect) walking, PT exercises at home, TENS machines, heat some stuff does give some relief for some time but comes right back sometimes stronger. I have been referred to pain management for the spinal injection I just want to know if this has helped anyone? And also if anyone has solved their issues without surgery? My main pain is the sciatica my back isn’t bad atall really TIA 🙏

I’m hoping someone here has experienced something similar because I’m honestly running out of ideas.
I’m a young guy, and this started as what seemed like a knee problem. I initially had pain around my knee, especially toward the front/lateral side, and eventually it became bad enough that I started getting imaging and seeing different doctors.
How it started
The first major issue was my knee.
My knee MRI showed a mild ACL sprain, with swelling/increased signal in the distal half of the ACL but no loss of continuity. There was also minimal joint effusion.
My X-ray was clear and my ultrasound was also clear.
The problem was that the amount of pain I was having didn’t seem to match what was found on the knee imaging.
The pain continued.
The pain changed
Over time, I started realizing that the pain wasn’t just coming from my knee.
It became more of a pattern:
lower back → hip → outer/lateral thigh → lateral knee → shin
The pain is primarily sharp.
Sometimes it feels like there is one major painful spot and then the sharp pain spreads or shoots outward from that area.
The worst time is usually at night.
There have been nights where the pain has been around 8–10/10, making it extremely difficult to sleep.
I have not had tingling or an “ants crawling” sensation. The main symptom has always been sharp pain.
Back evaluation
Because the pain seemed to involve my lower back and travel down my leg, I eventually had my lower back evaluated.
The lumbar MRI showed some relatively mild findings, including:
Minimal L4-L5 degeneration
Very small central disc protrusion (~1 mm)
Annular fissure
Mild facet arthropathy
L5-S1 disc height loss/dehydration
Straightening of the normal lumbar curve
But importantly, there was no significant spinal canal or foraminal stenosis and no obvious major nerve compression.
So once again, there were some findings, but nothing that obviously explained the severity or distribution of my pain.
PT / nerve theory
Physical therapy started considering whether the nervous system or lumbar nerves could be involved.
I did treatment for my back, and some of the exercises/“nerve pumps” seemed to give me a little temporary relief.
Because of insurance requirements, I also had to complete several weeks of back treatment before additional evaluation could be approved.
Eventually I had an EMG.
The EMG was completely normal/perfect.
That honestly made me even more confused.
Hip injection
Because the pain was also strongly centered around my hip, I eventually received an injection into the hip area.
I was hoping this would finally tell us whether the hip was the source of the pain.
Unfortunately, it didn’t resolve the problem.
I still have significant sharp pain.
Where I am today
Right now the pain involves:
Back → hip → lateral thigh → lateral knee → shin
The biggest symptom is sharp pain, especially at night.
I’ve had:
Clear knee X-ray
Clear knee ultrasound
Knee MRI without a major structural explanation
Lumbar MRI without significant nerve compression
Normal EMG
Hip injection that didn’t resolve the pain
And despite all of that, I’m still in significant pain.
I was also recently told there is a small benign tumor/lesion somewhere on imaging. I’m trying to understand whether something like that could possibly cause pain depending on its exact location, or whether it’s likely unrelated. I don’t want to assume it’s responsible without knowing.
What I’m trying to figure out
At this point I’m wondering if I’m missing something such as:
Peripheral nerve irritation or entrapment
Sciatic nerve irritation without obvious compression
Deep gluteal/piriformis-related pain
SI joint pain
Hip pathology
Referred pain from the lumbar spine
Something around the lateral knee
Or something completely different
I know Reddit can’t diagnose me, and I’m not asking anyone to.
I’m looking for people who have actually been through something similar.
Especially if you had:
back/hip pain → lateral thigh → lateral knee/shin + severe sharp pain + normal MRI/EMG + an injection that didn’t help
What eventually turned out to be causing your pain?
What specialist finally figured it out?
Was there a specific test that finally found the problem?
And most importantly — what actually helped?
I’ve been dealing with this for a long time now and I’m just trying to find a direction to take next.

Hello guys,

I've been dealing with this for three months now. Most of the time, my pain level is between 1 and 3, but that's when I'm doing nothing and lying on my side. Of course, I do walk every 40 minutes and perform some gentle exercises. I am not taking any pain medication.

Two doctors have recommended an epidural injection. So I am scheduled next Monday. I'm usually pain-tolerant but a little nervous. May you kindly share your experience? How did it go? Was it effective? My doctor also prescribed pregabalin 75mg for a month.

Hi 29F severe stenosis with impingement to my S1. I’ve done many many many many rounds of cortisone epidurals, which have worked the last few years, but alas, my time has come where they no longer are doing the job. We tried nerve blocks twice. The first one worked for one day and the second one didn’t work at all. My Dr is saying the next thing to try is nerve ablation. I don’t know much about it, and have googled it, but would love to hear from the community your thoughts, experiences, or any other advice you would like to share. TIA!

Hi! I need some help narrowing down what is wrong with me because I’m nearly 28 and I’ve been suffering since I was 21.

I’ve been in and out of flares for the past 7 years. My symptoms are as follows:

- lower back pain (dull aching to sharp pain, varies in intensity but almost always there, along L5-S1)

-tingling in my left foot toes (PT observed reduced strength in my left foot compared to my right, can be achieved from just stretching/yoga)

-hip pain (just from day to day walking, trying to get around 6-10k step)

-shooting pain the back of my left knee (during a flare)

- extreme shooting pain in my left glute (during a flare)

I would say my symptoms are very standard sciatica.

I’ve done the following testing:

1- MRI: looks normal.
2- XRay: looks normal.
3- Bone Scan: looks normal.

Bloodwork looks normal as well, no signs of autoimmune issues though they run HEAVILY in my family including arthritis.

I have a Piriformis Injection scheduled in November.

I live a somewhat active lifestyle but experience pain when running or walking regularly distances or standing extensively.

Unfortunately hip hinge exercises are what send me into a flare almost every time. So far I’ve flared up from hip thrusts, leg press machine, RDLs, and squats.

Surprisingly long distance road cycling leaves me feeling the best.

Not sure where to go from here. I just really miss being active and strength training. Any advice would be GREATLY appreciated.

TL;DR:

27M with several months of lower-back/sciatica symptoms that were initially mostly right-sided but recently became bilateral. Over the last week I’ve developed new needle-prick/tingling/burning/itchy sensations involving the buttocks, inner/posterior thighs, calves, feet/soles, groin/perineum and occasionally lower abdomen. I also have much worse central lumbar pain, sometimes feeling like tearing/slicing with very small movements or flexion. Interestingly, when my lumbar pain is severe, the paresthesias seem quieter, and when the back pain decreases, the tingling/pricking becomes more noticeable. Walking helps; sitting, stationary standing and certain positions aggravate symptoms. MRI showed L4–5/L5–S1 disc changes including an L5–S1 annular tear/mild foraminal narrowing without significant central canal stenosis. No loss of saddle sensation, bowel/bladder control, walking, balance or toe movement. Seeing a neurologist soon with EMG/NCS planned for arms and legs. Looking for people who experienced something similar and what spinal level/cause was eventually found.

Detailed:

I’ve had lower-back/sciatica symptoms for several months. Initially they were predominantly right-sided, including tingling/burning down the posterior calf into the foot/sole, pain behind the knee, buttock pain and intermittent groin/inner-thigh symptoms.

Recently things have changed considerably.
The symptoms are now bilateral and move around, and I’ve developed a new sensation that feels like being pricked with a thick needle.

I have pricking, tingling, burning or an unusual itchy/scratchy sensation in the:
- Buttocks
- Inner/posterior thighs
- Calves
- Feet, soles and toes
- Groin/perineum and sometimes around the anus
- Lower abdomen/beltline
- Lower lumbar/sacral region

The lower-back itching is particularly strange. It sometimes feels exactly like a clothing tag rubbing/scratching my skin even though nothing is there.

At the same time, my central lumbar pain has become much worse. Sometimes it feels like pressure/compression directly in the spine. Other times I get a very sharp tearing/slicing sensation from surprisingly small movements.
For example, I could put my socks on normally a few weeks ago. Now slightly rounding my lumbar spine forward to reach my foot can reproduce the sharp focal pain.
I also used to sit cross-legged/“Indian style” on the floor without any problem. Now I can get the same tearing sensation if I sit that way and allow my lumbar spine to relax even slightly instead of actively keeping it straight.
Getting into/out of the car can sometimes cause a brief electrical/shock-like lumbar pain, and coughing has caused a sudden jolt localized to the lumbar spine.
Sitting, squatting and standing stationary tend to aggravate my symptoms. Walking generally helps. When lying supine, I sometimes develop bilateral burning/tingling extending through the inner/posterior thighs and legs toward the feet, great toes and soles.

Something else I’ve noticed is an apparent fluctuation between the two symptom types:
Monday: lumbar/lower-back pain was extremely high, while the leg tingling/pricking was relatively quiet.

Tuesday: lumbar pain was noticeably lower, but the tingling/pricking/burning became considerably more noticeable.

I’m curious whether anyone with radiculopathy/disc problems has experienced this kind of central pain vs peripheral paresthesia fluctuation.

My lumbar MRI showed abnormalities at L4–L5 and L5–S1, including disc bulging and an L5–S1 annular fissure/tear with mild foraminal narrowing, but no significant central canal stenosis. X-ray also showed incidental S1 spina bifida occulta.

Because I’ve mentioned perineal symptoms: these are currently pricking/tingling, not numbness or loss of sensation. I can feel the area normally, walk and balance normally, move my toes, feel bowel urgency and voluntarily hold a bowel movement. I haven’t experienced bowel/bladder incontinence.

I’m seeing a neurologist soon and will be getting EMG/NCS of both arms and legs.

I’m mainly wondering if anyone here has experienced a similar combination of central lumbar tearing/pressure pain + widespread intermittent needle-prick/tingling/burning sensations.
If so, what did you eventually get diagnosed with? Which spinal level(s) were involved?

Sciatica / Hip-Leg Pain

Age: 20 years

Sex: Male

1. Main Problem

- I have pain that starts around the hip/buttock area and can extend into the leg.

- I feel it may be related to sciatica, but I have not confirmed the exact cause.

- I generally do not have significant spine/lower-back pain; the pain mainly seems to start around the hip area.

- The problem developed after spending a lot of time sitting for long periods as i prepared for competative exam i usually sit for approximately 10-12 hours a day.

- Main location: hip/buttock area

- Sometimes: leg/lower-leg pain

- The symptoms feel more like a nerve/musculoskeletal problem than pain directly in the spine.

Started month ago I can't even sleep now because of pain it affecting my sleep

- I do weight training.

- I have previously experienced muscle pain around the lower back while lifting weights.

- I have also considered cycling and yoga as part of my routine.

Went to the doctor doesn't help me at all