Low Back Pain with Sciatica

“Here’s How a 63 Year Old Woman With Chronic Sciatica Got Rid of Knee Pain She’d Had For Years”

For anyone suffering from Sciatica or Knee Pain in Burlington Ontario, this is must read material.

My patients name was Mary (name changed to protect identity) and right from the first visit she pointed to her left knee and just simply said: ‘It’s my knee’. Her left knee was twice the size of the right one, it was red and very swollen.

On her first visit to my office she explained that she had, prior to seeing me, been to 4 different doctors, and just like with me, told them that she was having major trouble with her left knee.

‘None of them helped me’, she said. Mary was impatient and somewhat angry.

I understood.

I also had some concerns as to what could I possibly offer her that the others didn’t? (I also didn’t want her to be angry with me!)

Her knee, due to swelling, was difficult to examine as she couldn’t stand too much pushing and probing.

I provided her with a few treatments to her knee, but they offered her no relief.

I then decided to examine her low back and check for sciatica.
She had a very severe sciatica. In her case it only affected the left knee causing it to swell and hurt.

All traditional books describe sciatica as a “low back problem which extends to the leg”.

The implication and frequently the description is that one has to have low back pain with leg pain to be classified as sciatica. However, what happens more frequently is that a person may or may not have low back pain. Far more people have back problems where there is no pain or the pain itself comes and goes.

The way we all tend to function is when we have pain we think we have a problem but when we feel no pain, we feel that the problem is gone.

This can create a real problem with conditions like sciatica. As frequently happens, sciatica can be present with a painful thigh, for several days and then “go away”, then after several days or weeks, the foot starts to hurt, then it too “goes away”, to be followed by discomfort in the groin.

This type of on-off pain in different and seemingly unrelated areas fools most people into thinking that they have some unrelated pains and aches while they have sciatica.

Sciatica comes in many different presenting symptoms, affecting only part or the whole leg…and like in Mary’s case, can be difficult to not only self diagnose, but professionally diagnose and property treat.

If you have concerns about low back pain with sciatica, the quickest way to find out is to come in and have a thorough exam done. Call us at 905-335-5433

Click Here To Speak Directly To Dr. Branko Milen, Burlington Pain Relief Specialist.