MetaChat - CHRONIC PAIN WHINE

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31 January 2009

CHRONIC PAIN WHINE ugh, I hate to be one of *those people* who complains about (relatively minor) medical issues, but...→[More:]I have a pinched nerve or something in my right leg. Mainly it hurts in my foot, but sometimes I get shooting pains all down my leg. I had this in my left leg about six months ago (it mainly hurt in my hip), and after an MRI and x-rays the doctors shrugged and gave me anti-inflammatories and painkillers. According to the doctor (and the Internets) there is not much else they can do except for surgery, and it is nowhere near that bad. I've been taking Vicodin for the last 2 days (and it WORKS), but that's not a habit I want to get into (cf. Dr. House, Brett Favre). Is this just shit that happens when you get older (I'm 34)?

post by: desjardins at: 15:40 | 8 comments

I don't know probabilities, but I bet the likelihood of such things increases with age. I've got 2 decades on you. I've had ulnar wrist pain in my right wrist and Achilles tendinitis in my left foot, both since last summer. I've had lots of joint and tendon problems that hung around for months or even years. They seem to go away eventually. Most recent was hip bursitis, which was a problem a couple of years ago, and shoulder bursitis about 5 years ago. Both have gone away. I can't say I've had a diagnosed nerve pinch though. I haven't found doctors very useful for this kind of stuff at all, though I haven't pushed very hard.

posted by DarkForest 31 January | 17:15

Maybe investigate some stretches?

Occasionally I get hip pain which is annoying and aggravating-if I am diligent to do a couple of particular stretches the pain resolves itself. Worth a try at least.

posted by bunnyfire 31 January | 17:29

Ow, that's no fun.

fwiw, when I was about your age I developed sciatica and spent a summer in a Vicodin haze. The pain finally went away when my desk got raised to a standing height; I had started a job the year before that had me intensely peering into a monitor for much of the day.

I still use an adjustable height desk, though now I only raise it to standing height when I've got massive deadlines that I expect to keep me from taking breaks.

Would your employer spring for an ergonomics consultant to come in?

posted by jamaro 31 January | 18:20

Oooh, desjardins! Damn. My ex had chronic sciatica, and found great relief with pilates stetches (with the rubber bands) and not doing the activity that caused the sciatica in the first place (driving a manual F350 15 hours per day). But he was still off work for two years, in misery much of the time - I hope you rectify the issue/ find relief sooner than he did!

posted by goo 31 January | 18:33

Maybe you could try yoga, acupuncture or chiropractic? Yoga has helped me with chronic pain in my neck (due to a serious car accident in my youth) and sciatica (thanks to LP Junior.) I have friends with chronic pain due to fibromyalgia and other rheumatoid disorders who swear by acupuncture. I've never tried it. Chiropractic has also helped my neck and my sciatica.

Best wishes and best of luck. And whuffles too.

posted by Luminous Phenomena 31 January | 18:41

Dude, shooting leg pain definitely justifies some whining! It sounds dreadful!

(In fact I think I have something similar going on with my left shoulder... my Internet searches haven't provided a diagnosis, but I casually think of it as a pinched nerve. it's been years and I'm starting to think I need to ask my doctor about it because it sucks. So I feel ya.)

posted by loiseau 31 January | 18:53

That sounds frustrating and owie! I really encourage you to see a massage therapist so you can treat the cause, not the symptom. They may refer you to see a acupuncturist or a chiropractor, like LP said. I've had wonderful results with all three. (Yoga is great too, but I find that's helpful as preventative medicine, not treatment for an acute injury.)

posted by Specklet 31 January | 20:04

Thanks for all the suggestions. I'll look into it and report back. I do spend a lot of time sitting on my ass, so that's a probable contributor.

posted by desjardins 31 January | 22:38

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