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Dr. Andrew Rynne
MD
Dr. Andrew Rynne

Family Physician

Exp 50 years

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What Causes Pain In The Lower Back Radiating To The Leg?

I am in bed with excruciating pain that appears to be stemming from my lower back. The pain has gotten worse & is radiating down my left leg. I have been prescribed voltarin & it is not working. I have iced the area & used heat afterwards. The pain is getting unbeatable when I drive. I have had recent blood work & my ANA was positive. Many years ago I had breast cancer, & was told that my double stranded ANA was positive or elevated. An infectious disease dr told me that info might be pertinent to me one day. I am a 56 yr old white female. I am wondering if this positive result could have anything to do with recent flare ups of immobility due to severe back pain. I have an appt with a neurologist on 10/11/16, but I am not sure what to do in the mean time. I work full time, & have been in bed all day today, Sat. I can t sleep, & took a bath in Epsom salts. It is impossible to get in to see a good dr right away.... I am active, I run 1 1/2 miles per day, but can t right now. Do you think there is a correlation between this elevation in my blood, or do you think this is likely to be a herniation or sciatica? I am desperate.... I hate medication.
Mon, 1 Apr 2019
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Physical Therapist or Physiotherapist,  's  Response
Hello,

As this pain indicates more towards the lumbar Radiculopathy. It can be caused due to lumbar disc disease at the lumbar spine level. Try the McKenzie maneuver which can help to centralise the pain. You can check it online the Mackenzie maneuver.

In case the pain doesn't get centralise then need to visit the ER without any delay. But if the pain gets centralise than use icing or hot water fermentation to reduce the inflammation and pain. Take an MRI without fail, irrespective of anything. Because we need to check the status of the inter vertebral disc and see if it's compression is limited to the nerve root or going towards the canal.

You can even utilize the physiotherapy services like therapeutic ultrasound therapy and TENS therapy to reduce the inflammation and the pain. TENS has been effective in my clinical practice of over 12 years and so does the research support it as well.

Once the pain level comes down then core stability exercise, lumbar spine muscle strengthening exercises, hip strengthening exercises, lower limb strengthening exercises as a whole needs to be performed.

In my clinical practice, the exercise has been effective in helping the spine to be stable and avoid recurrence of the same.

Hope I have answered your query. Let me know if I can assist you further.

Regards,
Jay Indravadan Patel, Physical Therapist or Physiotherapist
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What Causes Pain In The Lower Back Radiating To The Leg?

Hello, As this pain indicates more towards the lumbar Radiculopathy. It can be caused due to lumbar disc disease at the lumbar spine level. Try the McKenzie maneuver which can help to centralise the pain. You can check it online the Mackenzie maneuver. In case the pain doesn t get centralise then need to visit the ER without any delay. But if the pain gets centralise than use icing or hot water fermentation to reduce the inflammation and pain. Take an MRI without fail, irrespective of anything. Because we need to check the status of the inter vertebral disc and see if it s compression is limited to the nerve root or going towards the canal. You can even utilize the physiotherapy services like therapeutic ultrasound therapy and TENS therapy to reduce the inflammation and the pain. TENS has been effective in my clinical practice of over 12 years and so does the research support it as well. Once the pain level comes down then core stability exercise, lumbar spine muscle strengthening exercises, hip strengthening exercises, lower limb strengthening exercises as a whole needs to be performed. In my clinical practice, the exercise has been effective in helping the spine to be stable and avoid recurrence of the same. Hope I have answered your query. Let me know if I can assist you further. Regards, Jay Indravadan Patel, Physical Therapist or Physiotherapist