have had chronic pain for 1 year have had MRI but only schmorl's nodules and mild signal loss has showed up. I have pain in lower back, buttocks, hip which goes all the way down my leg.I have sharp stabbing pain with numbness. Had bone scan it showed mild degenerative changes and bilateral trochanteric bursitis. Could i still have sciatica?
Q: have chronic pain like sciatica but nothing showed up on MRI
Answers (2)
11/22/08 1:37pm
Muscles like the piriformis can entrap nerves and cause radiating pain down your leg. Trochanteric bursitis can radiate down the side of your leg also. Steroids for bursitis can help and therapy can be done to release muscles as well as other treatments. Go back to your dr and discuss these and other causes that can make you very miserable!! Don't be thrown by the MRI. God bless you.
11/23/08 11:21am
Hi Angie,
You sound a lot like me. I have been having severe (chronic) pain from sciatica for 2 1/2 years. They (docs & therapists) think it is because of several problems all at once...... a piriformis injury in June 06 (piriformis syndrom), central pain from old surgeries, disc degeneration from getting older (56 yrs old) and mild to moderation hernias with one area of foraminal narrowing. My EMG's show some nerve damage but not enough to get anyone excited. All together it adds up to pain 24/7 at different levels including my hips like you. Even knowing the causes doesn't help because treating one problem worsens the the others.
I agree with the other responder. It would be a good idea to go back to your GP or specialist to put a plan together. This is no easy task as most docs are only interested in area of expertise and forget to look at the whole picture. I don't like that you have numbness.
Good luck Angie. 
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Dockside
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