It is going on 2 1/2 years of having pain in my hip area, down the sideof my leg (t-band?), and pain in my calf. Some nights I wake up with a cramp in my calf and have to stretch my foot to get it to go away. I cramp up alot behind my knee as well. I have had an MRI of my spine, and it is healthy as can be. I have done massage, shiatsu, acupuncture, herbal and homeopathic care. I am at my wits end and would love anyones advice as what to do next. The pain occurs most when I am resting and feels better when I walk.. It hurts more when I sit and have my legs lifted and when I am at work standing for long periods of time. Any help would be appreciated. My doctor is at a loss. Should I have xrays done or a MRI done of the leg?
Q: I have had 2 years of pain in my hip, tband, and calf on right side. MRI was clean. what next?
Answers (2)
7/ 9/08 11:52pm
Step away from the imaging studies which do not tell the whole story. Most of the real story to painful conditions lie in the history and physical exam. Pain with a "straight leg raise" while seated means that the nerve is irritated called neurotension. Irritated nerves cause cramping pain down the leg. Pain that is relieved with movement like walking (worse while stationary... standing and sitting) suggests that there maybe minor spinal instability (not detectible on the MRI) that improves when the muscles are activated.
Next stop: a highly trained physical therapist. Not any old physical therapist will do... the best have had residency training and are members of the American Academy of Orthopedic Manual Physical Therapists (www.aaompt.org). Shirley Sahrmann, author of Diagnosis and Treatment of Movement Impairment Syndromes, comes to immediate mind.
Better solutions exist, keep searching.
Dr. Christina Lasich, MD
9/19/08 9:41pm
I had chronic pain similar to what you are describing which an on-call dr said was sciatica but later a neurologist diagnosed as a damaged nerve and I had surgery to decompress the nerve which helped somewhat but there is numbness in that area and he said there always would be some, however, the pain has diminished and I function better than before the decompression.
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