You've had pain in mid-lower back for a few months with a sharp stabbing pain down your right leg and you've found a lump on the left side of your spine in the middle of your back what could it be?

Answer 1

Sharp stabbing pain means nerve compression, and in the area you're referring to it means a herniated disk How far down your right leg the pain goes (the pain is following the nerve down the leg) will determine just which disk is herniated.

If it goes down the length of your leg to your heel, it's in the lower lumbar region, generally in the L4/5/S1 area. If the pain goes down the side of the spine, around the waist, around the hip and outer thigh, then across the thigh and stops just inside the knee, then the disk compression is at L3 or L4. Each spinal nerve pathway can be traced by the pain being caused by the disk herniation - the pathway involved will tell you which nerve / disk/s are involved.

The only way to get the disk to retract back into the membrane (disk wall) and to lower the inflammation is bedrest and anti-inflammatories. At some point you may get to a stage where the disk won't go back and you'll require surgery to fix it. It's best that you avoid that by doing whatever is necessary to treat your problem and prevent yourself from getting there. Trust me - after 3 major spinal operations myself, it's something you don't want to deal with.

The only way to determine for sure the extent of the disk damage, a diagnosis and long term treatment plan is to see a Neurosurgeon and get MRI's or a CT taken. Stay away from Orthopedists - Bone doctors don't do well with nerve problems.

There are different treatments and therapies, but the most widely used is either an Epidural (local steroid injection to the affected disk area) or a Facet injection (targeted steroid injection to the specific disk compressing the nerve causing the problem). If after 2 weeks and 2 injections nothing has changed, that's when they start talking (and you should start listening) about surgery.

Something you should consider if you haven't already is to see about getting Disability Insurance. Prior to my 2nd spinal surgery, I had taken off so much sick leave and annual leave that I was taking leave without pay. After I got to the point I couldn't walk, I had to stop working., It took almost a year for my Disability package to go through, and during that time we had to file for Bankruptcy. It was too hard for me to get Disability Insurance before it got bad, but you might be able to.

Just a thought. Find out the extent of your problems first, then worry the long term implications. But be prepared - usually it takes a week or even a month on your back to get well depending on how bad the disk herniates. And remember that once it herniates, the disk membrane will always be weak in that spot, so the only thing you can do is prevent it from herniating again in the future. Make sure you do whatever is necessary to ensure that happens.

TSD -RAVEN- Category Supervisor

Answer 2

That sounds like something that should be discussed with a doctor.

Answer 3

Not in right leg is left leg syatic problem