# toe numbness, foot swelling , lower back numbness



## superodalisque (Jul 27, 2008)

i have this weird sensation of numbness and swelling in both of my little my toes and also a slight numbness in my lower back. also sometimes recently i've had foot swelling. its true that i've been traveling a lot internationally this summer but i'm not sure thats the problem. because of that i have been neglecting wearing a brace for my plantar faciitis flare-ups. it could also be back related since i was going up and down steps a lot. i do have a docs appt a week from now but i'd really like some ideas to throw around when i get there. has anyone else had symptoms like that?


----------



## RunPainFree.org (Jul 28, 2008)

I am no doctor but this sounds like a sciatic nerve problem:


"Sciatic nerve pain often comes on suddenly, creating immediate distress. And while it usually resolves in a few weeks, the pain may linger for months or years, disrupting lives.Sciatica: A Nerve-Wracking Problem Mr. S, a 45-year-old runner with low back pain and a numb left foot, was the focus of a Clinical Crossroads article in the Journal of the American Medical Association illustrating the challenge of treating sciatic nerve problems."

this article can be found here:

http://www.schsa.org/PublicHealth/pages/healtharticles/fitness/Sciatic nerve pain.htm

The term sciatica describes the symptoms of leg pain and possibly tingling, numbness or weakness that travels from the low back through the buttock and down the large sciatic nerve in the back of the leg. The vast majority of people who experience sciatica get better with time (usually a few weeks or months) and find pain relief with non-surgical sciatica treatment. For others, however, sciatica can be severe and debilitating.

The clinical diagnosis of sciatica is referred to as a "radiculopathy", which means simply that a disc has protruded from its normal position in the vertebral column and is putting pressure on the radicular nerve (nerve root) in the lower back, which forms part of the sciatic nerve.

An important thing to understand is that sciatica is a symptom of a problem  of something compressing or irritating the nerve roots that comprise the sciatic nerve  rather than a medical diagnosis or medical disorder in and of itself. This is an important distinction because it is the underlying diagnosis (vs. the symptoms of sciatica) that often needs to be treated in order to relieve sciatic nerve pain.


http://www.spine-health.com/conditions/sciatica/what-you-need-know-about-sciatica 


hope this helps!!!


----------



## superodalisque (Jul 28, 2008)

thank you! it does!


----------



## Waxwing (Jul 28, 2008)

I agree that it sounds like a sciatic nerve issue. That can be so painful! In the past I've had good luck with chiropractors to help my sciatica issues.


----------



## moore2me (Jul 30, 2008)

RunPainFree.org said:


> I am no doctor but this sounds like a sciatic nerve problem:
> 
> 
> "Sciatic nerve pain often comes on suddenly, creating immediate distress. And while it usually resolves in a few weeks, the pain may linger for months or years, disrupting lives.Sciatica: A Nerve-Wracking Problem Mr. S, a 45-year-old runner with low back pain and a numb left foot, was the focus of a Clinical Crossroads article in the Journal of the American Medical Association illustrating the challenge of treating sciatic nerve problems."
> ...



I agree that this sounds like a sciatica problem, but the article quoted contradicts itself. In *Paragraph A*, it states that most people with sciatica pain get better with time and don't need surgical intervention. (I have done research on this issue and this holds true in what I have read. In fact, our body can actually absorb ruptured discs compressing on the nerves.) But, a physician should make this call.

*Paragraph B* says that (the things causing sciatica) often need to be treated to in order to relieve sciatica pain. I hope they don't mean surgical treatment. I hope they mean treatment like exercise, pain relief, therapy, perhaps a brace, etc., noninvasive type stuff.


----------



## superodalisque (Aug 4, 2008)

thank you guys for all of the help! yep the diagnosis seems to be sciatica. the good news is that its mild. after having some imaging done my doc thinks some physical therapy will clear it up like last time. i haven't been as active as i'd have liked in the last year and i know my muscles are weaker. now i'm paying the price. at least i know there is something to be done and a good chance it will resolve itself totally. i'm lucky that i don't have a lot of pain so that should make therapy that much easier.


----------

