Nerve pain, rotated hips, scoliosis.. anybody recognize?

Hi everybody,

I am 28 years old and have had pain in my lower back since I was arond 16. I also during my teenage years had a lot of issues with headaches and during young adult years also had bowel issues. My lower back issues has mainly been on my left side and also had pain in my right knee, and on top of this often getting "neck locked" and having pain and from time to time also slight pain radiating down my left leg. When I was about 14-15 I got "diagnosed" with leg length diffence of 18mm so I have during most of the time since then been having some type of heel insert, mainly the last 10 years where I have had a 5-8 mm heel insole. I have always also had issues that my hips/pelvis rotates and is laterally higher on the right side, combined with a slight scoliosis. What is the hen and the egg is still unclear. I did an MRI in 2017 that showed a herniated disc L5-S1.

The back problems have always been somewhat in control but about a year ago, after working from home for two months, I went to the gym and did relatively light deadlifts and I "pulled my back". This was of course quite frighetning and I went to a chiropractor to get it "fixed" since I assumed my back got dislocated (well what did I know..). I continued for a few months with that treatment and McKenzie excercises that lowered the symptoms a bit, but not fully. I still had lower back pain and nerve pain. About 5 months ago I went to physiotherapist instead where we together tried to remove my insoles a few millimeter at a time and do certain excercises. It felt good when we made progress, but it could as often feel bad when I left there (or more pain the day after).

So today since a 3 months back I am not using any insole in my left shoe and I did an X-ray last week that showed that my left leg is 11mm shorter according to, but the doctor said that it is a normal discrepancy to have - which I believe. But for the last few months my nerve pain has increased, even though my back pain has been somewhat under control, and at the moment I am constantly feeling tingling, buzzing, burning, shooting pain in both legs/feet, even though it's mainly in my left leg and food. I also numbness in my left thigh/crotch sometimes when I sit (I think the numbness is since I put pressure on the pelvis floor since I also get numb when I bike, probably bad saddle). I believe this is due to my pelvis being rotated or I am stiff so I don't sit correctly. I also clench my teeth super much during the night so I often have headaches. I normally don't nerve have pain during the night though but it comes shortly after I wake up and remind myself that "oh I don't have pain... wait here it comes" kind of. I am also constantly "twisted" and I only walk on my right leg. I feel that it's only my right side muscles working when I walk and I don't stand, bend or walk straight. This seems to be since my pelvis is rotated and my spine is also rotated both like an "S" a bit and also rotated a bit to the right (like a spiral).

I have read Healing Back Pain and currently I am reading Dr Schubiner's book "Unlern you back pain" and I have so far read half of the book and for the last two weeks been doing the programme. in his book. I feel an improvement in my mindset and in my fatigue/awareness in the now. Although this nerve pain is still here, and I feel a constant pressure in my lower back as well which has not changed. It's so hard for me to know how to release this pressure and I feel like I have tried to process all my previous traumas and whatnot, and I am getting so uncertain of what to do now.. it feels like my nerve pain is getting more and more constant and I need to do something to get it reduced.

I should also mention that I went to a doctor a few months ago, and he was a very general doctor (not a back expert) but he said that he cannot trigger my pain by the normal "herniation" triggers such as straight leg lift. I do feel a certain tingling in my foot when I do straight leg lift, but not really pain. It's the same issue I have felt with my previous physio, he said that I don't "follow the normal pattern" - well thank you. So on one hand I am thinking that mental "pressure" might be the only explanation, but I do feel frustrated when I don't get any real results (I think) from this excercies I am doing. Also I have always been "twisted" and for so many years had pain in my body and also certain movemenet patterns due to this so I am getting very confused of what is actually causing the pain. I think the msucular pain is mainly due to inactivity now and this stiffness/twistedness, and that my nerve pain is due to getting over-sensitive. I really need to remove this nerve irritation so I can start doing more normal excercies again.

Also I have tried some "postural restoration excercies" which is the only thing that actually instantly relieve tension, but I have also found it to some extent (maybe placebo) increase the nerve pain when I am not doing it. I have tried this to try to "straighten out my body" which to some extent helps, but my body very quickly twists back - so something is holding me in my tense position and I don't know what.

I would be so happy with whatever type of feedback you might have, ideas or similar stories. I am losing hope a bit on this. Thank you very much!

 

I have some similar issues, although our histories are different (and I am 64): leg length and muscular discrepancies, low back pain, pelvis and left hip pain and instability, probably the SI joint. (I also lost all the calf muscles in one leg in a story which is too complicated to tell, but which is a major source of the instabilities). As far as the pain and discomfort though, what I can say is that a steady but consistent practice of calming the nervous system will absolutely help: journaling, breathing practice, meditation, positive imaging. redirecting negative thoughts into positive ones. All that stuff can and will decrease your symptoms and make you happier. It might take time, months, but you might also find it could be a pleasant journey if you can let go of the fear. And if you also legitimately have physical issues, and it sounds like maybe you do, then correcting them can also take time and patience. Possibly you have tried a lot of things already. Don't give up, you are young, you will get better. Don't know if that helps but you are not alone.

 

Hi! Thanks a lot for your answer. It helps definitely. I think that you are on the right track and it's about calming the nervous system.

I am already doing most of the things you mention, but I'd be curious to know a bit more about the breathing techniques and also redirecting negative thoughts into positive ones. Could you share some practices?

 

To be honest I am still trying to figure it out myself, and what seems like is beneficial. In general I have been trying to do calming breathing every day or multiple times per day, sometimes with guided meditation from YouTube. One thing that I do kind of like is something called the "humming bee" breath, and sometimes I do it with my legs propped up at a 90 deg angle on a chair or up a wall, just because that is a nice comfortable position. Just for like 5 minutes, but I guess however long you want.

Turning negative thoughts into positive ones and retraining your brain: again I don't know that much, and I guess there are a lot of resources online or in various programs, even Alan Gordon has info on this site. I think there is a lot of power in visualizing positive outcomes. I try not to let myself dwell on something negative ("why isn't this getting better"), but rather to accept that there will be setbacks or bumps in the road, that some of these mental and physical processes take time, that things are not that bad and accept that it is my mind that it is making it seem bad, and that over time everything will work out. (in my case I think there really is a physical issue, but my brain is just making it worse). Visualizing positive outcomes, focusing on any positive things that happen ("today I did 40 pushups and nothing hurt or felt weird!"). In one meditation I listened to they talked about remembering some good time and great feeling you have, i.e. maybe a wonderful day at the beach, and if you feel some discomfort to imagine that you have basically bottled that feeling, and you let it wash over the joint and your body, imagining it being healed by the positive energy of your memory. Stuff like that.

There is a British lady named Dani Fagan who has a web site and a lot of content on YouTube, where she talks about how she healed herself of back pain, all the things she did, interviews with people, specific daily practices, and more. I like her. In this video she interviews a lady and they discuss some of the above, see from about 23:00 to 28:00 particularly.


hope it helps! What about you: are there some specific things you do that make you feel better?