Pain from lower back to legs? What did I do?

Question

There was no incident (exercise, accident, etc.) that comes to mind. However, I have a burning pain that starts at two points above my crack in my lower back that then extends down the back of my left side. This makes it difficult to sit, difficult to sleep, difficult to bend over to put pots and pans away, and almost impossible to bend to touch my toes without pain. This has been going on for two weeks now. Possibly unrelated but I have also had an increase in migraines over the last six months and an unusual pain on the bottom of my foot on the pad (the area right below the toes...like a feeling if you wore heels for too long). Given that I can't sit, stand, or lay down..nor stretch it out or find relief.. I'd like to know how to relieve it.

Answer 1

It sounds like you have an inflammation of the sciatic nerve.  It is the largest nerve and runs through the back.  It can cause burning sensation and pain in the lower back extending to the buttocks to the back of the thigh. It can cause difficulty walking and bending.  You may be able to help some of the pain by taking Ibuprofen and applying heat to the lower back.  The best advice I can give is to make an appointment with your family doctor and let them take a health history and decide if they need to get a CT scan or MRI.  Good luck