I am a 28 year old female. About 3 and a half months ago I was carrying an extremely heavy trash bag. I was dragging the bag on the floor while bent on my right side when suddenly I felt severe shooting stabbing pain in my lower back(on right side) shooting through my right buttock, right groin & posterior to right thigh. For the next 4 weeks I went through the usual conservative management of limited activity, pain meds and physical therapy along with lumbar xrays, rheumatological work-up which was all negative. I continued to suffer from severe pain so an mri was obtained one month after injury which did not reveal any disc herniation. I saw a neurologist who injected my low back with botox seven weeks after injury. I was advised by him to continue nsaids and limited activity. I continued to suffer from deep burning pain in my right buttock with severe tightness/stiffness in my posterior right thigh down to calf, relieving only on lying down on my back. 11 weeks after injury a bone scan was obtained which too was negative.

I saw a pain/anesthesia speacialist 2 weeks ago who gave a theory that at the time I picked up trash my l5-s1 disk herniated and by the time mri was done it went back however it had done the damage of inflamming my right sciatic nerve which still in not healed. He ordered emg studies however the neurologist did not do the needle prick of muscles. He just tested the nerve velocity which was 40 % reduced at l5 to s1 level. Clinically I still have my knee jerk and ankle jerk intact. The pain specialist injected me with epidural steroid 5 days ago but I m still in pain. Hard to do even daily activities.


Plz guide me to the best of your knowledge what to do and expect. May god bless u