Sciatica pain, reflex loss, TMS

Hi,

I've been struggling with buttock pain since early May, then on August I got worse and my pain moved further down the leg. Currently, calf compression and pins and needles in foot are an addition to my previous symptoms. The MRI showed large L5-S1 disc herniation.

Last neurological checkup showed that I have lost Achilles reflex in the affected leg. Neither do I have noticeable muscle strength loss nor deep tendon reflex loss. It still seems to me that my affected leg responds a little worse to touch.

Other than that I can correlate my symptoms to TMS - emotions, matching personality, pain is something moving to the other areas etc.

I've learnt today, while listening to Dr Howard Schubiner's lecture, that in case of reflex loss, muscle strength loss and/or atrophy surgery is needed (in case of herniation).

Do you know of any successful story of someone with reflex loss?

P.S.
If there is something in Dr Sarno's books, I am still waiting for them to be shipped

 

Steve Ozanich went through quite the same in his book. I myself had major butt pain piriformis and sciatica. 3 months off work. Ran my first official 10k yesterday. Keep reading , you WILL heal.

 

I had a 6mm bulge at l5s1 and some minor loss of reflex along with intense sciatica. I made a full recovery with TMS methods. So I agree that reflex loss can be part of TMS.

 

Unfortunately, I went to neurosurgeon and he showed me the MRI - 10mm extrusion with pressure on nerves. Fortunately, he wasn't anything near being polite and caring, so I did not take his surgery recommendation at heart.

However, the visit destroyed about a week of work on the TMS and some symptoms got stronger, for example the foot pain. It is probably due to the doubts I am having regarding the extruded material pressure on nerves.
Luckily I am getting used to the thought that the MRI was done, when I only had buttock pain (almost 3 months ago) - and since then I was really cautious with how I treat my back. Why symptoms progressed ? There is no other explanation than TMS - especially if I add the entire emotional load due to my condition and work.

 

Yes! It can be both. I received "mixed TMS/structural"diagnosis from Dr. Schecter. I wanted him to tell me TMS, but there was enough disc bulge that he couldn't rule it out as part of the problem. And had pins and needles that I was convinced was nerve related. I was able to avoid surgery; I wish you the same good fortune. With pressure on the nerves, you might have more to gain from medical intervention. I wonder if some type of nerve test would tell you if the loss of reflex is structural you are experiencing is truly physical, or part of the TMS tricks the sciatic nerve can play.

 

I also have left leg Sciatica with leg/foot pain and foot numbness for 1.5 years now. MRI shows left L5/S1 moderate foraminal stenosis and I am trying to decide if I should have surgery. I had 5 months of back pain, that then went away, then I got butt and leg pain, then it went to left foot pain and numbness. For the longest time they could not see what was wrong in the MRI's but recently a new Dr says it's the left foraminal canal that is narrowed. Been trying to believe it's TMS but it hasn't got better.

 

I believe Dr. Sarno is correct, that pinched nerves do not cause pain. They may cause numbness, but not pain.

The sciatic nerve is a tricky devil. It is a very effective distraction. That is the point. Thinking about surgery is a big distraction. Like the pain.

If the painmoves like that, it pretty strong evidence of TMS and not a structural problem.

 

I always think if a nerve is irritated, it can be because it's simply from a tight muscle irritating it. And the tight muscle is just from stress/ emotions. Could be anyway.