Please help?!

Please help?

i hurt my back 3 weeks ago they said it was a slipped dic so my physio put it back in .now my back has gone again but it feels different i have pain on the side and pain down my bottom and legs could i have trapped a nerve?

Hi Julia,
I'm a bit concerned that your physio is using the terminology 'Slipped disc' and I hope they didn't tell you that they 'put it back in'.
I'd love to learn that technique as I'm of the opinion it's a physical impossibility!

Its entirely possible that your leg and buttock pain is caused by irritation in the sacro-illiac joints in the pelvis. Commonly this causes pain in the base of the low back and pelvis radiating into the buttocks and round into the groin and possibly into the front of the thigh above the knee.
The pain sometimes radiates down the back of the thigh above the knee. Less commonly this affects both sides at the same time.

Nerve entrapment can occur when:

1) Dics bulges / herniated discs or 'Slipped discs' as they used to be called occurs when the shock absorbing cushion / structure between 2 back bones becomes damaged. the outer layerers are strong fibres and the centre is fluid filled. If the outer fibres tear slightly (or more completely) the fluid bulges from the centre. This 'bulge' can press on a nerve root as it exits the Lumbar spine so often symptoms of radiating pain occur.
The most common disc bulge is in L5 hitting the L5 or S1 nerve root which form part of the sciatic nerve. Commonly the symptoms include radiating pain from the low back into the buttock and down the back or side of the leg and can go all the way into the foot.
Pins & Needles, numbness and altered sensation are also common symptoms.

Disc bulges are not common in people under 40.

2) Facet irritation can also cause pain in the legs or illio-lumbar ligament sprain can also cause it. more commonly the pain is confined to the site of injury. The facets (joints between the back bones) become irritated and the spinal muscles spasm to protect it. the joint stiffens and the surrounding tissues can become swollen and irritated. This less commonly can press on the nerve root causing sciatica symptoms. Inflamation of the illio-lumbar ligament can have a similar effect although, again, the pain is usually in the low back only.

3) Piriformis Syndrome occurs.
This is a muscle in the buttock which the sciatic nerve either sits behind or runs through. If this muscle becomes too tight it can squeeze the sciatic nerve and give symptoms of leg pain.
There are less common causes of low back and leg pain if there was some kind of mechanical injury you are likely to be suffering from one of the above conditions.

A suitably trained manual therapist will be able to do provocative tests to isolate exactly which tissues are causing your symptoms and treat you accordingly.
Personally I'd recommend the osteopathic model.