How to get an MRI for back pain with agoraphobia?

Hello doctor,

I have a slight leg discrepancy, with one leg shorter than the other by about four cm. Because of this, I have very slight scoliosis. I have suffered lower back pain most of my adult life, but I have found that as long as I stay away from exercises that put stress on the lower back, such as deadlifts, squats, and sit-ups, I am fine.

The other day, I was looking in the mirror at my leg discrepancy and pelvic tilt. So, I put some books under one foot to even my pelvic tilt out. Almost straight away, I experienced shooting pain down my back. Later on, this pain had spread all down my right leg to my calf muscle.

I spoke to my doctor, who thinks I have a slipped disc and that it is pressing on my sciatic nerve. I was initially prescribed Co-codomol 15/500, which was increased to 30/500. But two days later, the pain was getting worse and worse, so I was prescribed Morphine to take as needed for the next week.

The pain is intolerable. I cannot sleep or eat. There is no comfortable position. I can partially lie or stand, but I cannot sit at all. My buttocks, hamstrings, hips, and calves keep going into spasms.

What is making the problem worse is that I am deeply agoraphobic, so I am unable to travel to the hospital and have an MRI or an X-ray, or anything like that. My agoraphobia severely limits me.

I should note that I have full control of my bladder and bowels. I have no numbness in the area and no pins and needles. I can move my legs, toes, and feet, and I have complete feeling in all the areas. I have no fever or swelling in my legs.

I was initially told to try to keep as active as possible and to do some sciatic stretches by the doctor, but this has made me much worse and has increased the pain and discomfort massively.

The pain is in my very lower back and, as mentioned, it is in my buttock, hip, hamstring, and calf of my right leg, and I keep getting what feels like cramps and spasms.

The pain is severe. It is the worst pain I have ever felt. It feels like quick stabbing pains that are very sharp. I cannot bend forward to put on trousers and socks. Bending backwards is okay, just not forward. As mentioned, I cannot sit at all.

My questions are:

• What do you make of it?

• Should I be trying to stretch out the sciatic nerve?

• What does it sound like to you?

• What would your advice be, considering that it is impossible for me to go to a hospital and have any scans due to my agoraphobia?

Kindly help.

Thank you.

Hello doctor,

Thank you for your reply.

I should have been more specific. I had a face-to-face consultation with my GP, and, given my history, symptoms, and his diagnosis, he has put it down to a bulged disc pressing on the sciatic nerve.

As I can still move my legs and walk, and because I have no pins and needles, there is no swelling, my skin is at a normal temperature, and I have complete control of my bowel and bladder, he is saying at this point there is no need for an MRI. He wants me to try to keep as active as possible without hurting myself.

So the only way I can have an MRI is if it gets worse. Most of my pain at the moment is when I am seated. When lying down, I am okay, and when standing upright, I am okay. Ninety percent of my pain is down the sciatic nerve, down my right buttock, hamstring, calf, and hip.

I have found that if I lie face down and raise my chest and shoulders high, arching upwards, it gives me immense relief from pain.

So my question is this (I should have been clearer to begin with):

Let us go on the assumption that my doctor is correct and that my pain is from a bulging disc pressing on the sciatic nerve. If this is the case, should I be doing stretching exercises for the sciatic nerve (it has been a day since it began), or should I be resting it?

Some suggest that if a disc is pressing on the nerve, stretching it could irritate it even more and be counterproductive. Others say you should regularly stretch the nerve by doing sciatic exercises.

If you, as a doctor, knew for sure that it was a bulging disc causing the sciatic problem. So my concerns are:

1. What advice would you give to someone seven days after the event?
2. Could stretching a nerve that is being pressed on by a disc make it worse?
3. How long does it typically take for a bulging disc to return to normal?

Kindly help.