So I was laying on the couch this afternoon and I decided to get up to get something to eat. When I stood up I had a sharp pain in my lower back that shot down through my leg. I'm fine as long as I'm standing still or don't tense up. If I lean forward or backwards I have sharp pain in my back. I have not been lifting or twisted wrong or anything like that. A heating pad or a nice lower back massage does not work. Also I have noticed a swollen area on the left side of my lower back. Pinched nerve? I don't know. Any ideas or tips? I plan on seeing a doctor tomorrow... just wondering though

When this (exact) thing happened to me,I found out(after much B*t*hing,griping and complaining)it was the sciatic nerve(it traverses down the entire leg)

For me,the pain started from the waste line,right where my jeans would rub,nasty feeling I know.The nerve runs through this region and it took some real physical therapy to get rid of it.

Had to curl into a ball(fetal position) and the therapist used(what felt like) a knuckle to spear the exact point,rubbing vary hard to get the blood flow back through the stiff muscles and actually move the nerve itself.

It sounds worse than it was,after a few days of tenderness,I was fine.(for a while) I found out my wallet was the culprit,sitting on it,driving half the day between jobs... etc.The thickness twisted my pelvis,causing the nerve to react.

Hope this helps you.

Ken

It helps kind of... but the pain no longer shoots down my leg... it only did it the first time I stood up. Laying on my back and pulling my legs in to curl into a ball causes extreme pain.

YUP that's the sciatic nerve

Sciatic nerve - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sciatic_nerve)

Look at this site and you will understand it better.

By the way,If I were you,I wouldn't try to treat this yourself,ONLY a doctor can say for sure that this is what I think it is.

See the doc.tomorrow,like you were planning on doing anyway.

Went to a chiropractor and that's what it was. He took x-rays and my back looked horrible... probably because I'm a runner. However, I am feeling much better since the visit... just a little sore from being twisted and popped :)

YUP, I am glad that was all it was,nothing permanent.