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Dr. Andrew Rynne
MD
Dr. Andrew Rynne

Family Physician

Exp 50 years

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What Is The Pain In My Buttocks And Thigh?

I have been having pain in my buttocks and thigh and down into the calf. It is mostly on the left side. I do have a rod in my left thigh from a femur fracture that occurred over 40 years. The pain does ease somewhat whe I walk.Most prominent after sitting or lying down
Tue, 18 Mar 2014
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Internal Medicine Specialist,  's  Response
Hi, I am sorry about the pain. It appears from your description that you may have "sciatica"- pain caused by pressure on the sciatic nerve that travels along the buttock region down the back of your legs. It is usually caused by arthritis of the lower spine or of the hip joint. If I was seeing you in clinic, I would recommend getting an Xray of the spine. For treatment of pain, I would you could try Acetaminophen (Tylenol) 325-650 mg every 4-6 hours as needed. Do not take more than 3,000 mg of Acetaminophen over a 24 hour period. You can also try Ibuprofen (400-800 mg three times a day with food)- it has an anti inflammatory effect. Do not take Ibuprofen if you have a history of chronic kidney disease, bleeding from your gut or severe reflux.

Physical therapy is another treatment I would recommend. If pain is still not controlled, then options would be stronger pain medicines that are used to treat nerve pain (gabapentin, pregabalin, duloxetine), MRI of the spine to determine in more detail the cause of the nerve pain and referral to a neurosurgeon.

While Acetaminophen (Tylenol/Paracetamol) and Ibuprofen are available over the counter, other medications and imaging studies need a doctor to prescribe and interpret. So, I recommend you see your primary care doctor/general practitioner to get treatment started.


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What Is The Pain In My Buttocks And Thigh?

Hi, I am sorry about the pain. It appears from your description that you may have sciatica - pain caused by pressure on the sciatic nerve that travels along the buttock region down the back of your legs. It is usually caused by arthritis of the lower spine or of the hip joint. If I was seeing you in clinic, I would recommend getting an Xray of the spine. For treatment of pain, I would you could try Acetaminophen (Tylenol) 325-650 mg every 4-6 hours as needed. Do not take more than 3,000 mg of Acetaminophen over a 24 hour period. You can also try Ibuprofen (400-800 mg three times a day with food)- it has an anti inflammatory effect. Do not take Ibuprofen if you have a history of chronic kidney disease, bleeding from your gut or severe reflux. Physical therapy is another treatment I would recommend. If pain is still not controlled, then options would be stronger pain medicines that are used to treat nerve pain (gabapentin, pregabalin, duloxetine), MRI of the spine to determine in more detail the cause of the nerve pain and referral to a neurosurgeon. While Acetaminophen (Tylenol/Paracetamol) and Ibuprofen are available over the counter, other medications and imaging studies need a doctor to prescribe and interpret. So, I recommend you see your primary care doctor/general practitioner to get treatment started. Please let me know if that was helpful. If it was, please take a moment to provide a rating. Thanks!