15ths ago I had total hip replacement before I had an operation; I suffered with severe sciatic nerve pain. I thought it would go away after operating, it hasn't and I have been diagnosed with a herniated disk. I have been told another operation probably wouldn't be successful because of the length of time I have had it. I don't see the point of putting myself through another major operation as I am now waiting to have the other hip replaced. I am a 56yr old female I also have arthritis in my spine.

Oxycodone drug over a short period to get intense back and leg pain under control. Then a period of Physical Therapy followed by use of the Lidocaine patch. This regimen is quite effective while I decide weather or not to have surgery fusing L5 which has lost the last disc completely and bone is rubbing on bone. This has caused L4 to slip sideways a small amount. If my right leg pain returns, I take a short ride on my lawn tractor, which apparently shakes the pinched nerve back into place temporarily and causes the leg pain to go away.

I have been taking etodolac 600mg [1 at night] along with tramadol for pain relief and found that this has been effective in treating my lower back pain.

My doctor prescribed a lidocaine patch that adheres to the lower back for 12 hours a day. Since the pain also manifested in the right thigh muscles a patch was placed here also. It took a couple of days before the thigh pain diminished, however it took quite a while longer for some other symptoms to be eliminated.

I am 21 years old. The first time I remember having really bad lower back pains, I was 12. At the time, the doctors said my hips were the problem, and I went to physical therapy for 6 weeks. The pain got bad again when I fell from a tree when I was 18. I was given tramadol and Flexeril, which didn't help. I've been coping with the pain ever since. I had a baby last year, and since then, the pain is unbearable. About a week ago, I started Lortab and that's not helping at all either. So far, I've been diagnosed with lumbar scoliosis, S-I joint dysfunction, and I'm being tested for Crohn's disease as well. The pain has become a part of my life, and I literally have no hope at all that I will ever be completely pain-free.

The injury to my lower back was from a fall some twenty years ago and the two lower discs were injured. I decline to have surgery therefore I get a reoccurrence of pain every year or two. I need to know if there is anything else that can be done other than surgery.

I'm a 36-year-old female, and I had a slip disc at 20. After having several epidural drips into my lower back with no effect at all, I eventually had an operation on my back to have the disc removed. It had an immediate effect. After suffering for a full year of incredible pain in my back and right leg, which was so bad I asked to have my leg amputated, I eventually got my life back. That was all good up to now. I now suffer with chronic arthritis in my back, which I'm on medication for with nasty side effects. Once again, at 36, I'm crippled with pain.

Remaining active helps to be in control of your body. If you exercise, you allow other parts of your body to be active. Your muscles get sore after a good workout, but it is a good sore. This way you are not just concentrating on the pain of your back. Living with pain is not easy, especially when medicine doesn't work anymore. Eat healthy and exercise. It will help you to feel stronger and fight the pain more effectively.