Pain deep in the buttock and down the leg is a disturbing symptom of a herniated disc.A metro-West Boston Physiatrist sent a 60 year old patient for treatment in my Neuromuscular Therapy Center. His pain was one-sided and deep in the buttock. He would feel referred sensations down his leg when he was active and would get tingling and pain in his foot. “Drop foot” symptoms varied but occurred more in the morning or during the day from walking on concrete in his job. He was on six different medications, but pain would return within four hours of taking those meds. Stress would make his symptoms worse. 

There was no medical reason for the pain because his second MRI was negative, showing that the initiating injury from the herniated disc had resolved successfully following Physical Therapy at a Spine Center “boot camp” and several years of exercise there. Pablo had been having trouble with pain resulting from using the “abduction” equipment at the Spine Center gym.  The MRI showed only degeneration and spinal compression typical for his age group. His symptoms had resurfaced when he lifted a heavy TV. Before that he had slacked off somewhat with his exercise program while caring for his elderly dad. He had become more tight and sore and hadn’t paid attention.