I'm a healthy 30 year old white male, 6'1 and 145 lbs. In mid-2011 I started developing a pain in my buttocks when sitting, would be on one side or the other, at random. I never had a car accident, fall, or other event that could’ve caused this. I started seeing doctors shortly after it began but the amount of pain increased as the months went on. It is primarily in the buttocks and legs, not the low back, so I am calling it sciatica for lack of a more specific term. It is a very diffuse pain, not sensitive to the touch, gets worse with prolonged sitting, better with walking, and sometimes feels like pins and needles. As the months have gone on, I have developed pain higher up in the muscles in my back, but this is unpredictable.

I have been through many diagnostics: blood work, 3 x-rays, 6 MRIs, 2 EMGs. They have looked at my pelvis, hips, lumbar spine, and even my thoracic spine. None of these indicated an obvious diagnosis or source of pain. The docs tell me the imaging shows I have a fairly normal 30 year old back.

I have a drawer full of prescriptions I have tried. NSAIDs, muscle relaxers, anti-epileptics, anti-depressants, patches, cymbalta, ultram, hydrocodone, topical lotions, etc. I have been to orthopedic surgeons, neurologists, physical medicine & rehabilitation, rheumatologists, neurosurgeons, physical therapists, chiropractors, and acupuncture. I travelled from Texas to the Mayo Clinic but did not get any answers there.

I have been through several injections: lumbar spine, piriformis, SI joint, and L4-L5/L5-S1 facet joints; none of them made much of a difference in my pain except for the SI joint that seemed to give some temporary relief that day, but nothing after 8 hours.

Despite the fact that I have no clear diagnosis, one doctor I saw recommended a trial of a spinal cord stimulator. I am so desperate to get something that manages the pain better that I am considering it.