No, no not a bone doctor, at least not yet. Try a good physical therapist -- they often know more about these ailments and can fix them than can various MDs. I've had at various times spondilolysthesis -- that's right, it's spon -di-lo-lys-thesis for a few years -- it's basically pain on the left side and a good physio can give you exercises that will keep it at bay. Then there's sciatica, related but a bit more painful, and again some, good simple exercises might cure it. Last of all is spinal stenosis, when "stuff" wraps around the nerves along the spine, causes pressure that is very painful and threatens disability and also has shooting pains down the leg. In that case, surgery is probably necessary. In each case the physio caught the problem before the docs, and recommended a neurosurgeon for the surgery rather than an orthopedist and he was right in each case. This was over a period of about 10 years and I kept things at bay for a long time. Don't blame the massage babes, they can give you temporary relief sometimes, and don't go to a bone doc unless the others don't work. Along the way, I also tried acupuncture and cortisone, and both offered only temporary relief.
In the case where I ended up in surgery, this might amuse you. I had been in pain but some exercises seemed to be working somewhat, so as an ultimate test I booked with the hottest, most gorgeous full service provider I knew, whom I had seen previously and liked a lot. Guess what? I wasn't in real pain but I was definitely uncomfortable to the point of non-performance, and my friend gave me a sympathetic look that said, "I've done everything I can..." I said to myself, that's it, if I can't make it with her I can't with anyone and I'm calling the neurosurgeon. I did, and a week later I had a four hour op and I've been fine ever since, including with my old favorites.
Bottom line -- don't let it go, try the simplest solution first and work your way up, and if an operation seems necessary get a second opinion. Good luck!
