My husband is 53 y/o, 5 ft 10 inch and weighs 160lbs. He has been suffering from back/hip pain for 6 weeks. He has had xrays, mri s etc and was told he has a bulging disc with impinged nerve in the L4 & L5 region. His symptoms include L hip and back pain with shooting pains down his left leg.He describes the calf muscle in his left leg as feeling like its in a big knotted ball all the time. His calf area is hypersensitive to touch, when the area is touched with a finger he says it s extremely painful. A emboli & cellulitis was ruled out. He also c/o his ring finger and pinky on his left hand as being numb. He is taking pamelor, norco, prednisone and flexiril to help treat symptoms. He cannot sit, stand and/or walk for periods greater than 15-30 minutes at a time and cannot find comfort in any position. His physician has offered an epidural procedure as a treatment option. Dr has also stated this may go away with rest and time. My husband wants to know the best course of action to take to address his current medical situation so that he can get back to leading a productive life. He was very active before this new condition appeared (No trauma or injury). His medical history includes cigarette smoking for 20 plus years and spherocytosis(blood disorder with misshaped red blood cells).