My mother in law had a sciatic nerve problem. She didnt believe in doctors.... so she found a very good chiropractor. He took an xray first of her spine, to make sure he would not make anything worse or there wasnt something more serious. Then she started getting adjustments. At first she would hurt still, and he told her to ice it religously. Then after several treatments it started to feel good. She was able to walk and build up the muscles... eventually her spine stayed in place and her pain went away. I know there are alot of people that dont believe in Chiropractors, including me to begin with, but I went to this man after she had such great success. He was able to get rid of my hip pain that I had for years, and thought was a "getting older" thing. I am now to the point where I can tell when I need an adjustment, and it makes all the difference n the world for me. It would definitly be a less expensivie alternative.... but it takes some time.
Mine took around 6 months of treatment... and yo start with more treatments, and gradually they become less.
Sure hope you can find a way to get the help you need. I hate MRI's. My hubby has had several, and they dont always tell the Dr. anything.