in agony...anyone up?

[buddhasbelly]

currently watching boxsets on Now TV due to a constant pain in my leg/hip. I've been to the GP already and was diagnosed with sciatic pain.

I've been prescribed naproxen and amitriptaline for the pain; i'm not overweight (5'1" and 8 stone 7) so no weight to lose off my hips. I've self referred for physio and am on the waiting list but don't know what else to do that could be proactive in dealing with this, it's a constant dim pain that radiates from my lower back down to my right knee.

DP and DD both asleep upstairs but i can't sleep with this going, it's so sore...sorry I guess I just needed a moan

[CiderwithBuda]

Could you afford a chiropractor or osteopath? They are around £35 a session where I am. I find them much better for back stuff than GP.

Sorry you are in so much pain. It's horrible. I have had sciatica so sympathise.

[Finola1step]

I'm up. I was on Naproxen and Amitriptyline for 9 months last year after a nasty trapped nerve in my neck. The Amitriptyline took a good few weeks to kick in but was wonderful stuff for my sleep once it built up in the system. How long have you been on it?

[londonrach]

Hugs op. Can i hand you a none purping but fed baby to take your mind off the pain. Would a tens machine help. Maybe another trip to gp to push the physio ref. Sorry cant help more than that .

[Sleepinghooty]

Poor you. I've had sciatica off and on for the last 10 years, so completely understand your pain. No real solutions I'm afraid but there are some stretches that help a bit if you google. I find keeping moving helps and a combination of massage and osteopathy. Some people say acupuncture helps but I didn't find that. I think I am unlucky having chronic pain as lots of people have 1 episode and never have it again so hope you are one of those people

[VioletBam]

I had this...one yoga class and it went away. I only did what I could and during the class I "felt" it get fixed. If you do try this, tell the teacher before class begins.

[fizzingmum]

Sorry you are in pain. I have suffered from sciatica since my second pregnancy 10 years ago. I sympathise with you. I swear by acupuncture to deal with it. It has been better than any pain killer. I use a combination of acupuncture and Physio in hour long sessions twice a week. Relief is immediate. It's worth a try. Hope you feel better soon

[intheBondiBubble]

You could try Pilates, my mum swears by it

[Kiwi32]

Try lying on your back with pillows propping up your lower legs so there's a 90 degree angle at your hip and knee, this should take all the tension off your sciatic nerve. Also put an ice pack or frozen peas wrapped in a tea towel on the very bottom of your back for 20 mins and repeat every hour. A chiropractor/osteopath would be my next move. Hope this helps and you feel better soon.

[MrsTerryPratchett]

Acupuncture? Worth a roll of the dice... I had it when I had tennis elbow and the tennis elbow departing was at the same time as the acupuncture (too much of a cynic and a science enthusiast to attribute one to the other.

[Basicbrown]

You could try Pilates, my mum swears by it

Hmmmm..... I'd exercise caution. Pilates causes sciatica for me.

[buddhasbelly]

thank you all for the advice.

I had around 2 hrs sleep in the end but have woken up with the same strong pain again. Some days I dont notice it much but others I need to be horizontal. It gets worse as the day goes on.

The GP told me to do some exercise (i'm usually at the gym 3 times a week) but i'm scared to do anything in case I aggravate it further.

I'll try acupuncture next and then chiropractor. I''m not sure what exercise is involved in pliates but will have a look. My gym has a yoga class and good point re speaking to instructor beforehand.

I'm currently lying in bed with a bag of frozen sweetcorn pressed on to the top of my leg - DP (who works from home) is looking after DD and i'm part time but my word the pain just keeps emanating from my leg and every so often either shoots down my leg or up my spine. Maybe I have a low pain threshold or something but this feels so bloody painful, i'm on my tip toes when I walk as that's the only way I feel ok to walk.

[ifyoulikepinacolada]

Glute and hip flexor stretches really, really helped mine! Could you afford a private physio session as a one off?

Re. pilates - it can exacerbate it because, badly performed, all the supine core exercises can tighten the hip flexors and force a tilt in the pelvis which can put pressure on the sciatic nerve - but a 1:1 with a good teacher would be fine and very helpful to stabilise the pelvis.

[Blackberryandapplejam]

I see an osteopath privately (£25 per visit) for my back pain and sciatica. I find that laying on an electric blanket knocks the pain out for me.

[buddhasbelly]

rather than the waiting list i think i'll do the physio as a one off session. I'm thankful I am p/t work wise so off today, currently the pain is shooting down to my ankle.

I was due to go out this morning but lack of sleep and pain is making this a bit impossible. I'm wondering what caused it, I have seizures every so often (last lot in feb/march) so wonder if I damaged the nerve then (have a previous dislocated shoulder because of seizures), or if this just happened of its own accord. Grr to sciatic pain..

[MatildaTheCat]

I'm a long term sufferer of back and leg pain caused by nerve issues. I do lots of things that together help me to manage. There are more meds that could be added and quite possibly you are on a low dose of amitriptyine which can be increased? 10-50 mgs is the usual range for sciatica. I do regular Pilates exercise which has been designed for my back. Even when I can't face doing them it does help.

I also get a regular massage from a proper sports rehab therapist. I won't lie,mit hurts but helps a lot in the short term. The glute muscles can spasm and trap the nerves running into the leg and cause agony. I like heat which is a matter of trial and error as others prefer ice.

Try a combination of rest, potter, rest rather than all one or other. If you Google AlexanderTechnique constructive rest you can find an exercise which is nothing but lying on the floor in a particular way.

Try not to despair, this will get better.

[Goldrill]

I've had similar bouts of sciatica. My finest moment was having to sit down in the checkout queue in Sainsbury's because I just couldn't stand up any more! I had a disc prolapse more recently and this seriously messed up the nerves in my legs.

However: in my case it was pretty much all sorted out - do not despair because there may very well be a set of fixes out there for you. In my case, the things which helped were:

Diclofenac for the really bad bit in the short term
Osteopath and chiropractor - both of them made it easier to live with
Exercise: building core muscle strength to protect lower back in particular, but also running - I think this may not normally be the case but it helped improve my overall lower back stability.
Changing work chair/desk arrangement. I worked sitting on an exercise ball for a while, and now have better chair.
Being very clear on manual handling techniques - dull but very useful.
And knowing which stretches will work also helps.

I haven't had it for a couple of years now; been getting warning twinges this week as I have been sitting for work too much - so know I need to sort that straight away! I it comes back badly I will be straight down to chiro/osteo/physio to get some immediate help.

Good luck OP - hope it clears up quickly.

[Kiwi32]

Loads of good advice on here... Just to say try the ice on your back rather than your leg! I know the leg is where it hurts but it's most likely being caused by inflammation in your low back trapping the nerve higher up so you need to treat the source! Also try lying in yoga child pose (Google it's v simple). Hang in there it will get better!

[cardibach]

I was given a trick for sciatic pain which generally works for me. Sciatic pain is usually caused by muscle knotting compressing the nerve. Get a tennis ball and trap it between your - um - arise cheek and the wall. Move it around by rolling it with your arse until you find a place it hurts (could be anywhere. Mines usually top half, but it could be somewhere else) then lean on the ball as hard as you can stand. It hurts. After a bit (scientific measurement) take the pressure off move it around then come back and do it again. Repeat as necessary. Always eases/cures my pain. It doesn't sound as bad as yours though.

[CiderwithBuda]

The chiropractor I go to does acupuncture too - I now go every couple of months for maintenance. Worth every penny.

I would try Chiro or osteo before acupuncture as some gentle manipulation may help a lot.

[buddhasbelly]

Goldrill good point re office working. I did have a back support at work but as I'm part time someone nicked it on one of my days off!

DP took DD to soft play this morning so at least she's been out and done stuff.

kiwi i'm now off to put my trusted bag of sweetcorn to my lower back and cardi I've dug out a tennis ball!

[liz70]

I had a bout of it once and struggled to walk. I looked up recommended stretching and flexing exercises using a resistance band, which helped.

[greathat]

I seem to recall someone I know with it talking about laying with a tennis ball under them? Worth a Google maybe?

[loopylou6]

You need to demand an MRI to check for bulged discs.
My husband has suffered for two years worth pain and numbness in his bum and leg, finally got an MRI and he has two bulged discs in his spine. He's just had injections of steroids into them to strengthen them.

[Footyfan16]

100% sympathy, it's an absolute arse of a thing to have.

I suffered for years with a bad back, ended up with Cauda Equina, had an emergency operation.

Further followed many more operations before I had the whole lot of lumbar discs removed and a spinal fusion.

Fucking ouch is not even how I would describe it, but it done the trick.

There are many things that can help - not sitting for prolonged periods, physio helps, trying to stretch out the muscles in your legs helps, including the glutes (mega painful). Try a foam roller on the glutes, it loosens up the whole area.

Try not to get bogged down with the pills, they only mask the pain and won't deal with the real problem.

Ideally if it's that bad you need an MRI.