sciatica

[blushingm]

has anyone any experience of it and can you give me any tips on relieving the pain?

I've been told by my gp that this is what it is - i've been in pain for just over a week - lower back and into my left buttock and hip and it shoots down my leg tio my nakle. It's either like an electric shock or like a hot feeling going down my leg and sometimes it feels kind if fuzzy like the feeling just befire you get pins and needles. Other than that it's a constant dull ache all around my hip/buttock/lower back/thigh.

he gave me naproxen and solpadol but they aren't giving me any relief yet and it's really getting me down. so any help would be so much appreciated

TIA

[sausagesandmarmelade]

He should be finding what the cause of your sciatica is.

Have you had scans and x-rays?

[sausagesandmarmelade]

I've had it myself by the way....started when I bent over awkwardly and was in agony for about 6 weeks.

Never did have a proper scan/x-ray....but it did go away eventually.

I was referred to a physio who recommended exercises...and found hot and cold packs helpful. Used the cold ones first thing in the morning (those gel packs from boots) and hot ones intermittently when I needed one.

Also got one of those special cushions to support the small of my back...you can put it over your chair or car seat. Really good!

[WhoKnowsWhereTheTimeGoes]

This might not work for the real acute sharp pain, but in the times when it is the dull ache, a really good stretch is to sit on an upright (dining type) chair with both feet flat on the floor, then lift the foot of the affected side up and onto the thigh of the other leg, so the ankle is resting on the other thigh just above the knee.

Support the small of your back with a cushion at all times when sitting. Longer term, I have pretty well got rid of mine by wearing orthotic inserts in my shoes, but this probably doesn't work for everyone and it took a couple of weeks for me to realise it was working for me.

[blushingm]

thanks for your answers

no scans or anything - said just to come back in 2 weeks

whoknows - i cant lift my foot high enough to put it on my other thigh - it hurts too much

[lilyliz]

rest and some excercise is good too much rest and you will stiffen up,you could try to stand and slowly try to touch your toes,hold and slowly stand up again.I also found lying flat on the floor helped(hard surface)Mine was brought on carrying too heavy shopping bags causing compression at the base of my spine,never had it since now I know.

[WhoKnowsWhereTheTimeGoes]

I did wonder if that would be too much after I posted it. It may be helpful once the acute symptoms have died down. Hope you see some improvement soon

[libbyssister]

blushingm you have my sympathy, it's absolutely misery. I had a extruded disc which caused sciatica when I was pregnant with DS2 until he was 6 months old (when I opted for surgery). Absolutely the worst pain I have ever had and I used to cry every day in agony.

I found the buttock ache could be relieved (slightly) by either lying on the floor with a golf ball underneath my bum and gently rolling on it (!) or if my DH massaged my butt cheek (hard) with the heel of his foot (me lying on the floor, him standing). He used to find this hilarious (ha bloody ha).

I used to take the Solpadol 4 times a day and although it never got rid of the pain, it was much worse without it, and my options were limited by pregnancy/breast feeding.

I do hope you start to feel better soon.

[RoseWei]

After GP hurriedly confirmed sciatica, I went to our chiropractor and, honestly, he sorted it after a couple of visits. Recurrence the following year, at around the same time of year, and, again, a couple of visits dealt with it. Since then - fine.
He's very experienced and skilled - it is an area that chiropractors work in.
Have you thought of that - or osteopathy, perhaps?
It is so painful - every sympathy to you. ;(

[sausagesandmarmelade]

My best exercise is the lie on the floor, clasp hands under my knees and bring my knees up as high as poss. Stretches out the spine

[mummylin2495]

I too suffer with sciatica,although now years on its nowhere as bad as it was.I think in the beginning i would rather of had a baby !! I went to a chiropractor twice a week for 8 weeks ,then she decided to give an xray where it showed that my disc had crumbled.My doc was going to give me an epidural but when the pain was starting to go from my ankle he thought it best to leave well alone.I tried anything going,tens machine ,herbal stuff, tiger balm.The best thing to put behind your back is a rolled up towel when you are sitting,also when you get in a car put your bum in before your legs.I was discharged from doing jury service because of this as i was told not to sit for any longer than 20 mins at any one time.I still get it now and again,but if i take painkillers and be extra careful it usually goes off in a couple of days.Hope you improve soon.Its horrible.

[mummylin2495]

Another tip is to lie with a pillow between your legs in bed.I also tried hot and cold therapy.Not sure if it did any good but i was willing to try anything !!!

[worldgonecrazy]

I had dreadful sciatica with a herniated disc. The McKenzie technique kept me sane right up until the disc perforated and then it was just painkillers and full on TENS machine that worked until I had a mini-disectomy to rectify the problem.

The McKenzie technique is a bit like the snake move in yoga.

[worldgonecrazy]

I had to have an MRI scan to discover the disc was perforated. I knew things had changed because I went from the pain being mostly manageable to being virtually crippled.

[mummylin2495]

Toughasoldboots i would insist to your doc that he sends you for xray or something.Its a terrible pain to live with, you have my sympathies.But i know that for the rest of my life it can flare up at any time but it is now manageable.

[mummylin2495]

I was given different pain killers to start with along with af,s but none of them worked so eventually i was given co-drydomol,the only thing is although i can take 8 a day,they make me feel like im not in this world,so i tend to only take them at night time.If you are not getting any relief from the medication,tell your doc and he can give you something else.

[Mytholmroyd]

I suffer from dreadful sciatica but only when pregnant. With the fourth baby I was sent for acupuncture therapy (was very sceptical and never had it before). Have to say it worked a treat and relieved the pain to something hardly noticeable.

[bittersweetvictory]

I had acupuncture for mine, hobbled in with a walking stick stooped over in agony and feeling sick with pain, after a sesh of acupuncture i was upright and mostly pain free, im allergic to pain killers so tried it as a last resort, cost me £30 and i only needed one sesh, i havnt had another bout but as soon as i do i will be straight back for more.

[blushingm]

bittersweet - that's interesting about acupuncture - one of the gp's i normally see if qualified in acupunture - i might ask about it. These tablets have been helping a bit but i have to take them quite regularly and they make me feel really weird and a bit sick so not so great

[liftthatup]

Oh praise be- others who are suffering!!! I've had the dull version on and off for about 3 years but this last couple of weeks have been sheer agony. As someone said above, I'd rather go through childbirth again. Ended up calling in at health centre last week and almost howling in reception. They were lovely and a doc saw me within 10 mins. Now on 30/500 co-codamol, diclofenac, amitriptyline and diazapam while I wait for consultant appt on 8th July. Unfortunately, although that seems a long list, I'm never without a fair amount of pain the full length of my leg. Could it just ease off maybe?

[WhoKnowsWhereTheTimeGoes]

Bouts of it I have had in the past have eased off gradually, but have never been bad enough to need prescription pain killers.

The dull version (which has a different name, can't remember it though) I have suffered with for years, but for me the only thing that has sorted it out has been orthotic shoe inserts, pilates has helped too but to a lesser extent. Chiropractic and acupuncture didn't help me at all.

[worldgonecrazy]

If you have a bit of spare cash, sometimes it is possible to get an MRI scan done privately. I was lucky in that an MRI scanning company an hour's drive away was doing special offer half price scans. Although I did wonder what the world was coming to when such things were offered as sale items, it came at the right time for me, cost £200 including translation of the scans, and allowed me to miss out about 11 months of NHS waiting lists.