Sciatica support needed please

[estobi1]

My dh has acute sciatica and is in a pretty bad state. I would do anything to help him and wondered if anybody out there has got any advice they can offer about things that can help. He is taking serious amounts of medication and very regular physio. He is a pretty tough cookie (unless it is man flu!) and is suffering like I have never seen him before.
I would be really interested to hear if anyone has any feedback about mattresses -if you have one that has helped you please let me know as that is my next brainwave! thank you x

[hairtwiddler]

Sympathies. I've had several acute flare ups and it's horrible. Have a memory foam mattress which is great, and suspect I'd have it more without that.
Has he used a hot water bottle?
Sciatica does usually calm down but it's agony when you have it.

[estobi1]

Thank you - do you know which one you bought? It feels a bit of a mine field knowing which one to buy! Yes he is using a hot water bottle - seems crazy in mid june! Sleeping at the moment - thank you for sympathies

[hairtwiddler]

we got our bed from the big bed company, mattress here
When I had it recently I was crying with the pain. So frustrating.

[hairtwiddler]

You can get them cheaper than that, we just have a very big bed!

[Doozle]

You say it's acute, how long has he had it? Did anything trigger it or did it just come from nowhere?

I had sciatica over a few weeks before getting help.

The physio has sorted it eventually - it took a little time. Also the daily exercises the physio gave me to do at home helped massively. Has your DH been given any exercises to do?

[giraffesCantRunA10k]

I once went to A&E in agony with it and they gave me vallium as my back had gone in to spasm. Physio never really helped me much to be honest. Its just been a case of learning my limits - things like hoovering seem to set it off, as does swimming breast stroke.

[estobi1]

Please don't tell him about the hoovering! (Joke) He has had it since may 10th. He ran 3 marathons in 5 weeks so kind of know where it came from! He also has a highly pressurised job which involves overseas travel (carrying bags) and commuting to london with a lap top. He was in a huge amount of pain which was getting slowly better after a week's rest at centre parcs and physio every other day & mass pain killers but tried to go back to work this week and is back to square one. He has now been given 2 weeks signed off sick and I think might actually listen. He just can't sit still !

[Doozle]

Does sounds like rest will help.

Sciatica is definitely worsened by sitting too long/badly and lifting too.

So he really must stop lifting anything heavy til it gets better.