Anyone had sciatica?

[Bertoldbrecht]

Last few days I’ve had an odd numbness to part of my right foot, I can feel sensation and touch but it’s reduced. I still have movement to toes etc and foot is nice and warm.
I’ve had back issues for years but no formal investigations - just regarded it as wear and tear due to my job. Been having lower rt sided back pain occasionally radiating into my buttock and thigh on and off for a couple of weeks, self medicated with painkillers which generally worked (zapain).
This numbness started after a particularly hard shift with lots of lifting etc ( am a hcp).
Stupidly I’d also routinely been wearing ds’s trainers which have special inserts in - they weren’t particularly comfortable tbh - but my own were at work. Suspect this hasn’t helped my back.
Just wondered if numbness was a symptom of sciatica ? I intend phoning my gp later today but not sure what else I could do ?

I have it at the moment and have had a few times but no numbness with it. There is a chart of nerves showing insertion points where you can see which part of the back may affect which nerves but I would be aware of cauda equina
www.spine-health.com/conditions/lower-back-pain/cauda-equina-syndrome-symptoms
Good luck with your GP

I've had sciatica but there was no numbness, just debilitating sharp pains in my lower back/arse cheek when I tried to walk. It came on after a long weekend during which I'd scrubbed every inch of my house, moving furniture around to clean, etc.

I did some stretches I found online and it went away by itself, though it did take a while.

I get it on and off. I have a particularly bad bout at the moment, has been bad for probably two months now. I get the weird numbness in my foot and calf, sometimes punctuated with bouts of pins and needles. Always have the stabbing pain through my lower back, buttock and upper thigh with it.

It really is horrible.

I had sciatica- unbearable shooting pains down one leg. Absolute agony, painkillers didn’t touch it.

It did start with lower back/buttock pain and intermittent tingling/numbness in my lower spine. So you could be in early stages.

Really worth nipping it in the bud as it’s horrendous. I’d wake up in huge amounts of pain.

Physio gave me exercises which helped.

What also helped was lying down flat to rest rather than sitting. And sleeping in front or back with legs straight, not on side or with bent legs. Basically avoiding any static positions that involved bent knee/hip/waist or twisted spine.

I took a Lafuma recliner chair in from the garden to sit/sleep in. It meant I sat/slept with my spine straight, didn’t turn onto side during night and sat/slept with only a very gentle bend at hips/knees.

Yes and it's so bad. I've had it on and off for 16 years. Most of the time something has triggered it. Like when I was pregnant towards the end, then when I kept picking up a heavy toddler. Sometimes I get it when it's cold weather but when it's warm it's gone again.
I saw a chiropractor years ago and he suggested frozen peas etc on the base of my spine but when I feel cold it plays me up so I don't generally heed the advice.
It was really bad at one stage I was on an anti inflammatory and painkillers and at one stage couldn't drive as my right foot had no feeling in it.

Thanks for answering No issue with bowels or bladder re cauda equina Have noticed that if I lie on my side with knees bent in bed at night it’s worse. The day before it started I was having sharp pains down the back of my leg and was struggling to walk. That’s better but not gone entirely.
Difficult to know whether to rest or keep active with pain limits ? Will see what gp says, if I can get an appointment, will probably be telephone one so who knows how helpful that will be !

OP, no experience of it myself, but a dear friend had a bad bout of it.

It was hugely affecting her life.

She wasn't making much progress with the physio so went to very good acupuncturist and within two to three weeks was completely sorted.

Never been to a doctor for it, no point really.
Ibuprofen and leg stretches sorted it out. I usually put the sore leg up on the third or 4th step and bend forward to stretch it. Ibuprofen will bring down any inflamation.