Please help sciatica has me sobbing

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2 and half weeks. Not improving. Keep ringing GP they keep prescribing more naproxen and codeine but they're not making any difference. can almost not walk now it's so painful. Home alone now. tried hot water bottles, lying on back with knees up (best position). Rang 111 yesterday they ended up making me appt with my gp who prescribed more codeine. Dont know what else to do.

I have had this for many years but it think the treatment can depend on the cause. If it’s a disc issue then that’s more serious - do you remember if you hurt your back lifting or twisting? I had a prolapsed disc which was the cause of my sciatica.

Alternate heat and ice packs every 20 mins approx - don’t just rely on heat. Very gentle stretching of your glutes and hamstring muscles will help if it’s a non-disc cause as the sciatic nerve runs through the glutes and can cause piriformis syndrome.

Don’t spend too long lying in bed if you can, it’s detrimental long-term, you need to keep moving but of course when in acute pain this is almost impossible.

Keep on at the GP and consider A&E if you get nowhere with them. It’s dreadful isn’t it, you have my utmost sympathy and you really need to discover the root cause to help find the best treatment.

thank you x osteo I saw when this started thinks prolapsed disc. getting harder and harder to do my exercises and stay mobile. today esp

I found a tens machine really helpful.

I went to the osteopath and acupuncture regularly which sorted me. Hope you feel better soon

I had this very badly when pregnant - on my 4th pregnancy my obstetrician sent me for acupuncture - cannot believe the difference it made - a revelation!

OP I had this earlier this year. I've never known pain like it. At one point I saw an osteopath and burst into tears as I just couldn't stand the pain anymore.

It took two months to properly heal with a mix of naproxen (caused awful mouth ulcers) and the maximum strength cocodamol.

I used an ice pack and hot water bottle, which also helped. I found lying on the floor and bringing my knees up to my chest helped too.

I am now doing yoga to strengthen my back too but I couldn't do it until it started to heal. I also found sleeping with a cushion between my legs helped.

I really feel for you as it's just awful. I'd go through childbirth any day thsn sciatica.

Oh and as another poster said, do try and stay mobile even if its pacing up and down the kitchen.

I've had it for 14 months now. Had it before and it went away within a month, this time it's here for the duration. Naproxen did nothing. I'm on gabapentin and 8/500 cocodamol. That gets me through with bearable pain and I can increase cocodamol strength if necessary. It's making life pretty hell though, I'm in constant pain.

Cbd oil helps with pain from a pinched nerve due to scoliosis. I also go to the osteopath and take ibuprofen with cocodomol (Boots' own brand is good). Not the same as sciatica but might be helpful.

I hope it can be treated with exercise. Mine was a shattered disc and only surgery helped. Sorry if it's the same for you

I have a slipped disc which causes me to get sciatica on and off. I'm fine when I'm active, it's always worse when I've been sitting for ages. My GP recommended Pilates, I can't actually afford classes but there are videos on YouTube. I do find that strengthening your core does massively help. I haven't had it as bad since.

Oh no I really feel for you. I have found these stretches really helpful apart from the back extension www.nhs.uk/live-well/exercise/exercises-for-sciatica/ I also do quadriceps stretches.
I was prescribed amytriptaline which worked for about a month which worked really well until it didn't work at all. It might be enough to make it possible to do the exercises tho. I've struggled with my back in various places for the last 12 years. This time I'm determined to keep pestering my GP and have now got a physio referral with a view to seeing whoever I need to for whatever they need to do to stop the horrendous pain. I now can't walk or stand for more than a couple of minutes.

Ask for a pain clinic referral and a physio referral

I'm on 500 naproxen x2 day
30mg codeine x 3 and 60mg codeine at night.
40mg amitriptyline

have exercises from osteo which in doing but is mire and more painful. walk round house. walk down long garden coming back im crying. trying to mobilise but sooo painful. doing all my labour breathing

anyone used tramadol?

thanks daffs those are almost exactly what osteo has prescribed me

rockbird

I'm so sorry to hear you are in so much pain, I've been there, so giving you a handhold.

I've suffered from chronic back pain for over two years, it's been horrific at times. I don't have sciatica specifically, but I would suggest continuing to pester your GP. Ultimately they have been the ones that can easily prescribe drugs or refer you into different secondary services.

In my two years I have seen an osteopath, two physios (NHS and private), rheumatology (for diagnosis and steroid injection). The issue is still not resolved, so I've been back at the GP just this week, and I'm on new medication and with a referral for fibromyalgia diagnosis.

You sound in a pretty bad way, but if you get periods when the pain eases I'd look at 'Yoga with Adriene' specifically for sciatica/lower back pain. Also consider breathing techniques to help with pain, that has really helped me calm down when things have been very rough.

I was on these meds and similar doses for months when I had a slipped disc. It took gabapebtin on top of that to finally start making a difference.

If it persists, I'd push for an MRI. avoid chiro/osteo in the meantime, but a referral to physio may help.

Pilates is a good shout if you can tolerate it, but go carefully.

Don't give up with the GP. It took me 4 months to finally be referred for an MRI, and finally got the right meds and physio, and it started to resolve. Hopefully it's not too serious.

thanks ritz sorry to hear you've had such bad pain. have been doing most of that yoga plus osteo exercises. did u have an mri? have called 111 as tried to go to loo but so painful I couldn't wee . supposed to be called back soon... yofa and walking has sorted previous mild bouts but this is something eelse x

I don't recommend tramadol. I was given it after a pretty serious injury and I was literally on another planet, then violently sick. DH took the pack off me, I was off my face and I gave them back to the pharmacy. Horrid toxic stuff.

Gentle movement, lots of stretching and I found an infrared heat massager worked best for me. Once I'd got past the initial pain, the osteopath was a lifesaver.

Gabapentin plus cocodamol for day and then tramadol to knock me out for 4 hours at night. A partial discetomy was the true miracle solution. Get referred for an MRI ASAP so they can sort out the cause.

OP probably not now but later do look up Pete Egoscue. He’s a physio and his book Pain Free has changed my life (I’ve suffered lower back pain l3/4 for years).

The exercises take quite a long time to do but are so worth the commitment (I’m currently on my back in a pose as I type!) His premise is that muscles make bones do what they do and so the muscles can be trained to put them back again. It’s all about correct alignment, posture and symmetry.

Hope you get some relief soon x

I've got similar but yours sounds worse so you've got my full sympathy. I think you need to find yourself a physiotherapist ideally with a specialism in this area, rather than an osteopath. Physio should be more specific to osteo. Mine is a blummin wonder. She does this technique with pressing the fingers into specific points that really releases things. Flippin hurts then eases as she goes along. Do you know which discs have the prolapse? Mine are in my lower back. I have to flex backwards a few times several times an hour to physically squidge the disc fluid back the other way, build up glutes strength with daily reps of side leg raises, side clams with heels raised etc, and do pilates focuses on my deep core. It's hard going. Be really careful with stretches, particularly things like glutes and hamstrings, your sciatic nerve is all aggravated and stretching it can pull it against things and make it worse. I got myself in a right mess doing yoga at home during lockdown.

If you struggle to sleep you might want to try lying on your side with you bad leg on top, put a pillow under your bottom hip and another one between your knees.