Sciatica and muscle weakness

[Cranefliesthinkthecarroofiswater]

Posting here for traffic and am just wanting to see what other people have done.

I'm recovering from the worst bout sciatica of my life and am now in week three. I've had treatment and things are gradually getting better, but the affected leg feels really weak and as if I've over exerted myself when I haven't. If you've had this, how long did it take to get better and is there anything you did that helped?

Took about a month for me, and exercise helped a lot. Running, rowing and stretching mainly.

I'm in an active job - gardener - which helps and have been doing all the exercises and stretches the physiotherapist told me to do. Yesterday, though, I stepped over a plant onto a lawn and my leg gave way and I went down like a sack of potatoes. It was discouraging! I want it to stop.

Sorry to hear that. I couldn’t support myself on my bad leg when it was flaring up, and the foot dragged.

Wow, you poor thing, that sounds really horrible. I didn't realise how bad it could be. I hope that stage didn't last long.

Honestly, I thought I'd had sciatica before as I've had flare ups with my piriformis several times but it's never been anything like this before.

Not a couple of weeks, but yes, it was worrying.

My GP got me in to see a physio pretty quickly, and he was at least able to reassure me that it would pass.

Thanks, Slightly, your words are reassuring even if my heart sinks at possibly another couple of weeks or more of this.

Anti-inflammatories helped, as did co-codamol.

Anti-inflammatories are my current breakfast of choice (with actual breakfast, of course). They don't do much, though. I did have some left over codeine stashed and that did help, but it makes me constipated.