Aargh! Please share your sciatica experiences, tips and wondrous miracle cures

[WaggyTailsWetNoses]

I’m on day ten of back pain from a herniated disc and day five of excruciating one-sided sciatic pain. It’s pretty much all I can think about and talk about. Driving is almost impossible. As a is sleeping, sitting and doing anything that isn’t a scalding hot bath. OTC medication useless, description NSAID/ codeine also not great (although strong ones help with sleep a little). Yoga poses, TENS etc. all
offer only fleeting relief. BUPA only will fund five physio sessions and, apart from that say to give it time.

Ant ideas where to go next?

I’m happy to try an osteopath and other medications. Happy to pay to see a pain specialist/ orthopaedist. Has anyone had a cortisone injection? BUPA physio ruled it out but I’m happy to pay if it might help.

To be honest, I feel a bit fobbed off by insurance company and GP (only spoken to the practice nurse, and she was very kind but said it’s just stronger painkillers from them), as it’s massively impacting on my quality of life. But maybe I’m being an impatient baby she just need to suck it up.

It is a horrible pain, I didn't find any miracle cures but the things that took the edge off for me besides pain killers was to keep on the move with a swinging hip motion when walking, also heat pads, which stick to the skin at the place along your spine where the problem is. They were in the back pain shelf in the supermarket and Wilko do one which are in the period pain section. I also bought some gel pads from eBay which can be microwaved to heat up, I use to lay on them in bed. On my doctor's recommendation I now do a weekly pilates lesson and I haven't had a recurrence so I would recommend that when you feel up to it.

Diclofenac pessaries. That really helps, but GPs are afraid to prescribe, as to not get addicted to them. You have to beg them. Better still, diclofenac injections- but these will be impossible to get from your GP, maybe, private insurance can?
Sciatica- inflammation of the nerve, so vitamin B complex might help. Again, injections, not the oral ones. Again, no GP will help you with this. Try finding other ways to get injections.
If you have slipped disk and sciatica is the result of that, stretching exercises will help, but it is almost impossible to do when you have sciatica pain, so first get the pain sorted out.
Good luck, you'll need it 🥲

Thanks so much everyone.

Yes, there are very varying views about osteopath v chiropractor v physio. I’m a bit scared of offering anyone my joints to crank just now, so will stick to physio.

Today the pain has really diminished. It’s more ‘aches and pains’ now. But it’s made me realise it’s a familiar pain and I’ve had mild left-sided sciatic pain on and off for years. I’d put it down to general muscle/ joint pain due to a hypermobile hip joint.

Pilates classes are my number one priority, once this bout is over.

I was in agonising pain for about 6 weeks with sciatica last year. I saw my GP and she prescribed codeine and amitryptiline, both of which made me sleepy and nauseous. The only thing that really helped was seeing a chiropractor. He was brilliant, did lots of gentle work and gave me exercises to do 3 times a day. So far, I've been pain free.

Really hope you get better soon. Sciatica is utterly miserable.

I hope this flare settles down soon, it really does impact daily life

Diclofenac is not addictive, it’s in the same drug group as ibuprofen. It’s stronger than ibuprofen and is more likely to cause gastric upset.

Hi @WaggyTailsWetNoses i had severe lower back and sciatic pain for years from what ultimately ended up as a 25mm spondylolisthesis due to a teenage injury. Ultimately I had a fusion and decompression.

The best quick fix I can recommend is to lie back down on the floor with your legs on a bed or sofa so that your body forms a Z but with the middle bit vertical if that makes sense? Give at least half an hour.

Do not do yoga or anything else that might aggravate either a spondylolisthesis or stenosis.

Grouty, I was told by my GP it was the reason they can not prescribe it to me. Anyway, I have fought and fought with them until I got it through consultant at the hospital.

Acupuncture. My osteopath does Western Medical Acupuncture. He got biiiiig needles to get through my fat bum to my piriformis. It was bliss! Acupuncture followed by some manipulation would take the pain away.

I had terrible sciatica that made sitting at work almost unbearable and lying in bed I would want to cry.

For immediate relief, the best thing was wheat packs warmed up underneath the sore parts.

Longer term, I tried physiotherapist, osteotherapy, regular massage, acupuncture and chiropractic. All helped to some extent, acupuncture gave me the longest periods of relief. But chiropractic treatment helped to the point. Where I no longer need any treatment.

I'm always a little hesitant to recommend them as I know it has the potential to be dangerous and it's considered an alternative therapy at best. But honestly I feel like the change was dramatic, and has been life changing.

Osteopath. Heat pads, pain killers and walking on a treadmill helped mine

Voltarol (topical diclafenic) was the only thing that helped with the pain short term (and was also easier than naproxen on my stomach). I had an mri to rule out disc impingement then went to a great physio who found I had weak glutes. No pain since I’ve been doing my strengthening exercises and I was in agony day and night for 3 months last year!

I have really struggled on naproxen. It’s given me lots of gastric issues, and doesn’t even help the pain! I am going to ask the pharmacist about the topical Volterol today.

Amyltriptiline bought me four blissful hours sleep yesterday, so things are looking up a little. Luckily I can still work ( I’m self employed) but at 10 miles an hour instead of my usual 30.

Acupuncture, osteo and yoga improves mine
As does pillow between legs night

Have you had an mri? If not do that, pay for it if your doctor won't refer. I was in your position last July. I had surgery in November and (apart from a numb foot) I'm pretty much back to normal.
No pain killers worked, but I took them anyway.
I took my MRI to my doctor who referred me to Musculoskeletal team. They looked at my mri and the pain I was in and declared that I was beyond physiotherapy. I was then referred into the private sector and had my surgery in a private hospital paid for by the NHS.
What I learned: keep pushing for help.
Be willing to pay if you can for initial diagnostics.
Do not stretch the sore side it just irritates the nerve further.

Where are you based? I'm in SW and I paid for MRI and an initial consultation with a back surgeon (£350+£250). Then I got my nhs referral through and was able to stay with the same surgeon. They will probably suggest a spinal injection first, I had that but it was only partially successful so he said surgery was the only answer. When he did my back he said my nerve was tangled up with my herniated disc and no amount of physio or stretching would have helped. He gave me back my life.

Sending best wishes, the pain is unknowable for anyone who has not experienced it.

The Alexander Technique. A game changer.

How has everyone got a diagnosis?
I've got arthritis in my lower back and both hips plus fibromyalgia.
Last June I started to develop pain in the sciatic area, some years back I went through a phase of getting sciatica, this isn't quite the same as I don't get leg pain with it.
I rang the GP in October who just made an appointment with the physio at the surgery.
He didn't examine me, just kept repeating that it was a flare up of my arthritis and/ or the fibro.
He referred me for physio (I have no idea why the physio at the GPs doesn't actually do physio).
Saw the other physio, who just parroted the 1st one, showed me some very gentle exercises.
After those stretches the pain started to build up, and the next morning I could not walk.
I rang the GPs, spoke to a different doctor, who wouldn't actually answer my question of is a physio actually allowed to diagnose? But did listen and agreed that it sounded like a new problem, not a flare up of the existing.
I have a history of not tolerating a lot of medication, I'm currently on Celicoxib and paracetamol for the arthritis.
He prescribed nortryptylin, I managed 5 days before the side effects were just too intolerable, but I was pain free, so think that means it's most likely nerve pain?
Will be speaking to GP again, but it's pot luck who you get, as you can only get a telephone appointment on the day you ring.

Diclofenac is a good starting point. Gabapentin which directly tackles nerve pain was the only thing that really brought me any relief and that was at a very high dose. I also had tramadol which I’d take at midnight and it would knock me out for exactly 4 hours sleep.

if none of the drugs work, keep pushing for an MRI and then a discectomy if that is what’s indicated. Once they’d removed the part of the disc that was protruding down my spine, the relief was more or less instant.

Have you had a MRI? If not get one asap. Find a private neurosurgeon or orthopaedic surgeon, get them to refer you for an urgent MRI then discuss with them what to do.

Your options will be

• Spine surgery to remove the part of the disc pressing on the nerve. This should solve all your problems but the surgery does carry serious risks if the surgeon makes a mistake.
• decompression / traction
• An injection at the site of the disc. My surgeon told me that this helps a similar number of people as the surgery but doctors don’t really understand why it works.
• A ‘wait and see’ approach.

People will talk about strengthening your core, physio and pilates etc, but the time for that is after your nerve has calmed down, trying to exercise (other than walks) will not help at the moment in my opinion. I stopped seeing my physio as she was making it much worse.

Good luck it’s agony I know.

Ps MRIs are expensive and most sciatica eventually gets better on its own, so NHS policy is not to refer for MRI until after 6 weeks. But if you have insurance (or spare cash) don’t mess about with GP just find a neurosurgeon/orthopaedic surgeon on the internet and get them to refer you.

MRIs are approx £350, you can self refer, it's the best £350 I've ever spent. I know it's quite a lot, but it is the key to getting a diagnosis.

WaggyTailsWetNoses · Today 08:15

I have really struggled on naproxen. It’s given me lots of gastric issues, and doesn’t even help the pain! I am going to ask the pharmacist about the topical Volterol today.

Voltarol / Diclofenac is being phased out, because it turns out that the drug company concealed evidence that it causes heart valve problems and heart failure. Naproxen is older and much cheaper now, because it's off patent, but doesn't have those problems.

NSIs in the Naproxen / Voltarol and Ibuprofen class all cause gastric problems, whic is why Ibuprofen tablets are usually coated, so as to pass through the stomach and into the small intestine, before they begin to be absorbed.

Naproxen is ideally taken with another painkiller, it's more effective as an anti-inflammatory, but with analgesic properties. It can take 24 - 48 hours to build up a "therapeutic dose."

You must take it with food, but not cheese, or yoghurt (personal experience). I usually have a bit of bread and jam, or similar - something solid. I eat a bit before taking the tablet, make sure to have a drink and have my throat nice and moist, then follow the tablet with the rest of the bread and a drink.

Totally agree. My GP and physio said it “doesn’t seem like typical sciatica maybe do pilates”

Turned out one of my cartilage discs had snapped in half, and gone for a wander along my nerve 😶

Codeine
Gabapentin
Diazepam (occasionally)
Pilates
Physio

I have had sciatica on and off for 7 years now. Latest flare up has lasted since October last year.

I mostly want to cry

Good luck! I echo a PP that ANY incontinence will need an A&E visit urgently

Silvergone yes, it was a physio in California that I spoke to who said that stretching and working an already inflamed nerve was going to make it worse, but there seems to be a thing here to put people through agony for weeks with physio that makes them worse. It's true that the majority of first sciatica inflammations do resolve themselves in 6-8 weeks- the disc is reabsorbed (if it's a herniated disc causing the pain), but for those that it doesn't, it can nearly destroy their lives. I lost my job and my partner because I was in so much pain and could do literally nothing.

I tried swimming (I am a regular fast swimmer) and I ended up weeping into my goggles it was so awful, I had to be fished out because my leg cramped so badly. A chiro said he could fix it if I went three times a week and drank loads of water, an osteo said ice and a back brace (that was the only good advice I got in the uk until I saw a spinal surgeon).
It's hell. My MRI was the turning point.