To wonder if I can actually heal my sciatica?

[internallyrebellious]

So I've had sciatica for nearly 2 yrs now and it just seems to keep getting worse.

I initially went to the GP they gave me painkillers. They sort of worked at first but very quickly (within about a week) I saw no painkilling effect and since these painkillers are a type of antidepressant I had some side effects I wasn't happy to live with so I stopped taking them. It's probably my own fault for not pursuing it further at that stage but I was so busy with work and a bit defeated so I just took co codamol when it got really bad and carried on as normal.

Fast forward a year and now the pain flares up to the point where I struggle to walk and some days I'm in pain everywhere from the waist down. I get strong 'pins & needles' in my foot that don't go away for hours and I'm finding it hard to cope with.

I've had an appointment with the spinal specialist at the local hospital who suspects I have a bulging disc pressing on the nerve. They have recommended 'conservative management' with different painkillers and a combination of diet/exercise and physio to reduce my weight (I am overweight) and improve mobility but I am starting to feel really disheartened and sceptical that this will actually work. I haven't received my new prescription yet but even when I do, will I actually be able to heal this without more intense treatment or is it too far gone?

The next stage of intervention would be steroid injections or potentially surgery and that possibility really scares me so I really want to make this work but will it? Has anyone else had this level of constant pain and actually been able to reverse it with (essentially) exercising alone? Feeling very hopeless at the moment 😞

Pilates and physio.
It is the thing that works for me.

Go to a decent pilates instructor. Alot of physios teach pilates near us so hope you can find a good one.

Sciatica is a miserable thing. Also.when it's flaring up take good pain relief and keep.taking it regularly. I was told use heat packs/,hot water bottles etc as the warmth relaxes muscles.

Do you have diabetes? My mother suffered horribly with sciatica and was fobbed off with painkillers for a year even though she went from 13 stone to 9 stone in 4 months. Her medication hadn't been adjusted as she lost weight and she had permanent nerve damage. She died in August from a heart attack and I truly believe the lack of care and not listening to her pain is why she died at 62

Thanks for the reply @Pancakeflipper, it helps to know someone else has been through it too!

At the moment there is no pain relief that I can take that actually works. I'm crossing my fingers that the new one does and I don't feel too many side effects. At the moment part of the problem is that I'm in too much pain at the end of the day to do any exercises - I'm very active, walk to/from work and spend all day at work on my feet so regularly do over 20,000 steps a day. By the end of the day I'm in bits. Funnily enough heat is the only thing that does help a bit but I have to save it for the end of the day when I get home.

No, not as far as I know @Lyra87. I definitely don't have any problems keeping weight on, if anything quite the opposite 😞

I used a chiropractor and after a few sessions my sciatica pain totally went away. He also recommended using frozen peas frequently throughout the day as an ice pack.

Orthotics?. Physio or podiatrist will check legs same length etc.

Just please get it checked
My mother suffered horrible pain in her last 15 months, and was dismissed for more than a year even though she lost 4 stone in 4 months. It could be a nerve issue so keep looking for answers.

Why are you sceptical about what the spinal specialist has said? S/he knows what s/he is talking about. I had dreadfully painful sciatica and a herniated disc and keep myself almost totally pain free by doing what your spinal specialist said.

I paid £40 to see a private physio who diagnosed the herniated disc and two further sessions at £30 each where she massaged me and showed me a simple set of exercises to do every day. She suggested I get a prescription from my GP for naproxen, to take during that initial flare up and have on hand incase it got that bad again. My GP prescribed them over the phone when I explained the situation. I then lost two stone, which has made a massive difference.

If you keep ignoring the advice re exercise and losing weight you won't recover. If you prioritise these things, and have naproxen in reserve for any flare-ups, you will probably manage it fine. It takes an effort.

Decent physiotherapist should be able to help. I have suffered from back pain and sciatica for over 30 years. It's been relatively stable for the last 10 years. Physio has shown me a succession of exercises and if there's a flare up I book an appointment

It really depends on exactly how bad your disc herniation is. Mine laughed in the face of physio and painkillers (I wasn't overweight) but surgery sorted it beautifully. I get the odd twinge but I'm now 14 years post-op and am 99% recovered. So don't dismiss surgery out of hand.

I’m surprised your specialist hasn’t requested an MRI given the severity of your symptoms. I needed surgery. If you start losing feeling or experiencing any continence issues get in touch with the department urgently. I had a protruding disc that was too far gone for anything but surgery. My husband had similar symptoms that got worse over two years but that had been a niggle for over a decade. He had been told he’d have to have a hip replacement some time but our GP in the U.K. When he eventually got an MRI (not in the U.K.), he had a fractured vertebrae that was the cause of the problem. He was under the knife within a month and can now walk normally, in the final year he could walk 5 minutes maximum because of the pain.

Physio is absolutely a cure for 95 percent of this type of injury. The issue is that people don't stick to it. I get it, it's hard to do and maybe even painful at the start, hard to fit into your day, but if you do your physio program and then go back maybe have it adjusted once you have improvement and go again you will see enormous improvements.

I have had a hip injury and I had physio for it, while injured I walked differently due to the pain, not enough to be perceived but it was happening and that triggered a weak core so I was over using my back muscles to compensate. It's amazing the knock on effect it can have.

It took two years but I'm back to pre injury (almost). I still have to keep up with the exercise, as if I lose strength in the muscles that support the weakened joint the pain will return.

I've changed my diet to be lower carb. For me, wheat (not gluten) causes an inflammatory response in my joints. I've heard others have similar issues with things like diary. It might be worth checking this as it will be much harder to recover if you're giving your body something that is causing inflammation. It took me a long time to work it out!

Losing weight will also help, I know it doesn't seem like it but it genuinely will. If you're 15kg as an example, it's like carrying a backpack with that much weight in around with you all day long. Of course movement will be harder and cause much heavier wear and tear on your joints.

You got this op just taken it seriously and stick on at it. You won't see results instantly and that's why most people give up but if you stick at it you will feel a million times better.

No advice unfortunately, but I hope you feel better soon as I know how awful the feeling is. I’ve had the same issues - bulging disc 6 years ago which was operated on - specialist advised me I had other discs that looked as though would cause me issues in future and would most likely require surgery again - low and behold I’m having the same problem for the last year, extreme flare ups at night time, pins and needles down to my feet and a new symptom of bad foot cramp! Have been back to GP and have been referred to physio again and conservative management, even though I’ve been on painkillers ever since my first surgery (I’m thinking the same as you, one is also classed as an antidepressant).

It's also worth mentioning, you say you are active and walk a lot but you can be doing the wrong type of activity for your body if you have an injury.

I had awful sciatica for about 5 years. Had physio, steroid injections, some sonar therapy thing. The treatment that finally sorted me out was acupuncture and a deep tissue massage. The pins and needles is concerning though OP, but it’s worth asking about acupuncture. I was scepticle about, but I’ve been pain free for a decade now. I have also started exercising more - strength exercises at the gym to support my lower back etc.

Weightloss helps. It always helps. Losing weight is 90% diet, 10% exercise so lack of mobility isn't an excuse.

@internallyrebellious you can get heat pads that go over your clothes, give relief for 24 hours. They are available in home bargains/pounstretcher etc. must go over your clothes though or they might burn your skin

I've literally just been talking to a friend who has it and she said she bought a tens machine from b and q for about £16 and its made a huge difference. Xx

Use a hot water bottle to warm up and stretch your muscles....
Then do the exercises in the video, but take care, if something hurts or blocks don't do it. Instead try and ease into the exercise slowly over time.

It's been a lifesaver for me, I have had sciatica on and off for over 15 years.

10 minutes every day and pain free!
...it's about building supporting muscle around the nerve and spine area.

m.youtube.com/watch?v=2eA2Koq6pTI

It's horrible isn't it OP, I feel for you. An osteopath, loosing some weight, particular exercises and a lot of walking seem to have done the trick for me.

Familiarise yourself with the symptoms of Cauda Equina Syndrome - this is an emergency and you must go to A&E immediately. My consultant emphasised this.

I had a disc prolapse with sciatica (MRI diagnosis) years ago and had a combination of steroid injections, physio, hot/cold packs, avoiding sitting for more than 15 mins at a time, and then finally a procedure called IDET which I think isn’t commonly done here (the latter pretty much fixed the disc and I rarely get a niggle).

I was also told to not run/jog and avoid high impact exercise where you are jumping up and down. Gentle swimming or just walking in the pool is good because your joints are supported.

Make sure your walking shoes are very supportive and absorb impact - FitFlops brand is good, particularly the ones with the microwobbleboard soles.

If your glutes feel sore have a look at the symptoms of Piriformis Syndrome- I had this which also didn’t help the sciatica and caused more referred pain down my leg. Physio helped with this.

Not a cure, but Epsom salts in the bath help reduce pain. Cold weather and sitting still makes things worse, so if you have a long car commute you could try a heated seat cover (if your car doesn't already have heated seats).

I have bulging discs, diagnosed by MRI. I could barely walk three months ago. I have a scoliosis Anywya and issues but damaged my back very badly by pulling DH in to the recovery position when he fainted and knocked himself unconscious. I was given exercises and did them every 2 hours for 2 months, now I’m down to twice a day. My physio also said change your position every 15 mins. I also bought a firmer mattress.

Losing weight will help. What @RabbitsEatPancakes is true regarding losing weight. Cut your portion sizes and don’t snack at all.

Thank you to everyone for the advice, it's very helpful, and encouraging to know that you can improve things without the more invasive measures!

@Wisterical it's not that I don't believe the specialist, I absolutely do believe that losing weight and doing the strengthening exercises will help it's just that it takes time and we've agreed that we'll review things in 3 months time after I get the new painkillers but I'm not sure that's going to be long enough to see a significant result.

I have been given naproxen but it didn't help the pain and is quite damaging to your stomach so I stopped taking it.

I don't drive or have a car and I cannot do my job sitting down so I walk everywhere and am on my feet for 9+hrs a day at work. I have shin splits and strongly suspect I have micro fractures in my left foot, (hence why everything hurts from the waist down) so by the end of the day I'm so sore I don't want to do more exercise. I get up at 5am for work as it is so I can't get up earlier to do it before.

I spent £160 on new trainers that were fitted to be properly supportive but my feet still hurt constantly. I know there's no miracle overnight cure but I'm getting to the point where I just can't take any more and I need some short term relief 😞

From your last post you need to see a good physio.

Your sciatica will not get better unless you invest time into your body.

I struggled on and off for several.years - physio, doing their exercises and doing pilates has meant (touch wood) I've not had a serious issue for several years BUT you have to commit to it.

And get a proper pilates instructor. Not a session at the gym with someone who runs different exercise sessions *spin, bums and tums, HITT, etc..