Sciatica! It hurts.

[WitchOfWoo]

Day 3 of sciatica and I can hardly walk properly.

Can anyone recommend how to reduce the pain? It is down right buttock to the back of knee and I cannot sleep properly.

I have taken ibuprofen but it is not doing much. Please can someone advise? I would do or take anything.

Thank you.

You could try chiropractor they help with this very well, try get a chiropractor who has trained with the gonstead look it up on utube.. Hope this helps and hope you get results..

Thank you liverLadyLass.

It got so bad that I'm just back from the doctor, heavy duty painkillers, diazepam. It is a slipped disc.

No lifting or driving for a while then physiotherapy in a few weeks time.

Know this sounds obvious but follow the docs advice.

My DH has had back surgery for a prolapsed disk and now gets bouts of sciatica very very painful he says and it looks it.

DH found that certain combos if drugs worked better than just gobbling the stronger ones. I think he finds alternating brufen and paracetamol helps with the sciatica. Try out different combos of the drugs (safely obviously!)

If you think your disk is really bad and won't go away in time START EARLY consultants or physio appts take forever to get and are often way in the future.

Hot baths help DH but not loads. The sitting position is apparently the worse for disks so avoid long drives and if you are sitting or driving take lots if breaks and move about.

Hope you recover soon

If it is a prolapsed disc causing sciatica don't do what I did - put up with physio, osteopaths, chiropractic, painkillers etc. for 17 years because no one would consider surgery. The reason? I never missed work even though I was in such agony my day started by crawling on hands and knees to the bathroom where I would lever myself up, gritting my teeth to go through the pain barrier, and got through the day by making sure I never sat for longer than half an hour (used to alternatively sit, then stand during my train commute and ask my secretary to ring through with an invented reason to get me out the room for a break if a meeting went on longer than half an hour). Obviously thought my back was not bad enough as so many use "bad back" as an excuse to get out of work. So no missed work - not bad enough for the proper treatment.

Finally, they conceded it had to be surgery. That was 20+ years ago. Painful op with back spasms for a month afterwards, but once recovered no more back trouble - ever. Unfortunately years of shifting from one hip to the other to relieve pressure on sciatic nerve damaged my knees. So OP if the disk is really prolapsed and you get severe ongoing pain, my message would be don't go down the same stoic route I did. Make a really large fuss

I took two of the tablets prescribed and am just awake after sleeping for five hours.
I felt such a twit as I started crying when the doc said driving was out - she wants to see me again in two weeks or sooner if things get worse. I cannot feel my foot at all.

It really is the most hideous pain but the tablets might help me sleep at night.

My work entails lots of heavy lifting and has never caused any problems before but ironically, I think it was a bus journey which did it - sitting for a long time and being thrown around. Am off work for six weeks.

Thank you all.

How are you getting on?

My DH did his putting his trousers on for work!

Hope your better than yesterday

Still hobbling about but thanks, planetpotty.

I have a stick to help as my lower leg and foot have gone completely numb plus as the children are off school (holidays) I cannot take the painkillers until dh comes home (the tablets knock me for six but take the pain away).
They are quite bemused at having to help me put my socks and shoes on.....[hgrin]

Lying down and bed make it much worse, walking helps. I am going to find a chiropractor today as I hate the numbness and shooting pains plus the feeling of being completely spaced out by the painkillers and diazepam.

How long before it starts to go away?

I think every case is very different so who knows... BUT keep your spirits up your health will return but for now it's time to focus on you and it's so hard but you have to stay Positive keep talking to DC and DH and explain how you are feeling with the pain and what helps relieve it but also how you are feeling mentally. My DH stayed quite closed at the beginning and it actually caused rows as I was frustrated not knowing how to help and he was frustrated with sometimes not wanting help and other times needing it.

Have you considered a zimmer? I really
Think it would have helped DH to get around better think the red cross hire them for a donation.

After seeing DH the way he was if it happened to me I would try anything. My friend has sciatica bouts and he swears by acupuncture.

Keep your mind busy and try to stick to normal waking/sleeping hours not easy I know with the drugs but I think when the sleep went awry so did his mood and he got very down at points feeling worthless was horrible and there was no need we all get crook every now and then.

Remember your health will return and keep positive

Hope you get better v soon.

Close friend is an acupuncturist - she'll always have a go treating sciatic pain and she's honest to her patients - it's often hit and miss. Worth considering though.

I am worried as the painkillers do not seem to be working. Am keeping a note of when I'm taking them as they are co-codamol 30/500mg, ibuprofen 400mg, diazepam 5mg but am awake and feel driven crazy with the pain.

Am just back from a brilliant chiropractor. The feeling has returned to my calf and foot and I feel so much better.
Doc has changed the medication to a stronger anti inflam and I am walking normally.
A massive thanks for all your advice and support.

That's brilliant news will mention to DH that chiropractor was good. Did you get referred by doc or something you sort out yourself?

I went through the Yellow Pages and phoned each one until I managed to get an emergency appointment.
The chiropractor (registered) was very thorough, asked questions about what the GP had said, medication etc then did several manipulations which cracked audibly. I am horrified to have sworn when she 'popped' the one which had numbed my leg and foot but could almost instantly feel the sensation return to the lower leg.

She wants to see me again in a week and warned that twinges will probably happen as the bruising heals but I walked away pain free and wanted to whoop with sheer joy.

I have only taken 1 ibuprofen tonight instead of the cocktail of all the others.

It feels comfortable to sit and lie down and the pins and needles have gone.

Wow and yuk! But sounds brilliant and next time DH gets a bad bout will get him to give it a go

i had really bad sciatica for 5 years of work the whole time but i went to pain clinic and they burnt the nerves or something like that and it went but i did try everything physio acupuncture stretching but this was the onky thing that worked for me

Pain clinic? Tell us more!

Pain clinic?

Things went a bit pear shaped here. I felt so good that I over did cleaning and lifting like a fool. Back to hobbling about with stick and it is worse at night.
Not able to do the can-can quite yet.[hgrin]

After horrendous sciatica for well over a year and 3 courses of physio/chiro, my dh has just had a caudal epidural steroid injection and some other injection, not sure what.

He now has no pain, but this may not last.i