Ive got Sciatica HELP ME RECOVER QUICKLY!!!

[IceBearRocks]

Lots of people know I've got a severely disabled son who I need to lift regularly... Result in lugging 25kg of flailing limbs is Sciatica!!!

Any way now I am severely limping and have no feeling in half of my left foot. My leg is twitching and is in agony and my calf feels dead too!!!

I need to get back to caring .....any advice ? Taking 30mg amitriptyline, paracetamol and ibruprofen...nothing helps???

I'm so sorry. I know how painful it is and feel for you especially as you have a child to care for.

The only thing that works for me is stretching exercises. There are exercises which my physio showed me which are quite basic but help no end. There are videos on line too but basically you lie down on your back and do various leg stretches. Pain relief helps too of course but it never got rid of the pain ... the exercises did. Have you been given any exercises to do by your GP?

Look up mc kenzie protocol for back pain. Is really simple movements that encourage the nerve to release and the pain to move up the leg.

Thanks Broken... Nothing from GP but do have physio tomorrow!!!
I think everyone is a bit panicked as I've been begging for respite for over a year and help getting him in and out of the bath!!!!
Funnily enough his OT I've been asking to call me for 6 weeks called today !!!!
It's just so painful.....and usually I have a really high pain threshold. I didn't murmur in labour and now complaining with Abit!!!

Rolypoly....I'll have a look. Most exercises I've seen online I can't even get into that position. I'm hypermobile so very unusual.

I'm disgusted that you've received no help with your son. It's so unfair.

I'm glad that you've got physio tomorrow. Could you afford a session with an oestiopath? I had 2 sessions and the guy was amazing. It was a teaching college and so the price was much reduced. It might be worth considering that as an option.

Sciatica is a really hideous pain you have my sympathies, it must be very difficult as well with needing to look after your son. You really need checking out before you start doing exercises because it might be a bit more serious than sciatica so just beware of YouTube on that front!

Once you have the all clear from the physio one of the best ones I found was to do this:

m.youtube.com/watch?v=oq2vHUCf5VU

Heat can be good but cold works well too so hot water bottle or ice pack. You can also sit on a tennis ball and sort of roll your bum around and see if you can find a release. It can be miserable though. My physio said most people (like 95%) recover from the acute pain in a few days but it sounds like you’re not getting enough help and storing up problems so I hope you get the assistance and respite you need.

Some good things to do if you is just general good back care so: don’t hover about on one foot putting trousers/socks/tights on, sit down on the bed. Roll to your side and push up with your hand when getting out bed. Legs together when you’re in and out of the car etc. Seems daft I know when you’re looking after your son but every little helps. Sending sympathy and

I use a chiropractor with great results very fast for sciatica.

However, you must know you cannot continue to lift your son on an ongoing basis, he is going to get heavier that’s for sure!

I think most carers will tell you it is usually only when there is a crisis like this that wheels start to turn. Maybe this is the time to flag up YOUR crisis.

You need help, shout out and loud!

Diazepam
Go to a chiropractor
Sports massage

Sooo shit

Stretches like the one @Badgerthebodger shared helped me. Also yoga designed for people with Sciatica is good too.

TENS machine worked wonders for me!

Chiropractor and stretches are helping mine. He said do the stretches 2-3 times a day. I’m hypermobile too and we get injured easily.
Sympathy- it’s horrible

Could you have a bulging disc that is compressing the sciatic nerve? I herniated a disc this year and your symptoms sound how mine felt as I recovered. If it is a bulging disc then you really, really need to rest as if it bursts then you'll be in even more pain.

Can you push your GP for an MRI?

Thank you all...typically physio gave me some stretches which as I'm hypermobile I'm very capable of doing ..... GP upped amitriptyline to 30mg..... My foot is so dead and it feels like my tendon is really tight too.
Thanks for all your support !

If it's not easing you need to get an MRI. I have the same sciatic pain as you describe following really bad hospital-job muscle spasms. I have a fragmented disc and may need surgery to remove it.

Don't keep going if you don't feel it's improving

I'm going to give the physio a chance .... But then I'll have to ask for the MRI????

If your foot feels dead you need to push for an MRI because if you leave it you may get long term nerve damage (worst case ). Go back to the GP.

When sciatica became cripplingly painful, I was sent to sleep for a week. Is there any chance that someone could take over the care of your son so this could be done? The cocktail of drugs I was prescribed meant I was awake for no more than about four hours in the day, enough to eat, wash, use loo etc, and even while awake I was happy to lie on the sofa with the affected leg on the sofa back - my only comfortable position. This rest gave the irritated nerve time to recover and I was able to resume driving, work etc the next week.

Long term clearly you cannot continue to lift and move your son unaided or this will just come charging back.

Good luck and best wishes.

Hi

I suffer from terrible back pain and the only thing that has made a difference is a combination of drug free pain relief and swimming 2-3times a week.

The drug free pain relief I started using is something called Quell Relief. It's sold in USA so I bought it from amazon.com it's expensive but after over 10yrs of popping drugs this has truly been a lifesaver. It helps the reduce the pain so I can move more which is really the true pain relief. I've also started to sleep with a pillow between my legs which helps at night - I find my sciatica is worse when I'm lying down. Finally for when things get really painful I use a sciatic belt. It helps some and might help you while your lifting.
I have used chiropractor a number of times and anti inflammatory drugs when the flare up is bad but I now can limit the use of these. Which also means they are more effective.

I'm not promoting the quell device for any business reason just as someone who really has benefited from it massively.

Good luck

I would love to have some remedies. At around Easter time I was in agony. Diagnosed at the walk in centre and gp a week later referred me for physio. However because I'm pregnant I needed a specialist physio?! And now I'm 34 weeks, the size of a house, no physio, hips and back in pain
Most days and no feeling in my little toe on my left foot still. Make sure you get it sorted x

I was helped loads by Ayurveda treatment (consisted of massage and various herbs and oil therapies, bit of diet change too). and it made me lose some weight too in the process ;-)