Agonising sciatic pain for a week - any advice?

[CrabappleTrees]

Pain has been going for a week. Cannot sit, stand or walk for any length of time (2 mins max). Some relief lying down means sleep is possible but then wake in the night in agony. Never felt anything like this before.

GP has prescribed Naproxen and Amitryptoline as well as paracetamol but they are giving minimal relief and not for long. TENS machine helps a bit but also not for long. Physio prescribed but right now it’s the pain that I need to get on top of. Travelling in the car for 5 mins is agony, no idea how I even get to physio! Doing stretches at home when possible. Sitting on a tennis ball etc.

Any further suggestions or ideas please? Have another call with GP booked for tomorrow, what else can I ask for or do?

Is it spasm-y? I was given a few days of diazepam when my sciatica was bad which was enough to loosen everything up and mean I was able to do the exercises. That was a few years ago mind.

Thanks for the reply! It is pretty constant really. Cycles round from being agonising when I move to calming down when I lie down or after a stretch if I can manage that.

So long waves of pain rather than spasms. Will see if GP recommends diazepam. It would be nice to sleep properly and eat a meal without having to lie down on the floor every second mouthful, and progress to being able to walk and stretch to keep things moving.

Just bumping in case anyone has more advice please.

I have had this with my discs prolapsing, diazepam helps relax the muscles and tramadol can help with the pain better than naproxen and it can be taken with paracetamol too. I feel for you op because the pain is awful.

My husband had this about a year ago. He saw a private consultant and had scans and x rays. He was given exercises to do by a physio. The consultant said it would probably just stop after about 6 weeks and it did.

How do you know it's sciatica?

I've had similar and needed an anti inflammatory injection into the muscle

Definitely the right sort of exercise. A good physio should help the immediate problem and give you exercises for maintenance. Mine prescribed yoga cat-cows etc which work.

You do need stronger pain medication and an electric heat pad will help soothe the pain. Dreadful condition. You have my sympathy.

Cortisone injections help with direct pain relief, but the best treatment in physio, movement, and time. It should resolve within 6 weeks or so.

You can Google physiotherapy exercises for sciatica. They should help. Good luck!

Freeze spray.

I have femoral nerve pain, same thing different place. Freeze spray is the only thing that touches it. I told my daughter and she went off explaining how they freeze nerves in surgery or something, so it has some basis in fact.

Thank you all - have been trying most of this but will look at freeze spray as that’s not one on the list so far and will see if my GP will offer diazepam or similar. I know if I can get moving that will help but I can only stand tiny amounts of time moving as the pain is appalling. :-(

it is nice to know that others have been here too and though 6 weeks sounds awful it’s not too long in the grand scheme of things …