Sciatica hell. What might help?

[tattoonewbie]

I saw the e chiropractor last week and he diagnosed trapped nerve in three places Pain is in my bum, spreads down my leg and currently my outer lower leg is throbbing and my foot is fizzing.
I cannot get comfy. Back at chiro on Thursday but it's worsening. I've got GP tomorrow and will ask for some pain relief as it's awful. I've done my exercises tonight and it feels even worse.
It's so horrible. Just relentless.
Has anyone any top tips ? Please. I'm so miserable and can't see me being able to drive tomorrow to work. I can WFH but even the thought of sitting is making me want to cry. Sorry to sound pathetic.

Sciatica is a symptom, the diagnosis would usually be disc herniation which is "pinching" the sciatic nerve. The pain is coming from the back but felt along the path of the sciatic nerve down to the foot. If you look up a dermatome chart online you can quite accurately guess which nerve in the spine is pinched by the location of the pain in your leg/foot. Other diagnosis might be spinal stenosis or piriformis syndrome.

Try trigger point massage, use a tennis ball in a sock. Should be on YouTube, the side of your hip. Too long to explain here but you'll find online.

I had 7 days on a drip and lost 2.5 pints of blood on naproxen.

I second nerve flossing. And do a few mobilisation exercises at least once an hour. The more regularly you move it the faster it heals.

Anti-inflammatoires with something to protect your stomach, plus strong painkillers if you can get some. And heat, this helps me a lot. Gentle walking if you can manage it. Avoid sitting if it's painful and lounge/lie down or stand.

I do physio too though I struggle because I have a lot of other injured areas too. I have had back problems for a long time and the thing that has made the most difference long-term is regular sessions with an excellent osteopath. If I have a crisis she can get me over it in 2 sessions usually. I have monthly maintenance sessions and these have reduced my flare-ups to about 36 hours as opposed to weeks. And they are rarer now. (Frantically touching wood!)

Currently sitting with a cold pack at my hip and heating pad wrapped around my leg. Took Robaxacet and codiene earlier on. I agree with the Naproxen although my stomach cannot handle it now. Can you take Gabapentin? It helps ease nerve pain.

I took Tramacet for about 2 months and Tramadol for a short time, made me itchy and too tired to function, but it did kill the pain.

This isn't an immediate solution, but I haven't had sciatica since I started physio-led Pilates. It's a small class with exercises tailored to the individal.

Pilates and a bloody good sports massage every three weeks!

Tens machine
Heated pad
Naproxen (take lansaprole or similar alongside to protect your stomach)
Paracetamol or Codiene if it really unmanageable but try to avoid relying on opiates
Physio - do the exercises they give you at home every day
Sports massage
Acupuncture
Sleep with a pillow under your knees if on your back or between your legs on your side.
Pilates class - once a week
Yoga
Swimming- but keep your head down in the water
Walking everyday
Don't sit in one position for more than fifteen minutes without moving position
Don't drive for more than 30 min without stopping and walking

This cushion has helped me loads

https://wedopillows.com/products/adjustable-memory-foam-sit-bone-relief-seat-cushion?gadsource=1&gbraid=0AAAAA93MGUZbNifW3UvSkKMRqMLXLKjKZ&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIwNC7p7PgiwMVEYtQBh3u4AmwEAQYDiABEgIDoPDD_BwE

If it's really unbearable ask GP for a orthopaedic referral. They may do a MRI to determine cause. They can also offer steroid injections which can be amazing .

If you get any numbness in your bottom/become incontinent you need to go to hospital as it come be cauda equina.

Osteopaths are like little magicians. I went in to see mine shuffling alone in agony and was a bit pissed off as I felt like she hardly did anything. Got off the bed and the pain was barely there!! She said it would come back in a few days and it did, but 3 more session totally fixed it.

Look up piriformus exercises on you tube they can help to relieve the muscle spasm around the nerve.
When I couldn’t walk with pain I found I could actually gently cycle on my bike instead which helped.
I sit on a wedge cushion in the car and at work you can get them off eBay.

Been prescribed neuropathic pain killer and some Naproxen and a stomach thing to protect from the damage naproxen can cause.
I feel sick with it tonight. I'm on the sofa with ice right now. It's horrible.

What's the neuropathy pain killer called

DD had a spinal fracture and found naproxen didn't touch it. What did was voltarol in suppository form. You need it prescribing I think.

Amitriptiline is what I've got @justasking111

Ah my friend has this for her disc pain.

I don't take any painkillers unless I've just eaten. In the morning tea and toast. Then pills. At bedtime two small bananas then pills. I was given anti nausea meds but don't need them unless I have to take meds before meals.

So take the stomach thing wait, eat then pills.

They will give you a lovely sleep! I take at 6pm to avoid drowsy mornings.

Fastest thing for me when I get it is to lie on my tummy with my chest propped up on cushions or an exercise ball - so my spine is curving the 'wrong'. Works a treat.

My DF tried it too and it worked for him!

Take the drugs.
Use the tens machine.
Rest.
Don’t do any stretches or exercises until the acute pain phase has passed.

i tried all the painkillers - naproxen, tramadol, diazepam, but tbh only opioids worked.

after the acute phase I had physio, injection of steroids, etc etc. Nothing really helped, though losing weight and staying active does help. In the end a short course of prednisone (steroids) did the job. My sciatica is due to 4 bulging discs 🙄 diagnosed by MRI.

@tattoonewbie
Long time sufferer here! Have had every opiate and nsaid prescribed over the years
Finally tried Tiger Balm (the red one) and wish I'd given it a go sooner!
Pick up some from your local chemist tomorrow (a lot of supermarkets sell it too) and give it a try, you may be pleasantly surprised like I was.
I still take daily painkillers for other chronic back problems but the balm is all that gives me relief from sciatica when having a flare up

If it feels worse after the chiro please don’t go back. I had a chiro who managed to work on the wrong spot and my bulging disc became an emergency situation and I had to have surgery the next morning. I had gone back to her as she kept saying it got worse before it would get better but in reality she had manipulated the wrong spot (and she came recommended/ was in a fancy London clinic!)

my back surgeon said he had two people in a week who had seen a chiropractor and they’d made it significantly worse to the point those people needed surgery.

I would be so wary of a chiropractor anyway tbh. I know you read positive experiences on here but they aren't evidence based, they can be really dangerous and Ive never met a medic who has recommended them!

There's a move called the McKenzie which is basically lying on your front with a pillow under your hips and raising yourself onto your elbow which is good for back pain/disc issues.
Do you have any weakness or numbness down your leg and foot? I had an MRI when I had what I thought was sciatica but it was the weakness and loss of sensation that they were concerned about rather than pain.

I found acupuncture worked way better than physio.

I'm now being referred to physio so will see what occurs. Ordered some tiger balm and have already got white one. I've used that and found it ok but might be placebo effect. I'll take anything I can get right now though.