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.

If it's really bad sciatica look out for the red flags of Cauda Equina Syndrome I started out with bad sciatica and it progressed to CES but this is rare, not to worry you but it important to look out for.

Gabapentin and ibuprofen. I have got naproxen but it doesn't do much. Also taking cocodamol which is the best so far. I can sleep if I take amitriptyline but it zonks me
My leg is aching and then shooting and y foot is fizzing.
I am utterly fed up

I don't really trust physios for diagnosis since mine looked at my MRI and said it was fine - a day later I got a call from the GP saying it showed CES which is the massive herniation of the disc and requires and emergency operation, so what was the physio looking at? He said it was my MRI but who knows? I would take their advise on exercise but this experience put me off accepting any diagnosis from them.

Ibuprofen or naproxen can help to take the inflammation down.
If you are not able to rest (lie down), at least try to avoid sitting, bending with your back, lifting, twisting. Sitting puts a lot of pressure on your discs so if you sit to watch tv in the evening can you lie down instead. Walking is great exercise but don't push through the pain to do so. Gradually build up walking increments so it's not painful. And walk with good posture. Lying in bed at night a pillow under your knees can help or if lying on your side a pillow between your knees.
It will get better, it just takes a lot of time and patience. Try to avoid aggravating it and try to relax as stress and anxiety can make it worse. And as others have said watch out for any symptoms of cauda equina and go to the A&E if you experience any.
An MRI is helpful in understanding what is causing your symptoms.

I'm so sorry, it is utterly rubbish. Could you go back to GP & ask them to up your meds? It is such a depressing condition.

Sending solidarity @tattoonewbie. I’m in the thick of it at the moment and it’s getting me down.

My physio said if he was the consultant he wouldn't send me for a scan as I could bend and twist and lift my leg but otherwise presenting totally as sciatica
I'm fed up. Still working. Desk based. I'm taking a break for 5 mins in the garden and deep breathing for 5 as I nearly cried just now when someone asked if I was ok

With sciatica (caused by herniated disc) I could bend, twist and lift my leg. It was not painful to do so. But those movements do irritate the nerve.
Are your symptoms mostly in your leg? Has you gp checked for a blood clot?

Private or NHS consultant. I ask because our NHS unit is crap.

@AnxiousRose Nobody mentioned blood clot but I feel like it's shooting pain, electric shock type pain , burning and tingling in foot so don't feel like it's a clot. I'm so weirdly pleased to hear you could lift leg etc too. Turning over in bed kills. Stretching to reach in cupboard hurts. Walking is ok then not ok. It's weird.

It does sound like nerve pain. Have you had a look at a dermatome chart for sciatica? There are plenty on google, you can see if the location of the pain in your leg/foot corresponds to one of the discs. I could tell which disc was affected by looking at these charts and my mri confirmed it.
I really feel for you because I know how painful and debilitating it is. Also so frustrating trying to get a diagnosis and timeliness for getting better.
Obviously it may not be a disc causing the trapped nerve but it usually is.

Bending down to get something from a cupboard and then standing up is horrible in my leg even a minute or two later. What is going on

Bend using your knees rather than your back if you really need to bend. The sciatica in your leg/foot is coming from your back, something is pressing on or irritating the sciatic nerve in your lower back, the sciatic nerve runs all the way down your leg so that's why you feel the symptoms in your leg/foot.

@tattoonewbiemy sciatica is horrendous at the moment, I’m following a routine to get through the day, what works for me won’t necessarily work for anyone else.
first thing in the morning
Bio Freeze on affected area
codine
before getting dressed voltorol 2.3 gel
mid morn ibuprofen
lunch time tiger balm
codine
mid afternoon bio freeze
tea time ibuprofen
early evening volterol 2.3 gel
bed time codine and I sleep with a sticky heat patch on a bolster cushion under my legs.
during the day I use a microwave heat sack to use sat down.
you have my deepest sympathy… it’s truly awful and gets you down .

I’ve posted about my sciatica journey before. It was horrendous. Deep pain in my bum that went all down my leg. Eventually diagnosed with a slipped disc via mri. I’m so sorry to say that it took 6 months to ease but that since then (5 years) I have had no more problems.

I couldn’t sit comfortably and could only lie or stand. No one took it seriously!! It’s no exaggeration to say that I feel traumatised by the whole experience.

after the first month, I did notice thar it was slowly improving which kept me going. What helped me was swimming, walking, amitriptiline, osteopathy. Feel free to message if you want to ask anything.

Overdid it yesterday. Hoovering in the morning, then afternoon doing the supermarket shopping solo.. had a bad night despite co codamol. The pain in my left ankle so bad, like I'd damaged it somehow.

Had a rest day today as my physio always advises. Feeling okay now.

It's a bugger of an issue.

@justasking111 @sciaticafanatica @Toastandmarmiteandtea
Thanks for replying and you have. Y solidarity and empathy. It is bloody rough.
I'm in the office tomorrow and dreading it but the tablets have kicked in for now. Might do an amitriptyline but they zone me out on a morning.
I've not done much tonight

@tattoonewbieampitriptaline just make me unable to function. They are brutal

@sciaticafanatica where are you putting the tiger balm and deep heat or bio freeze? I don't know if to do the back or the leg !!

@tattoonewbieim doing from base of my back, buttock and following the pain down with it… it’s a faff but I do find it helps.
the sick on heat patches at base of back / buttock at night also give relief

Stretching. I have spent 4 months in agony, thinking I needed a hip replacement and gone overnight after stretching. My brother had sciatica and after a stretching regime went on to join the marines.

Hi, I've had sciatica for a year, awful I know. I spent £300 on an osteopath, but made no difference. I can really recommend an online physio called Neil Sleeman. Firstly, You need an MRI - push for it, I finally got one. As pp have said, sciatica is a symptom of Something else, I have 2 disc bulge and stenosis - wear and tear. Neil went through my MRI with me on a video call (free of charge)I then decided to have a full on line consultation (£55) with him, best thing I've done, now use a Swiss ball with exercises he recommended, tailored for my specific pain and I've had pain-free days! I also do some on line classes every week with the ball which really helps. If I'm not careful, I can set it off again but doing the exercises seems to re set things so have great hopes. Oh and don't use heat - ice only.
platinumppt.co.uk/about/meet-the-team/neil-sleeman

I’ve had sciatica for a couple of years. I find too much exercise makes it worse. It worse in bed so I take paracetamol when I need it, and that works pretty well for me. I’d avoid a chiropractor but see a physio, personally.

Re sitting in office chair didn't someone use some kind of weird cushion. I'll try to find it

"Travel Ease Ergonomic Seat Cushion, Premium Memory Foam Chair Pad with Anti-Slip Base for Long Hours Sitting Comfort, Hip Support Pillow for Office Chair, Car Seat, Gaming Chair (Black) : Amazon.co.uk: Automotive" https://www.amazon.co.uk/Travel-Ease-Orthopedic-Sciatica-Tailbone/dp/B075RF5S2L/ref=mp_s_a_1_1_sspa?dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.PgPQ7JQaoM_tSxe3PMUyeiPdb4yqo9pQwWwP6odWguNGwjtGSwUdHyKiFwnxqssbg-dEwL7R-2fGZGlH92lJioUZzfPiwZf5n8vEmRvnVty7fgxRiMKEgdIhI9Fss16pypGhJ_kKEtSwLVSS-qs-N-H88WdvMhkw8UC6tMKDS-g5g9hIWCkdLHm00Fl64xjwfnlgvVQ21SS6cN1d8hiIqg.iH7FAuVpJ8VYRXb3NpSFtFGUzHiwMTmiUkuqbv8HpxY&dib_tag=se&keywords=sciatica+pain+relief+cushion&qid=1743118047&sr=8-1-spons&sp_csd=d2lkZ2V0TmFtZT1zcF9waG9uZV9zZWFyY2hfYXRm&psc=1

@tattoonewbiehow did you sleep?
I woke up so stiff this morning. It’s taken hours to get my spine moving