DH can't sleep due to back pain and numbness in legs. Any advice?

[HolidaysQueen]

My DH was recently diagnosed with a degenerative back condition. He's had physio and bought new running trainers which has helped, but aggravated it a couple of days ago doing some exercises in the gym. He now has a completely numb thigh as well as back pain. Because he can walk even with numbness, doctor says it is non urgent and has referred him so he has an appt with specialist in 2 weeks time. However he is a lot of discomfort particularly at night. He can't get comfy when lying down, has to get up and stretch a lot, and is suffering a lot. Lack of sleep isn't helping, so it's a vicious cirlce. Any advice on how he can ease the numbness/pain and get through the next two weeks before seeing the specialist?

What pain relief/anti-inflammatories is he on? Do these need to be increased?

My mum has antidepressants for her back pain which is related to nerve compression. It gives her a really good nights sleep and is the only thing that works for it.

The Alexander technique was also recommended to her as particularly good for neuropathic back pain

At the moment not really on any pain relief beyond ibuprofen. Pain has in general been manageable, until this numbness set in. Last specialist said he could have an epidural if it got really bad, but now has to wait for appt. I think the main problem is the numbness at the moment - can deal with the pain with ibuprofen, but the numbness only seems to be helped by moving around hence the really bad sleep.

Wondering if massage, baths and hot or cold compresses would help.

CMOTdibbler- has your mum tried Alexander technique?

She did, but her memory problems meant that she didn't do it properly, and then got frustrated about it.

She has had an intrathecal injection of steroids and anaesthetic that didn't help (although it can be very effective apparently), and then a disk removal (worked well for quite a while, but she has bone overgrowth which is causing issues)

Has your DH tried an osteopath ?