Anyone else suffer with this?

[Pigeonpie2000]

Hello everyone,
Would just like to know if anyone else has suffered with Sciatica?
So around June last year I had a minor injury which resulted in back pain and sciatica it lasted around 3 months and went away for a few weeks then it came back in around October and I ended up going to the doctors about it because it seemed to of got worse the doctor put me on Naproxen which did help a little bit but was still very painful. At the start of December I woke up with a very severe pain in my lower back and I ended up having 3 days off work with it I had never missed a day with it before. I started my physiotherapy during this time and she said that the pain was muscle spasms in my back and taught me some exercises to help with the pain. The same day I went to my Gp who prescribed me some more naproxen and some Gabapentin which is for nerve pain I didn’t want to take these as my Gp said they can affect you it you was trying to get pregnant but I still decided to take them as I was in a lot of pain. I went home and carried on doing my physiotherapy exercises and things started to get a lot better within the next few weeks and I was almost back to normal. At my next physio appointment I was signed off my treatment and was told to just carry on with the exercises which was really helping.

I am now 17 weeks pregnant and I am having problems with my back again. I bent over last week and a had a sudden and severe pain in my lower back and my leg I ended up crying in bed all day it was that bad. My parter rang NHS 111 who gave me an appointment at the out of hours service they prescribed me some codeine to help with the pain. The pain is manageable now but it is absolutely unbearable when I walk and stand up, underneath my foot and the back of my leg are numb I can hardly feel a thing which is making me feel worried. Has anyone ever experienced this through pregnancy and have any advice for me?
It would be much appreciated xxx

I hurt my back at work when I was 27w pregnant. Had to take 2 weeks off work and basically lay on a mattress on the floor the entire time and my mum came round to look after me and the kids and pets. I went back to work and that set me back again and I got signed off work again. I'm 34w now, still feel like the pain is verging on coming back at times but luckily I have been signed off work because of covid and being in my 3rd trimester so I'm not doing anything strenuous and my back has time to heal properly.
I chose not to take codeine because it doesn't agree with me. I got by on paracetamol (hardly did anything tbh) and the best thing was a hot water bottle. In the past when I've suffered back pain and my back has locked up I've used naproxen which was good.
There's really not a lot you can do. Ask to get signed off work and take it easy.

Hi

My GP diagnosed me with sciatica when I was 28weeks pregnant and I was actually signed off for the remainder of my pregnancy as I could barely walk, couldn't put any weight on my leg and couldn't feel 3 of my toes. I was unable to drive to work and would sometimes be sick with the pain. I did have twins though so the weight I was carrying around was ridiculous and put a huge strain on my back (my twins combined were 11lb 8oz plus huge placenta, waters etc).
They prescribed codeine which I did take occasionally but didn't find it helped that much. I sat on an electric heat pad most of the time, used a hot water bottle and a pregnancy belt to try and lift the weight of my bump and provide support.

Most people's sciatica will go once they give birth.

Mine didn't but after visiting a chiropractor they sent me for an MRI and turns out I have a herniated disc in my back which is trapping the nerve so I was undergoing chiropractic treatment before Covid19 meant they had to close. Without treatment my back will heal itself within 1year, with treatment it should be 3-6months. I have been told to put freeze gel on my back and then 15mins of water bottle under my thigh.
Also sleep with a pillow between your knees and try not to bend over too much.

Hope things improve for you as I know how horrendous it can be.

I've had sciatica on and off since my twenties, not nice at all :( sleeping on your side with a pillow between your knees is really good, also can you contact your physio to see if there are sciatica exercises they'd recommend for someone who is pregnant? There are some good ones, but I don't know if they're all safe in pregnancy. Hope it eases soon for you

I had serious back problems since a teenager with sciatica and all sorts of problems. I ended up having spinal surgery and a spinal fusion. I've learnt a lot about backs and associated problems over the years.

Numbness is not a good sign. I would call your doctor ASAP to see if you need further treatment. Please dont leave it.