Help! Slipped disk & Sciatica relief

[MargotChateau]

I’ve had a slipped disk (L4 & L5) and sciatica for now 5 months through 2 rounds of ivf and now nearly 14 weeks pregnant.

It is bad. I’ve been off work the whole time, and it’s now become very difficult to walk. My doctor says surgery isn’t needed as I’ve not lost sensation or continence, but I’m wondering what other options other members have tried that’s worked? I’ve done physio to no help at all.

They are recommending a injection to numb the nerve and very very occasionally taking naproxen. I’m so scared of losing this desperately wanted pregnancy but I’ve had to push the start date of a new job, and scared of losing it so I need to get my back better ASAP.

Have you been to an osteopath? They can't do much in pregnancy but better than nothing.

@Garman I went to a physio/osteopath and it makes it better on the day, then worse the day after. Did it work for you?

Was it a physio or an osteopath they're two different things? I went to an osteopath but she couldn't do much while I was pregnant, so the deep tissue masseuse I regularly go to managed it until after pregnancy when osteopath could do more. Shouldn't make it worse though.

Poor you! Did the physio/osteopath give you any gentle exercises/stretches ?I can’t comment from the perspective of being pregnant but using the osteopath helped improve the pain for me but that was doing the exercises/stretches they recommended as well as once a week visits. You will often be a bit achy the day after the osteopath but they should have told you what to expect that day and following day. Did they talk to you about how to get up off chairs, out of bed etc? As all that should have been covered too.

Are you sleeping with something between your knees (like a pillow) as that helped me get a bit more comfortable than I was?

I had sciatica and a collapsed pelvic joint from 18 weeks, was signed of work, couldn't walk at all. Physio was useless but the osteo got me mobile enough to avoid a wheelchair and be able to walk around the block. It was shit, sympathies.