# Sciatica!!!!! give me back pain or Toothache any day



## gary r (16 Mar 2012)

Im in absolute agony !!!!! ive always had back problems, but after my last flare up about 6 weeks ago i got sciatica!! i cant even sit down on the loo!!! my foot is numb and im waiting for an emergency appointment (referral) it eases up during the day, but night time and first thing in the morning are the worst. My buttock, knee,shin, calf, ankle and foot are all affected>


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## Francesca (16 Mar 2012)

gary r said:


> Im in absolute agony !!!!! ive always had back problems, but after my last flare up about 6 weeks ago i got sciatica!! i cant even sit down on the loo!!! my foot is numb and im waiting for an emergency appointment (referral) it eases up during the day, but night time and first thing in the morning are the worst. My buttock, knee,shin, calf, ankle and foot are all affected>


 omg!so sorry to hear that!!hope you get appointment fast!!


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## Cycling Naturalist (16 Mar 2012)

gary r said:


> Im in absolute agony !!!!! ive always had back problems, but after my last flare up about 6 weeks ago i got sciatica!! i cant even sit down on the loo!!! my foot is numb and im waiting for an emergency appointment (referral) it eases up during the day, but night time and first thing in the morning are the worst. My buttock, knee,shin, calf, ankle and foot are all affected>


 
I've got it too - but nothing like as bad as yours, and it does seem to be easing of its own accord. You have my utmost sympathy.


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## numbnuts (16 Mar 2012)

I've had it now for the last 18 months, I had an MRI scan in May last year and showed a prolapsed disc and is sticking out by 10mm, had an epidural injection on January , but failed to give any relief from pain. I’m now waiting to see the consultant again, today I'm in a lot of pain even after taken 2 30/500 co-codamol.
Hope yours get better soon


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## vernon (16 Mar 2012)

Having had chronic cellulitis and just this week shingles, you have my sympathy. I think that I've got away with only 3 days of intense pain with the shingles and the worst is now over - hope I'm not tempting fate.

Hope the pain subsides rapidly.


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## goo_mason (16 Mar 2012)

My sympathies - I get it occasionally but not as bad as yours. Mine is like having what I can only describe as a toothache-like internal pain that goes from the small of my back all the way down my leg to my ankle.


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## Fab Foodie (16 Mar 2012)

The cure is to contract Gout.
You'll soon forget the Sciatica ....


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## Linford (16 Mar 2012)

Have you been taking anti inflamatories like Naproxyn or Ibuprofen ?


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## gary r (16 Mar 2012)

Fab Foodie said:


> The cure is to contract Gout.
> You'll soon forget the Sciatica ....


 ive heard thats pretty painful too,the most pain ive seen a man in was myFather in law when he had Kidney stones !!!


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## gary r (16 Mar 2012)

Linford said:


> Have you been taking anti inflamatories like Naproxyn or Ibuprofen ?


 Diazepan, Co dydromol.diclofenac (apologies for the spellings) nothing seems to help the pain


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## Scoosh (16 Mar 2012)

Sounds like sales of Recumbents are about to increase ... 

Mind you - it's pretty extreme/nasty way of 'choosing' to go to the Dark Side ... 

Hope everyone gets relief asap.


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## Linford (16 Mar 2012)

gary r said:


> Diazepan, Co dydromol.diclofenac (apologies for the spellings) nothing seems to help the pain


 
Sciatica is an aggravation of the nerve caused by it pinching on something. Anything you can use to help reduce inflamation should in time offer some sort of additional relief than just blocking the pain out.


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## Cycling Naturalist (16 Mar 2012)

Linford said:


> Sciatica is an aggravation of the nerve caused by it pinching on something. Anything you can use to help reduce inflamation should in time offer some sort of additional relief than just blocking the pain out.


 
I find exercise helps - just basic walking. The good part is that I have a totally precise knowledge of exactly where the sciatic nerve runs.


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## RedRider (16 Mar 2012)

Seriously, worse than tooth ache? yikes and sympathy


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## col (16 Mar 2012)

My wife had it recently, it was caused by a disk bulging out and agrivating the nerves. Luckily it went after a couple of weeks. A friend has had the nerves burned or singed as theyve had it for a year, it didnt work.


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## ASC1951 (16 Mar 2012)

goo_mason said:


> My sympathies - I get it occasionally but not as bad as yours.


Same here. I only get it mildly, and Pilates/osteopath/swimming generally keep it at bay for two or three months at a time; OTOH painkillers and anti-inflammatories achieve nothing except a tick on my GP's little sheet.


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## theloafer (17 Mar 2012)

ASC1951 said:


> Same here. I only get it mildly, and Pilates/osteopath/swimming generally keep it at bay for two or three months at a time; OTOH painkillers and anti-inflammatories achieve nothing except a tick on my GP's little sheet.


 
i had it for 32 years happened playing football at break time at work.. i was given painkillers and as it went on and on they gave me stronger one,s ended up on DICONAL i would some times loose days if i took to many and lost days from work was getting longer ..back in 2000 was the longest 9 weeks .. the factory nurse asked if i would like to see an Osteopath we had visting the factory as we had a lot of people ill with bad backs /elbows and wrists willing to try anything .... after 4 vist,s have had no tablets since then all sorted with exercise,s....i would say get it sorted by a professional

larry


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## Red Light (17 Mar 2012)

gary r said:


> ive heard thats pretty painful too,the most pain ive seen a man in was myFather in law when he had Kidney stones !!!



On the pain scale cluster headaches sit at the top. Fortunately they are episodic for most but some people have them chronically.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD


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## Rohloff_Brompton_Rider (17 Mar 2012)

i used to get random sciatica on rides (had a few bad attacks when out with colinj). however, whether coincidence or not, i've not had an attack since riding fixed, every now and then i can feel a sensation i used to get before an attack but its never got to the painful part.

you have my sympathies, it's horrible and right up there with cramps on the pain scale.


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## cyberknight (17 Mar 2012)

I get random bouts of sciatica and i have been prescibed naproxen with little effect, i found that exersises that target the buttocks/ piriformis help a lot.


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## Dave7 (17 Mar 2012)

Having suffered with back problems for 40 years (accident at work in the days when they just told you to rest it for a day) I started with sciatica last year. I googled "stretches/excercises for sciatica relief" and found one that actually worked for me. Still got the back problem but sciatica only flares up occassionaly. Not suggesting it will work for everyone but worth trying.
It is difficult to explain the excercise but I will see if I can find it again.......but try googling it yourself.


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## Tomba (17 Mar 2012)

You have my sympathy too. Suffered from bad back and neck for years so can feel your pain.

Best advice is to get a MRI scan done as soon as you can. Its ok us on a forum saying go to an osteopath, chiropractor, pilates class. But until you can specifically diagnose what the problem is any of the above can cause further damage to the nerve.

I'm speaking from experience, I've had my C6 & C7 discs removed (discectomy) as I had bone spurs compressing the nerves at these vertebrae. I almost lost the use of my left arm because no-one could properly diagnose my condition and I went to them all, including Chinese acupuncture, cupping and massage.
The MRI pinpointed the problem right away and luckily we have private medical care through my partners job. I got taken in for the op ten days after the scan and i'm fine now apart from a wee bit of numbness and tingling in two fingers of my left hand.
My GP told me if I waited for the NHS to do the op it would have likely been 18 months later and I could have damaged the nerves that much my hand/arm would have been pretty much useless.


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## Nosaj (19 Mar 2012)

Plus one for the above get it diagnosed correctly, sufferred with this as well for a couple of years no amount of Pilates/stretching/Osteopath helped and in the end I could not sit in a comfy chair for more than 5 minutes. Went to the Docs got referred for a either a caudal epidural injection or an op to remove the disc. I was advised to go for the injection first. My disc had prolapsed normally not a problem and they can go back on their own after a time but my disc had degenerated to such an extent that the nerve inflamation had to be taken down to help the nerve naturally grow around the bulge. The injection followed by the exercises prescribed by the physio worked without the need for a formal op and within a few weeks it was OK again. Have had no real issues ever since, apart from when I run. If I run three times a week after about two weeks of this it flares up so I tend not to run anymore and to tell you the truth do not not really miss it. Riding the bike actually really helps it as well which is a plus.

Good luck and hope it all works out for you.


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## gary r (19 Mar 2012)

Sawbthe specialist today!booked in for an MRI scan,happy things are progressing


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## Tomba (20 Mar 2012)

gary r said:


> Sawbthe specialist today!booked in for an MRI scan,happy things are progressing


 
Good luck, hope it goes well


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## Nosaj (20 Mar 2012)

Good luck Gary


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## gary r (20 Mar 2012)

never realised so many people suffered with this! iv egiven up on the prescribed drugs as i was still in pain,on Nurofen only now and feel alot more human.Thanks for all the nice words they really do help me feel better!


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