Sciatica..... I had no idea it could be this painful.

[Dave7]

I used to get sciatica form time to time and nothing I tried shifted it other than the passage of time. Until, that is, I tried acupuncture. First session gave an instant improvement and since the second I've not had it again in 15 years. Worth a try if other remedies are not working.

Interesting......this physio does acupuncture
so I can ask him.
Strangely it 'feels' much better this morning. I am going to try a short walk to test it out.
I also have one of those Novosonic pulse things so will try that. I got it for a muscle problem but it may help. Should have tried it 2 weeks ago really

 

[DCBassman]

I would never have put myself through 4, soon to be 5 lots of spinal surgery but for the pain levels sciatica can inflict. The first three made it steadily worse due to incompetence, thereafter, all good.
No 4 op still perfect, no 5 op due to other bits of spine turning to cheese and causing occasional bouts, plus other complications.

 

[fossyant]

Touch wood, I've only ever had one bad bout of it, many years ago, and could hardly walk. I've had the 'kicked in the buttock' feeling since breaking my spine, but that cleared up. I can understand how bad sciatica must be after I fractured my spine, the pain was incredible.

 

[DCBassman]

Touch wood, I've only ever had one bad bout of it, many years ago, and could hardly walk. I've had the 'kicked in the buttock' feeling since breaking my spine, but that cleared up. I can understand how bad sciatica must be after I fractured my spine, the pain was incredible.

In trying to describe one aspect if it: like someone reaching deep into your buttock with long needle-nose pliers, grabbing hold of the nerves, and twisting. And not letting go.

 

[fossyant]

The kicked in the buttock was just a longer running side effect of the broken back - rather dull pain, but when I broke my spine and the muscles spasmed, I'd have hapily died - the pain was that bad (before I was morphined, diazapamed, ibuprofened and parecetemoled out of my head).

I work with a lot of folk with back trouble and some are 'young'. I'm very lucky mine has settled to not much more than getting a bit stiff and sore if I over-do it.

 

[vickster]

Back pain often due to muscle spasm, acupuncture can help, along with heat and stretching and paying attention to posture

I had shocking sciatica due to a slipped disc all down one leg, had to have surgery. Back of leg still numb, that was over 25 years ago!

 

[RoubaixCube]

Nasty thing. Wouldn't wish the pain on anybody. I used to get it at least a few times a year when the temperature outside would drop. A couple of times its been so painful that it's rendered me absolutely out of service and I'd be forced to take a week off work as getting out of bed and walking down stairs would take me near 20mins as each step would feel like I was stepping on broken glass. Excruciating pain.

Ibruprofen and other painkillers tended to make things worse like light and noise sensitivity when you have a migraine or being extremely hungover.

I haven't had it for a few years (knock on wood.. ) thankfully. But I think i can partially attribute it to being fairly active at my local gym.

So I can't offer up any solid suggestions to numb the pain or miracle cures but only what worked for me... Just stay active.

Hopefully you won't have to put up with it for long. Keep warm and stay active.

 

[ozboz]

Sympathy’s from me to ,
I had it in the early nineties , it came as a side effect or due to a compressed disc in lower back , I’d never know anything like it , the disc hurt when I moved around , the sciatica was all the time and seemed worse at night , it didn’t take much in the way of pain killers , but one thing I did do is lie on the floor in the evenings with a hot water bottle under my lower back for a good few hours , for weeks , eventually it went away , I did do the stretching also, but the best thing that happened to sort it all back and sciatica was seeing a Feldenkraise practitioner, bloody amazing ! Best 40 sobs I ever spent !

 

[vickster]

Sympathy’s from me to ,
I had it in the early nineties , it came as a side effect or due to a compressed disc in lower back , I’d never know anything like it , the disc hurt when I moved around , the sciatica was all the time and seemed worse at night , it didn’t take much in the way of pain killers , but one thing I did do is lie on the floor in the evenings with a hot water bottle under my lower back for a good few hours , for weeks , eventually it went away , I did do the stretching also, but the best thing that happened to sort it all back and sciatica was seeing a Feldenkraise practitioner, bloody amazing ! Best 40 sobs I ever spent !

Do you mean sovs or was it very painful?!!