This has been an interesting thread to read.
I started getting usually fairly mild sciatica a couple of years ago, with a wandering pain usually in my right hamstring, sometimes moving down to my calf. YouTube sourced stretches usually reduce the intensity, and cycling seemed to help, at least while on the bike. I had learned to live with it, I guess. During the last year I haven’t been riding to work very often and despite good intentions my pretend commutes on the bike were only on particularly sunny days. I did start running for the first time in my life and came to enjoy it. It felt as if it reduced the incidence of my sciatica. I still somehow managed to gain 4 kg during lockdown.
Just under four weeks ago I had bad back pain all through the night, for no obvious reason. In the morning I couldn’t stand but managed to fall out of bed and crawl to the bathroom in absolute agony. My left buttock and thigh were on fire - I’ve only known pain of that intensity once before, and that was a kidney stone. I simply couldn’t move without crying with pain. Despite my initial protestations, after a couple of hours face down on the floor we realised that it wasn’t improving and my wife phoned for an ambulance. With morphine and a whole cylinder of entonox they got me to hospital, where I was MRI’d and stayed for three days. There was no treatment other than pain relief but on the third day I was able to stand and shuffle about. The diagnosis was a bulge at L3 - L4 and a bigger prolapse at L4 - L5. I was sent away with Naproxen and Pregabalin, which I’m still taking.
Since then I have improved, but I’m still not back to where I was. I was given an exercise leaflet by my GP practice, very similar to what I had been used to doing for my milder sciatica. There’s a constant numbness and pins and needles down my left leg, all the way to my toes. When I walk it increases in intensity after about ten minutes, to the point where I lose feeling in my ankle. I have fallen over a couple of times on uneven ground while walking the dog. I’ve been on the bike a few times, once on a 5 km round trip to be jabbed, and some twenty minute sessions on the turbo. After about five minutes I think my right leg is doing all the work as I can’t feel much from my left.
Yesterday I had a follow up appointment with the orthopaedics team at the hospital. They gave me what I presume to be the three standard options.
1. Physio and drugs for the rest of my life. It probably won't change my numb left leg much but might stop things getting worse if I'm lucky. Risk free.
2. Steroid injection into the affected joint. Intended to reduce inflammation, maybe 3 to 6 months relief before needing another one, if it works at all. Low risk of making things worse.
3. Discectomy surgery. 80% chance of fixing the problem, 1% chance of making things worse, right up to possible paralysis.
I was disappointed that there was no advice about what was best for me, just a chat about risks. I was asked to choose one option there and then, so I chose the injection to start with. It seemed odd that the decision was entirely in my hands - they’re supposed to be the experts. When I was in A&E the doctor said if I was offered surgery I should go for it, but I don’t know how much weight to give to his thoughts.
I’m keen to learn of other experiences, from here and elsewhere. I’m aware that CC has a large cohort of middle aged cyclists, many of whom will be similar to me I guess. I’m just feeling a bit lost and concerned about my future to be honest. I had hoped to give up full time work in the next five years - I’m 58 next week - and had planned for it to be an active retirement. Now I’m not so sure.
