Sciatica.

[chili1]

Morning,

Anybody else suffer from sciatica? - suffering in work at the moment.
Can't begin to explain how painful it is!
Apart from Ibruprofen, any known treatments or remedies to alleviate the pain?

Cheers.

[Legend83]

Rest.

And lots of painkillers.

But mainly rest i.e. no exertion at all if possible until it clears up.

[mechsympathy]

Legend83 said:

But mainly rest i.e. no exertion at all if possible until it clears up.

Not this.

It's next to impossible to give any advice on the web (Apart from keeping active and looking after your posture especially when sat down) so get yourself off to see a physio.

[chili1]

Thanks for the replies.

Posture I believe is a major part of my problem - leaning over a desk peering at a pc screen is not helping.

At he moment:

Sitting = pain
Lying down = pain
Walking = pain

No respite at the moment - I've asked the 19 year old female casual if she'd like to rub my back - for some reason she's on the phone to HR??!!

I think I'll have to bite the bullet and see a physio - for some reason I link physios with intense pain!!

[dreamer75]

See a doc first to get a scan to make sure there's nothing serious causing it.

I had treatment for a couple of years before going for an MRI, which showed disc issues, so now my treatment is more focused.

Mind you I'm in agony at the moment after a spasm flareup, and half monged on tablets so who am I to ask :lol:

[mechsympathy]

chili1 said:

for some reason I link physios with intense pain!!

We have that reputation But particularly with sciatica it shouldn't be true.

This is the private physio organisation.

Edited by mechsympathy on Wednesday 1st July 10:36

[mechsympathy]

dreamer75 said:

See a doc first to get a scan to make sure there's nothing serious causing it.

There's no point getting a scan unless you're considering surgery.

(Small world - I race in supers )

[dreamer75]

Oooo have we met? I'm missing Croft (currently laid up with a bad back ironically!)

Only reason for a scan is to see what's causing the sciatica - from my armchair internet expert point of view I went without a scan for 2 years, but then it showed bulging discs and more-than-normal disc degeneration in my neck and lower back, which prompted my visit to the physio who's correcting my gait and postural problems, problems with my piriformis and ITB - honestly it's like that song - your kneebone's connected to your thigh bone.. etc. etc. !

I thought for years it was just back pain with no definitive cause - if nothing else an MRI would put your mind at rest?

[ShadownINja]

I've heard (because of the keep moving notion) that tai chi is good for easing the pain of sciatica.

[parapaul]

Tai Chi is good for lots of things, it's low-impact, and focuses on good posture and relaxation

Sciatica's truly miserable though. I've had it on and off since I was 18, and now, 12 years later, after hours of physio, osteo, exercise and rest, and having consumed more prescription painkillers than I would have previously imagined possible, I'm only 6 weeks away from surgery to repair the prolapsed disc that's the underlying cause.

If it doesn't sort itself out spontaneously within a couple of days, get to the GP and get the ball rolling for some proper tests.

[dreamer75]

Pilates and Alexander Technique?

[mechsympathy]

dreamer75 said:

Oooo have we met? I'm missing Croft (currently laid up with a bad back ironically!)

Doing Croft, Brands GP and Snett so hopefully see you at one of those.

dreamer75 said:

Only reason for a scan is to see what's causing the sciatica - from my armchair internet expert point of view I went without a scan for 2 years, but then it showed bulging discs and more-than-normal disc degeneration in my neck and lower back, which prompted my visit to the physio who's correcting my gait and postural problems, problems with my piriformis and ITB - honestly it's like that song - your kneebone's connected to your thigh bone.. etc. etc. !

I thought for years it was just back pain with no definitive cause - if nothing else an MRI would put your mind at rest?

The problem is that plenty of people have disc bulges with no symptoms, and plenty of others have symptoms but nothing to show for it on a scan. The only real value of a scan is to decide if surgery is appropriate and that's rare.

Most back pain and sciatica resolves in 6 weeks which is why your GP will give you painkillers and encourage you to keep active. Physio and other manual techniques may help that process along but the vast majority of people will get better anyway.

Unfortunately there are a few people who end up with long term problems but there's no way to predict who's going to be unlucky.

[TpdNotts]

Solpadiene good. TENS machine also helps. I have sciatica quite badly at times.

[ShadownINja]

dreamer75 said:

Pilates and Alexander Technique?

Pilates might be a bit too hardcore for sciatica sufferers unless they have one-to-one training to focus on the easier exercises.

AT might be a good one, though.

[dreamer75]

Beginner Pilates... sorry have never had classes but I think some of the exercises the physio has given me are Pilates based. Although yes I think you'd want 1:1 to make sure you were doin them right or you might end up doing more damage :s

[JonesyBoy]

I've had 2 nasty episodes of it recently and I used a Chiro.........they seem to have sorted it, apparently a "straight" lower spine causes the disc's to press on the nerves down the back of the spine........ouch! That said......I do sometimes wonder if times the best healer?

Finally......dont think anyone has mentioned ice pack.......20 mins at a time (otherwise can cause muscle damage) and shoved down the back of your trousers tightened with your belt........that was the best short term pain relief of all for me!

[jules_s]

JonesyBoy said:

I've had 2 nasty episodes of it recently and I used a Chiro.........they seem to have sorted it, apparently a "straight" lower spine causes the disc's to press on the nerves down the back of the spine........ouch! That said......I do sometimes wonder if times the best healer?

Finally......dont think anyone has mentioned ice pack.......20 mins at a time (otherwise can cause muscle damage) and shoved down the back of your trousers tightened with your belt........that was the best short term pain relief of all for me!

I think i may have said this before

But after 20 years of being diagnosed with 'sciatica' (seems thats the doctors fall back diagnosis for lower back pain) I've now had x-rays showing AS. And i've got 20 years of spinal damage due to mis diagnosis and I would do the following:

Firstly ask your parents if they have any rheumatory issues whatsoever.

If the answer is yes or no ask your GP to refer you for an x-ray of the affected area. If the answer is yes insist on it.

A 'flat back' is classic AS, get it looked at as soon as is possible as early treatment is without a good idea.

[Northern Munkee]

Classic AS? Is that ankylosing spondylosis?

I currently laid up waiting to see my consultant after my 2nd operation in April, to try free up sciatic pain which starts in my left buttock and runs with varying degrees of soreness, pins and needles and pain down And around my left leg and foot in different places and it vAries from day to day. I'm struggling to sit very long and tripping up over an uneven pavement even sneezing hurts in lower back like hell.

I original had this microdisectomy op about 10 years, and cured me, so long as I kept doing the physio exercises but it begAn to reoccur 2 yrs ago. chiro physio epidural MRI, CT scans, later they operated claimed to have found a small new bulge and a lot of scar tissue, which they removed, but has made no difference to sciatica and worse I get this sharp pain just left of op scar as say whe trip sneeze which feels like the disc they operated on.

I'm beginning to worry and have been trawling the internet trying to figure if it's something else thought it might be piriformis syndrome, but have added those exercises to no improvement. Ibrufren takes the edge off, which as my physio suggests there's still inflammation being caused by something snagging on my sciatica nerve, demonstrated by doing a leg rise while flat on my back, pins and Needles, in my foot as reach the end of the stretch. Have been working on core strength trans abs, trying to keep active, but sciatica is tiring boring and depressing and limiting beginning to feel I'm slowly becoming disabled, and there seems to be nothing I can do to stop it or fix it. It's really frustrating and depressing to be at war with your own body, and being mechanical I can't understand why a surgeon can't figure out how to identify the problem with one part of what I consider wiring. Post op he suggested he had removed anything that could be problem , but think he must have missed the bit that mattered!

This of course makes me wonder if I'm being failed by the nhs, or if I should be moaning more at nhs /gp about taking next action, feel sure if I were a pro footballer, the point of trouble could be identified and fixed easily and quickly.

Any suggestions?

[mechsympathy]

Northern Munkee said:

This of course makes me wonder if I'm being failed by the nhs, or if I should be moaning more at nhs /gp about taking next action, feel sure if I were a pro footballer, the point of trouble could be identified and fixed easily and quickly.

Any suggestions?

That might be the case, but the reality is that back surgery isn't as predictable as we would like. This is especially true after previous surgery where scarring can cause huge problems.

By all means get a second opinion but (and I'm sorry to be blunt about this) it's highly unlikely there's a quick and easy fix no matter how much money you have to throw at it.

[jules_s]

Northern Munkee said:

Classic AS? Is that ankylosing spondylosis?

I currently laid up waiting to see my consultant after my 2nd operation in April, to try free up sciatic pain which starts in my left buttock and runs with varying degrees of soreness, pins and needles and pain down And around my left leg and foot in different places and it vAries from day to day. I'm struggling to sit very long and tripping up over an uneven pavement even sneezing hurts in lower back like hell.

I original had this microdisectomy op about 10 years, and cured me, so long as I kept doing the physio exercises but it begAn to reoccur 2 yrs ago. chiro physio epidural MRI, CT scans, later they operated claimed to have found a small new bulge and a lot of scar tissue, which they removed, but has made no difference to sciatica and worse I get this sharp pain just left of op scar as say whe trip sneeze which feels like the disc they operated on.

I'm beginning to worry and have been trawling the internet trying to figure if it's something else thought it might be piriformis syndrome, but have added those exercises to no improvement. Ibrufren takes the edge off, which as my physio suggests there's still inflammation being caused by something snagging on my sciatica nerve, demonstrated by doing a leg rise while flat on my back, pins and Needles, in my foot as reach the end of the stretch. Have been working on core strength trans abs, trying to keep active, but sciatica is tiring boring and depressing and limiting beginning to feel I'm slowly becoming disabled, and there seems to be nothing I can do to stop it or fix it. It's really frustrating and depressing to be at war with your own body, and being mechanical I can't understand why a surgeon can't figure out how to identify the problem with one part of what I consider wiring. Post op he suggested he had removed anything that could be problem , but think he must have missed the bit that mattered!

This of course makes me wonder if I'm being failed by the nhs, or if I should be moaning more at nhs /gp about taking next action, feel sure if I were a pro footballer, the point of trouble could be identified and fixed easily and quickly.

Any suggestions?

I've got Ankylosing spondylitis.....not spondylosis (I believe you may have mis typed that, although I'm pretty sure I've read something like sponylosis somewhere before - I'll get back to you on that - excuse the nasty pun)

Now let me explain a little more about AS....it may be utter tripe in your instance but may well be relevant.

Firstly my symptoms match yours pretty much 100%, in fact this morning I sneezed/coughed/back twitched all at once and the result was predictably agonising. Pain from the bottom of my spine into my buttocks, buttock muscles then started to spasm//twitch/hurt when standing or trying to walk up/down stairs.

Now, AS (as far as I have read, and i've only recently been diagnosed) is inflammation of the muscles surrounding the spine, which results in microfractures leading to the spinal column fusing together. If you have been operated on then i'm fairly certain they would have sussed such damage to your spine?

Edit: How old are you?

Edited by jules_s on Monday 6th July 21:25