When I had Sciatica, it didn't matter what I did, the pain was fairly relentless. When I pulled a muscle in my thigh, lying down helped, but sitting down was painful. I was told to rest it for 2 weeks, then I was given exercises, but the pain lasted about 5 months. With Sciatica I had to exercise as much as possible, but that lasted 8 months. Painkillers were more effective with pulled thigh muscle than with Sciatica. My advice is prepare for the long haul- but it may be neither complaint and you may recover quickly.