Long lasting sciatica

[buffymad]

I've had sciatica for about 4.5 months now. Get spasms in lower back/bum and intense leg pain. Can't walk very far without being in pain and standing still absolutely kills me. Have had sessions with physio & continue to do exercises to date. She did mobilization which helped for a while and lastly I had traction but nothing worked fully, it was always still there. Then went to see chiro (6 sessions to date). He works on me for around 10/15 mins each time & again it helps but then I go back to being in pain. Have been taking nurofen plus in the morning as it's the only way I can leave the house - I totally sieze up! Back to docs 2moro but I don't have much faith in him so was wondering what my other options might be. Has anyone gone through this for this long? Also use a tens machine. Great while it's on but then it comes back a while after it's finished. I'm so sick of it all!!

[jackthehat]

Acupuncture really helped me..........
Lasted several days after each session. Enquire as to whether the physio department of your hospital uses acupuncture.

[daffy654]

Ask your GP for a referral to the hospital pain management clinic,they may try injections of corticosteroids or even botox.

[kira000]

You may find you get some relief from having floatation tank sessions. The minerals in the water make you totally weightless in the water so there is no weight being placed on the affected area.
This in itself offers some respite, but also, by reducing the pressure, the aggravation of the nerve has a chance to subside a bit which will help longer time too.

I go to the one at the floatworks in London. You can find more info about it on their website.

[Whoever]

If you've had this problem for 5 months now and the various physio and chiro sessions you've had haven't produced any permanent relief, I suggest you ask your GP to refer you for an MRI scan. They're quite expensive so he may be reluctant, but you may be suffering from a prolapsed disc which is putting pressure on your spinal nerve. An x-ray won't reveal this problem because they only reveal solid bone/joint problems and not soft tissue problems.
I suffered similar problems to you. An MRI scan revealed a ruptured disc which needed surgery and if I hadn't had an MRI scan to reveal the problem, I would still probably be suffering acute pain and trying to hobble around years later.

[blackcat77]

Poor you! Lots of sympathy as I've been off work for nearly 2 years with a back injury. If you want to try and get an MRI scan I'd go through your local pain clinic if poss, as my doctor tells me that once you get referred to them they can sort out CAT scans and MRI scans for you etc. I found TENs machines quite useful when you are actually using them, but the effect doesn't last for long. My best tip is use a wheatbag/hot water bottle on your back at night, this helps me get off to sleep.
I would ask your doctor if you could have something a bit stronger than nurofen and he can prescribe something like co-codamol or tramadol. Hope that you feel better soon.

[filibuster]

My OH was crippled by sciatica for some time and no medication seemed to help. As a last resort I suggested he try Chinese acupuncture. He was reluctant as he hates needles but gave it a go. He had ten sessions and he was like a new man and hasn't had as much as a twinge in the three years since. It's maybe not too cheap but we both can highly recommend it.

[christine847]

Ask your doc. for a course of NAPROXEN....it helps me

[yogasun]

Can relate to Whoever's post. My OH had a similar problem and an MRI revealed a slight bulge on the disc which was inflaming the sciatic nerve. By that time he was so immobile he'd suffered a DVT followed by (nightmare) a pulmonary embolism! Thankfully it dispersed with warfarin and there were no further problems. A microdiscectomy solved it and he's been fine since. He walks 20 miles a week.
It can sort itself out but at times there are structural problems that need addressing. Good luck.

[coccinelle]

This is to all on this thread who is suffering from sciatica , back pain etc I know where you are and what you're going through: Go to see an osteopath. Your GP won't neccesarily acknowledge them as they heal from the inside and not by medication. To know a good osteopath you have to ask about. After one or two sessions you're cured. I can say this by experience. OK it'll cost you as it's not on the NHS but it's well worth the no pain for the years after. They'll tell you to drink a lot of water, which in itself relieves a lot of pain (before even seeing them) as it flushes toxins away.
By the way, chiropractors were no good for me.

[buffymad]

What's the difference between a chiropractor and an osteopath? They all seem to claim to do "a little bit more" or "go a little bit further" than everyone else! Don't mind trying things out and paying for them as long as they give me relief that lasts for more than a day or two! Went back to docs and he's now referred me to a consutant at a hospital. First appt I could get is end of January so think I'll keep trying other things in the meantime! Heard good things about accupuncture too. Does it hurt though?!!

[pips1]

I'm sorry to tell you, but I've had sciatica for 9 YEARS!! I have done it all - chiropractors, osteopaths, accupuncture, physio, reiki, the lot. I've even been to pain management clinics and had the fleuroscoptic injection in my back, nothing worked! The MRI scan showed a bulge in one of my discs which was pressing on the sciatic nerve. In the end I was retired from work on ill health grounds. I have learnt to live with it now by walking a lot every day, taking medication and lying flat when it aches too bad. The worst pain is in my buttock and the leg just aches. Sorry to be depressing but in some cases it is very hard to get rid of. Hope you have better luck than me if you follow some of the good advice on here. x

[coccinelle]

The difference between the chiropractor I saw and the osteopath was this:
the chiropractor manipulated my body on a kind of table with parts that dropped down, this gave a shock to the back. She also stretched my legs. There was relief for about 1 day then the pain came back again. I went 7 times with no result.
The osteopath just clicked my back bone straight again, very gentle NO pain, pressed finger on certain pressure points (forehead, buttock etc) and told me to drink a lot of water. Dehydration is bad for sciatica. Within 4 days the pain had gone. I did go back for my 'free' session the following week and everything was fine. My osteopath was trained in China.
Don't go to just anybody, you need to ask around to find out who the good ones are. An osteopath only needs 1 session or at the most 2. More than that, he's no good.