........I've had it now since before Xmas and its really starting to get me down. I've had it previously but it only lasted about 3 weeks so I left it thinking it'd go.
I went to the quacks just over a week ago who prescribed Paracetamol and Naproxen, which hasn't worked . I've been back today and they've prescribed me Zapain (paracetamol and codeine) in place of the paracetamol which I'm hoping will work, however I'm not convinced. I'm being referred for physio but there is a long waiting list....
Anyone else suffered this and what measures were needed to get you back to normal?

 

See your local osteopath

Priorities are professionally diagnosing the cause (depending on what your GP has done), understanding what is going on yourself so you can care for it appropriately, not aggravating the condition... that will put you over half way to getting better

 

STOP THE PARACITOMOL NOW !!!! they just hide the pain. You need Ibrobufen to reduce the swelling around the nerve.

I've had it since Aug, went to the doctors who misdiognosed me!!!! Im still waiting for treatment on the ****ty NHS and have paid privatly for 8 sessions.

You need to stretch in certain ways. I've been doing them and it does work, stupidly as soon as it stops hurting I stop and it comes back.

One thing the physio guy said was DO NOT sit down for hours at a time. Again I laps all the time but I try and sit for an hour, lay on the floor for an hour and then stand for half hour or so....

I have trouble sleeping as I have permenant back ache and at times the pain down the back of my leg gets so painful I need to stretch it out.

Here are the stretches he advised me to do:

Sit on the edge of a table -( feet dangling) Put your hand together behind your back, sit up straight and pointing your toes towards you kick your leg out slowly - You may not get it completly out infront of you but you should feel it on the back of your leg x 20 each leg

Stand back against a wall and pull your knee into your chest (back straight) hold for 20 seconds 5 times.

Stand back against a wall and lean over to each side. Keep your feet on the floor & try and lean evenly. 20 times each side.


The last one I do is lay on the floor put one foot ontop of the other and bring your toes towards you (top foot). nice and slowly but hold it while it pulls & hurts.

See how you get on. £50 please

I've been doing this for half a year now and I am genually worried about the damage done as I have been on Ibrobufen since Oct 3 times a day.

I will complain about the doctors as they said I pulled a muscle.. shunts they really are.

 

Remember, 'sciatica' is a catch all for 'leg pain'. There are many causes of leg pain, which needs diagnosing in every single case. Sometimes certain specific stretching is correct, othertimes it can be counter productive

 

Mine is where the nerve has been pulled from the spine. only slightly but it's pissing me off no end.

 

Since Christams? Lucky you, I've had mine since last April.

After loads of physio, (no use whatsoever) and painkillers, I have finally been referred for an MRI scan, (NOT by my doctor, by a specialist I went to for something unrelated, who noticed I was walking like an old man), and am awaiting an appointment to see if surgery is an option.

Don't expect it to get better sooner rather than later.

Just find a comfortable position and stay in it.

It's pure misery, I know, but trust me: NO-ONE who hasn't had it can understand.
Everyone thinks they know pain, but until you've had trapped nerve pain that is there every second of every minute of every hour......you don't know pain, believe me

 

Agree with this. Sports injury clinics usually have peeps who know their stuff.

dl

 

The Naproxen is an anti inflammatory, stronger than Ibuprofen
It gets worse when sitting or lying for any period of time. Kind of eases when I'm moving about, but its always hurting. Its really painful trying to bend down and worse first thing in the morning. It wakes me up bang on 4am EVERY morning and then I can't get comfy My mrs had to put my socks on for me this morning it was that bad
I'll try some of those exercises see if they help (cheques in the post ) I'm also going to see if I can get some physio through work too.

I know its an awful pain, wouldn't wish it upon my worst enemy....... Best way I can describe it to someone who hasn't had it is its like toothache in you lower back and leg!
It doesn't matter if your sat, lying down or standing at ALWAYS hurts .
I can't seem to find a comfortable position that lasts more than a few minutes........

 

Been suffering with Sciatica for the past 9+ yrs (L2 and L3). Lower back pain and shooting pains down my leg...

I'd recommend a visit to ya local Osteopath (massage, cracking and ultrasound usually works for me). Applying Hot and Cold to the affected area calms the inflammation down.(You should try this now)

To keep the Sciatica at bay I'd recommend some core stability work such at Pilates.

Depending on what triggers the Sciatica for you a deep tissue sports massage may help to keep it at bay (I go for sessions every 6 months).

 

Yep exactly.

Back issues are the worst, I had to quit cycling for lower back pain. I dunno what it is an had an MRI and the Doctor had no clue. I suspect it is SI joint inflammation but the Doc said the joint can't be dysfunctional which is crap.

I've more pressing physical issues so just left it.

Day to day it is such minor pain. I doubt I can squat weights properly anymore but can't for other reasons ATM. Cycling is over for sure.

 

I tend to find that lying down is best.
I then make micro-movements involving both legs, hips and lower back, until the position of LEAST pain is reached, and then I STAY STILL as long as I can.

Remember that the pain is being caused by a ruptured disc pressing on a nerve. Depending which leg it is, try bending the body GENTLY a bit at a time TOWARDS that leg, bending at the waist, so pushing the hip outwards, see if that gives any relief. If it makes it feel worse, try bending the opposite way.

For me, it's always a slight jut of the right hip that affords the most relief, but as you say, NOTHING stops it, not ever.

 

This is poor, in fact potentially dangerous I'm afraid. You don't know what the OP's problem is, or the severity. I know you're trying to help and that you have 'sciatica' yourself, but straightening your leg whilst sitting could potentially make a lumbar spine disc bulge (if indeed it is this) MUCH worse. The other exercises you list are questionable too I'm afraid. Sorry for the rant, while it's directed at you a bit, this is something is widely seen on unrealated furums which can be dangerous

 

Yeah that is how it was for me. Was worse when seated actually, and was hard to sleep. Cycling was the trigger for me and its settles down to more a slight discomfort now I do not cycle. At the time I thought it was the wost long term pain I had experienced (was awful for about 4 weeks), but rotators cuff tendonitis was worse, and epydidymitis much worse than that.

 

Might not be. I have/had pain like the OP but disks are not ruptured. Doc said was normal wear.

 

Four weeks?
FOUR WEEKS?

Wait until you've had it 9 months, mate..........that's forty weeks, 280 days, 6720 hours, 403 200 minutes, 24 192 000 seconds.........and counting.

And that's BEFORE I start on my left arm, the pain in which began on 30th December 2008..........and is still a nightmare, so much so that I take daily morphine
Cervical spondulitis to you.......

 

I've had it since 2007 thanks but like I said the pain in minor now only 'cos I changed my activity.

But let's not get into a ***** waving competition.

 

Just to say that the osteopath was no help to me at all, the only benefit has been weekly physio but I MUST keep up with my lower back exercises and admit that I haven't been doing them often enough.

Interesting that you mention cycling TDW as Osteopath said that the amount of cycling I do has shortened muscles and pulled my pelvis forward exposing the nerve. Only pain when cycling is when stoping at lights and meaning to the left. Shooting pain did hit me prior to physio.

Physio isn't so certain about the cause (very good physio btw)

GP said disintegration of L5

So, all the professionals have a different theory

What helps one will not necessarily work for another so please be very careful before taking advice from anyone on here.

 

Unfortunately you've hit on something which can be be very disheartening and frustrating for a 'patient', if they find themself on a sort of merry-go-round, where each practitioner says something different is going on. Get 10 osteopaths, or for that matter 10 consultant surgeons to look at the same thing and they'll come up with different stories.

Medical diagnosis is always slightly tenuous. The more fail safe concept is a differential diagnosis where a practitioner comes up with a number of possible diagnosis or causes ranging from most likely to least likely and keeps rechecking themselves each time the patient presents.

 

I was told similar stuff, I dunno how much is snake-oil though. I used to stretch my hip abductors? (the muscle that pulls your leg fwd) and gluts to try and stay flexible but didn't make much difference.

I did something to my back playing football at 18 where I kicked the ball oddly and wrenched something. Was limping around for a couple of months. I reckon this was the SI joint in hindsight and so it was weakened or more mobile or something, and so the stronger/fitter I got at cycling it was found out as a week link.

There is loads of stuff on the internet about back pain, and from what I can tell everyone has their opinions including professionals. Sometimes surgery is offered. I would NOT do this unless you are in debilitating pain, better minor pain that risk making things worse as this can happen.

 

Lol @ the trumping on time had!

I've had it since I was 14... I'm 35 now!

I think I'd miss it if it went.

 

too true -

mine has been part of a DNA glitch in the mitochondria of my Viking ancestors, so I was conceived with it, as have all my ancestors before me

 

Classic

 

B*gger!
Outbid again..........

 

I'm having a 'good' (if you can call it that) day today. Been able to sit down for a short while today. Shooting pains down my left leg have lessened but I keep getting pins and needles in my left foot

 

I had several X-rays taken and these seemed pretty useful as I could see what was going on and where the spine wasn't quite in alignment. This gave an osteopath a reasonable idea of what to do to correct things. Losing weight was also hugely beneficial. dl

 

Had it 3 years now, guess you just get used to it Morphine works for me

 

I would consider an lumbar epidural. If the pain persists this could give some welcome relief.

 

I got it too , since end of sept2011 , im only 49 , and cant pinpoint what triggered it. its like toothache off the arsecheek and leg. according to wikipedia , the doc will suggest paracetamol etc at the onset , and hopes that it will go away, i think the NHS is trying to avoid paying for treatment or better diagnosis and fix. some of your excersizes sound useful, i suggest taking them slowly and dont overdo any. I feel twenty years older , keep moving about is good, dont sit for long , shut the curtains and play some SKA tunes on the hifi !!
just hoping they dont take my license away,,,, only just discovered the scooby...

 

I did have a root block injection a year or so back I have a needle phobia, ie into shock having a blood test lol

That tweaks the old nerve a bit when the surgeon touches it with the needle in the base of your spine. It was a nightmare for me, I at least thought I'd be knocked out but was fully conscious. Needle goes in, they take x-ray (to see where needle is), needle comes out, back in, x-ray, in more, x-ray etc. then he touched the nerve with the needle backed it off and injected. Honestly was horrific for someone with a needle phobia. I was in the recovery room in shock! Felt like a right tit.

Didn't do a lot for me either. Was examined months later and doc was quite surprised how much discomfort I was in still. At the time I was having a bit of trouble with my lower back, ie stuck bent over by late morning, not able to walk 20yds without stopping and grabbing on to something. I carried on working (was working on gritter lorries in winter on site at the time) and just pushed on for months like it. I had another meeting with surgeon and was going to have disc removal but literally a week before my next meeting it vanished. I could stand up, walk and everything. It'd got to this point after many years of degeneration then suddenly stopped. Surgeon thinks something broke away relieving pressure, think he said something had calcified and prob broke? Still get sciatic nerve pain but I'm not rushing for surgery.

 

[quote=BLU;10473932]
It gets worse when sitting or lying for any period of time. Kind of eases when I'm moving about,


You never keep still long enough anyway do you Trev?