r/Sciatica

Has anyone used a cane when returning to work after a bad flare up? Did it help? Did you feel awkward? I hate having attention on me, but I think it may really help me. I just bought a collapsible one. I have crutches available also, but that seems like too much.

Hi all,

Just interested to see people’s take on this situation.

Just over 3 weeks ago ended up bed bound after couple of months of more manageable albeit still quiet bad back/leg issues.

This bed bound episode left unable to stand for 2 days. Then slowly started moving on crutches. Then couldn’t stand for more than 2 minutes without crutches which would take me a while to recover from after.

Since then I have tried to build up standing/walking tolerance by trying to push through the pain. The pain is definitely less intense now than at the start but the symptoms I have still start building quickly. In my head as soon I stand up it’s like I’m on a timer. its usually start with tingling in foot which spreads to leg, then turns into pain.

I feel the pain mostly where the buttock and hip meet around that area but also I do get foot/ankle and lower leg pain. I have calf weakness and a locked in hunched posture which is contributing to walking/standing issues.

I have today walked for nearly twenty minutes which sounds good to where I was at 3 weeks ago but as I say the symptoms I get start to build very quickly still when I stand.

I can only stand that long if I’m able to constantly lean over sideways (not against anything) to left away from painful side for a few seconds which seems to open up the space for the nerve and it relieves the pain and I have to do it to get some more feeling back into my foot/leg. It’s like standing and walking is choking my leg. I’m a least grateful I have a way of relieving the symptoms without having to squat or lay down.

I do at least feel ok after standing for longer periods now where as at the start it’d take me half an hour to recover from standing 2 minutes.

Sitting tolerance is also very limited unless I can use my hands to take pressure off spine. I spend most of time laying on my side or stomach with pillows underneath.

So my question is should I keep trying to push through the pain and keep doing what I’m doing or am I potentially harming myself. I feel like I need to push myself to recover or should I just be purely bed resting at this stage.

Thanks

Time
Proper hydration to your body weight
Bike riding

I credit those 3 things to the full recovery. I didn’t implement them until month 11 & by 13month full recovered. Month 3 was recommended surgery btw.

So I have had a very bad flair up with my sciatica since the middle of May which has left me partially housebound. Goin into work 2 days a week which even that is difficult and leaves me struggling for days. So I have been attending NHS physio with no real improvement but yesterday I asked about scans and was told my case needs to go in front of a panel which takes about 2 months for my physio to even get in front of this panel. This panel never sees me doesn’t know how helpless I feel, how I have thought of not wanting to be alive anymore. Not able to walk far even with a walking stick. I feel like my life is over. I am in constant pain. I don’t go out much. And even it the panel says yes to an MRI it could take 8 months to get.
What do I do?
Do I go private which could cost over £1000. I just don’t know what to do anything I feel like a prisoner in my own body and no support from work.

A week ago, I was diagnosed with a bulging L4/L5 disc putting pressure on my L5 root nerve causing sciatica after an MRI. I've likely had this bulge to some extent for 4 months but recent actions must have increased the size of the bulge which led to the sciatica.

I was given a 4 day course of dexamethasone orally which has dramatically reduced the pain in my back and leg and has also reduced the nerve inflammation. But as the topic states, I can't stand upright which makes walking, one of the most effective ways to recover from this, quite difficult. As I attempt to stand upright, it triggers the nerve which causes tingling through my calf and foot. Thankfully, it does not cause the pain it used to. However, I am restricted to walking while hunched over which does eventually use muscle soreness in my back.

I am slowly improving with bed rest, occasional walking (mostly in my flat) and various meds (diclofenac, paracetamol, and pregabalin) but I don't know what exercises I can do until I meet the neurologist I've been referred to in order to work my way upright. I feel that I am slowly improving my ability to stand upright and I feel the muscle guarding in my left buttock/upper hamstring decreasing but being in bed most of the time sucks.

Sitting is mostly comfortable (so long as I don't sit rigidly upright) and laying down is fine (best on my non-injured side as laying on my back can trigger the nerve)

I've seen other threads on this topic but no real solutions. Just other people experiencing the same thing. For those who were in this spot, please tell me what worked for you. Thanks in advance.

Its been alnost 3 weeks since my epidural and my pain is still worse than berore my injeftion and the area feels very tight, is this normal? Im very dissapointed as im from the UK and didnt want to wait years on the NHS for an injection so went private and feel no relief and a waste of money

I’m 25M and looking for some advice/experiences from people who may have dealt with something similar.

About a year ago, I had a traumatic coccyx/tailbone fracture during sex. I was being penetrated in a doggy position and the angle changed, which caused a direct impact to my tailbone. Imaging showed that the coccyx was fractured and anteriorly angulated. Thankfully, the fracture has since healed.

However, I now have a strange recurring problem.

If I masturbate, especially if I *edge/prolong sexual stimulation for a long time, I can develop a pretty severe flare-up of pain that starts in my **left buttock and travels down my left leg. My knee can hurt quite badly, and sometimes the pain seems to involve most of the leg. It is noticeably **worse when sitting than when walking*.

During an active flare, I sometimes get an *electric/current-like sensation* through the painful area, particularly around my knee/leg. Interestingly, getting an erection during a flare seems to intensify this sensation. I also sometimes get pain in my *left groin and inner thigh* during these episodes.

I don't really understand what is going on. I'm wondering whether this could be some kind of *nerve irritation/compression (sciatic, lumbar nerve, deep gluteal/piriformis, pelvic nerve, etc.)*, pelvic-floor involvement, or whether my old coccyx injury could somehow be contributing.

I'm planning to see a doctor/orthopaedic or spine specialist, but I'd really appreciate any experiences or suggestions about what kind of specialist I should see and whether something like a *lumbar/pelvic MRI* might be appropriate.

Has anyone experienced something similar, particularly pain triggered by prolonged sexual activity/edging after a coccyx injury?

*Edit:* To clarify, I don't currently have loss of bladder/bowel control or obvious leg weakness. The main issue is the severe radiating pain/electric sensation during a flare

I am 4 months post herniation, was terrible, hospitalized for a week for pain. I had 2 ESIs, heavy pt, oxy, flexeral, gabapentin, I’ve improved a lot since the beginning but am plateauing at about 70%. I have foot zings and pain while sitting, some minor weakness in toe, heavy leg when walking a lot but im significantly better than I was. Still doing pt, gabapentin, and being very careful with movement. Gabapentin is messing with my cognitive function and I really want to get off of it. When I try to taper, the zings and pain become too much.

My docs are offering micro discectomy but also not pushing as I’ve shown quite a bit of improvement with conservative treatment. One thing they’ve suggested is that I lose significant weight as fatty deposits are contributing to the compression on my nerve. I was thinking to get back on zepbound. Figure this will also help curb my appetite for junk food that contributes to inflammation. Anyone try this method and how did it work as an alternative to surgery?

my wife was in an accident a few years ago that has caused severe sciatica and has a rare case that it radiates to both sides and up and down her body due to the nature of the accident. She is having a MAJOR flare up right now and has been bed bound for 3 days going on 4. She can’t walk at all. She can’t put any pressure on her right leg at all and she is so miserable. Please can you guys put tips for relief even if they sound crazy we will try anything.
She’s been taking her prescribed meds for her other back injuries and we have tried every position in the world with pillows and everything for her knees legs back, you name it. Taking ibuprofen and Tylenol on a strict schedule. TENS unit. Heat. Ice. You name it. But we are open to any and all suggestions. I just want to help my wife.

Hello, I'm suffering from herniated disc and sciatica recently. The pain was simple at first, but it deteriorated later. It became unbearable. I went to a doctor again and he said at the end of the month, if I don't get better, he will have an Surgery and he said I have to sleep in bed for a month with medicine. Of course, and I'm currently in the second week of treatment. I don't deny that the pain has become lighter and I can walk without pain, but for short distances, but I'm still worried about surgery and worried about what if i cant go back as I was before. I really need my body. I have a brother with autism and i have to take care of him, and I'm in the last year in high school and my grades determine my fate. I'll have to postpone some subjects, which causes a lot of pressure on me. I really i will be thankful if you help me even with one advice '

Has anyone from Ireland gotten lumbar artificial disc replacement done and how did it go for you?

Hi everyone, messaging on behalf of my father (age range 55-60 and not overweight). Based in Ireland and has had long standing back issues with lumbar discs. Finally went for a surgery in Ireland after on/off issues for 10+ years back in 2020, where he had a microdiscectomy to resolve a herniated disc giving sciatica. Recovery went terribly and ended up bed bound for the remainder of 2020. Irish surgeon recommended fusion but thankfully it started to get better about a year later so we never went for the fusion, but never fully recovered. Seems to be some permanent damage to the sciatic nerve so as far as we know that can't be resolved fully. He's been managing well since then and has had some procedures done to try help this such as a Spinal Cord Stimulator which hasn't really worked as expected but didn't make anything worse. Unfortunately after a decent ride in recent years, he's once again felt a twinge and back pain and sciatica are chronic again keeping him off work and extremely limiting what he can do day-to-day.

I looked into lumbar artificial disc replacement back in 2020 and I'm sure it's come a long way since, but seems to be you would need to travel outside of Ireland for this (Germany leading the way?) and the worry then is after care as Irish surgeons would not touch him after going abroad for this . The Irish surgeons don't seem to have trained in the artificial disc replacement and suggest spinal fusion which scares the life out of him. He was told in 2020 by his surgeon that if he left Ireland for a procedure his surgeon would not treat him for aftercare (which is wrong on so many levels in my opinion but it's how it is...).

I'm asking this reddit group for recommendations or personal stories that could be of interest to us as if artificial disc could be an option we'd like to know more about it. If someone has gone down this road it'd be amazing to hear from you, or anyone from Ireland even better. Aftercare is the big worry for him since his last procedure never went well.

I’ve raised the questions of sciatica with two doctors who test it by getting me to touch my toes or test my hip rotation and the tests HURT but they’ve said it would hurt more if I had sciatica which I find weird because I KNOW I have a high pain tolerance.

For context this pain starts in the lower back and radiates all the way down into and past the buttock into the back of my leg. It’s annoying and uncomfortable and it feels like my body alignment is off - ie one part of my back hits the wall before the other and I’d have to force both of them to be against the wall.

Wondering if anyone has any advice on this - honestly I’ve been self medicating with the bud but now that I’m trying to give that up looking for a proper (and healthier ) solution \ guidance.

TIA

I’ve been offered a laminotamy for sciatic pain in the right leg and foot. Since initially seeing the surgeon 16 months ago my sciatica has improved a reasonable amount. It still gives me pain at random and when I have flares they are bad but generally only a few days. I’m still a bit limited but I managed to get around and I’m currently stepping down medication to make a final call on surgery.

Surgery has been offered for end of October. Has anyone else been in a similar boat and gone through with surgery still? Any regrets? Was it worth it for you?

I have injection tomorrow. I've asked doctor and they told me it's not necessary to rest for several days. Maybe 1 day would be enough and then I can keep doing PT.
Did you rest for several days after? What was your recommendation?
Also I've heard that ESI might not work if you do aggravating movements like bending for instance.

Good morning all

I went to the pain management doctor. They advise me. I have a steroid stenosis with arthritic back issues, she scheduled me for a steroid injection at the last day of the month. I’m asking what has people’s experience been with this currently I am taking tramadol gabapentin and muscle relaxer. They work some of the time.

1 year ago today I squatted down to pick something up and experienced the most excruciating pain I’ve ever felt in my life. I couldn’t walk, I couldn’t lay, I couldn’t stand, all I could do was sit.

Turns out I had an over 1cm in every direction bulge between my L4 & L5. I saw an orthopedic surgeon who specialized in back and he, very surprisingly,
told me you will get better. That I should hold off as long as possible and he won’t do surgery unless it gets worse. I didn’t have weakness or foot drop, just an incredible amount of pain from my hip down to my ankle.

Four months later after consistent pain that only dropped below a 6 when I was sitting a certain way, I woke up one day and was “better”. Now, after 8 months of PT, and although I’m still not perfect thanks to MS making nerve healing really slow, I’m 90% better and mostly functioning normally.

Here’s what worked and what didn’t work for me personally - not saying it will work for you, everyone is so different, but it might!

Didn’t work:
- steroid injection - just didn’t help me, but also didn’t make anything worse! Would definitely try if recommended
- multiple types of NSAIDs - they made me so sick
- muscle relaxers - might have worked better if I took them more consistently, but they just made me too tired
- traction - would try this once to see if it helps! The bounce back was just too much for me
- lyrica and gaba - I don’t think my pain management dr ever put me on high enough dose
- starting PT right away

Did work:
- Juicy Joint supplement in place of NSAIDs - didn’t make me sick. Paired it with Tylenol every 6-8 hours
- dry needling to loosen my muscles around the nerve, but I waited till I was 60-70% better to start this. Might have sped things up a bit, but not sure!
- rechargeable stim unit
- a leg wrap ice pack to help my brain focus on the cold vs the pain when it was really bad
- my extra wide recliner that I got cheap from FB marketplace (there are so many on marketplace) that became my safe haven and bed
- a PT who refused to work with me until my pain was managed. He saved me so much time and money and was a BIG proponent of resting and only doing what i can that doesn’t cause pain. The second it causes pain, stop. My body needed to regulate and stop expecting pain signals. Once that happened, we got straight into core strengthening. If you’re in Butler PA, look up Mike Allen, he’s incredible.
- a rollator and a wheelchair - both integral to my mental health. Being able to leave the house as well as navigate around my house and do things without causing extra pain was so key, especially when things got dark
- a shower chair / bench and shower head with a hose. Being able to shower mostly pain free was also key to my mental health. And the warm water on my muscles helped temporarily.
- once I started to recover, I do think red light therapy was worth it. Go to a place that offers it first to try it for a little before buying a panel. And if you’re going to buy, don’t cheap out. The cheaper ones aren’t strong enough to penetrate the skin.

If you’re in it, I feel you. It sucks. And while four months or five months or six months might feel like forever, in the grand scheme of things, it’s not. My biggest advice is rest, recover, do what you can, do not push yourself into pain, and find accessibility devices to try and keep your activities slightly closer to normal. While this injury isn’t as visible as a broken foot, it’s still something that disables you. Don’t be ashamed of embracing that temporarily and utilize whatever devices you need to get out and help with the depression that comes with this.

Okay, I’m rambling now. It does get better. It takes time, but it does get better.