Sciatica

tiffany My GP suggested a tens machine. It helped enormously. Especially at bedtime.

Husband was in agony from the pain going down his right leg and thought it was sciatica. Went to the GP who referred him to a rheumatologist. After xrays etc it turned out to be cruralgia, from the crural nerve which is next to the sciatic nerve, trapped by an arthritic spine.
He had a cortisone injection and it gave great relief.
The specialist prescribed some really strong painkillers too, but husband couldn't take them as they made him feel really weird - can't remember the name.
So in short,*tiffaney*, go and get it properly checked out.

I found physio the best thing for sciatica, though I did take painkillers as well, it only improved with physio. Surgery doesn't always help and there is usually a long wait for it. Acupuncture also helped.

Just booked an appointment. Earliest 13th July! but l'll keep looking for cancellations. It really is getting me down now and l can't sleep properly for it. Thank you all for replying. HildaW l need your little man for a session and Charleygirl, watch out for me at Wimbledon!

That being said do get your Doctor to check you out as sciatic type pain can mean something else.

I have had this most of my adult life...three really bad episodes where I properly 'slipped a disc' and ended up in real trouble, though evidently you do not slip anything....its more squeezed.
Any road up I have forsaken painkillers as in the long term they do not work....your body gets used to them and eventually they actually create pain. So I went down the get fit route. Slowly improved my core strength, posture and mobility. Its not a quick fix but with the right support I no longer have any real problems. That's not to say it could not all come back if I did something silly.....but I've learned how to stand, lift and if I get a twinge...I have a warm bath rub in ibrubofen and slowly do some rolling exercises. I also have a little man who can help....a sports physio/trainer who I have a session with most weeks.

I would try an osteopath. I was reading the latest guidance on sciatica when I was at the physio deot last week and physiotherapy or osteopathy is recommended and it said a very small proportion of people need or will benefit from back surgery. I take co-codamol and Arcoxia for my chronic back pain and sciatica with no problems but then I do eat a lot of fruit, veg and whole grains.

I am on Warfarin so can really only take paracetamol.My doctor recommended up to 8 a day if necessary and it really did help.I am now attending physiotherapy for my sciatica and it has retreated considerably but I couldn't say if it was because of the exercises or not.I had to wait so long for my referral so I suggest you make an appointment with you GP immediately.

3 months is more than long enough to suffer sciatica type pain. You need to go to your GP for a referral letter to see an orthopaedic consultant. Do some homework beforehand because you want to see somebody who deals only with back problems, not an all rounder.

There are several reasons why you have sciatica and you should get it it investigated. Andy Murray did and look at him now!

Yes, go and get it checked out, and tell the doctor you can't take ibuprofen or cocodamol and don't want to take ibuprofen+omeprazole. They can't force you to take things and they have a book to consult with a list of other drugs and their side effects. Also it may be a problem which can be solved some other way, without drugs at all. Why suffer when you don't have to?