constant lower back pain.

travelsafar I can empathise with you as I have had surgery because of a prolapsed disc because no amount of physio or injections helped. If you are in as much pain as I think you are Ibuprofen won’t help and anyway it can cause stomach irritation. Have you considered surgery? It definitely helped me and I no longer have sciatica and only occasional back pain.

Travelsafar, have you had any scans lately, or even a Dexa scan to detect osteo ?

EllanVannin I had an MRI scan which is how they found the disc problem. BUt no I haven't had a Dexa scan if i can get a gp appointment i will mention this to her. Thanks for the tip. I play bowls which i love but can only do it if dosed up with painkillers and deep heat, which has become my new perfume!!!!. I love gardening but it is done with pain and in short bursts. I want to go to India again next year and it worries me that i will be a nusiance to the people i am going with, i have bought walking poles so will take those with me to help me when we are standing listening to the guide or walking any where it may be abit uneven.

I too had to have surgery after suffering bouts of Sciatica and a prolapsed disc it was very successful as I only get twinges occasionally now and this was 20yrs ago.
See your GP and emphasise how it’s impacting your life.

Why not ask for re-referral to your consultant and also a referral to a pain clinic? A pain clinic consultant will have a far wider knowledge of pain relief and will also understand the truly debilitating physical and emotional nature of chronic pain. Please don’t be tempted to minimise the impact of your pain when you speak to medical professionals. Be very clear how debilitating it is and how your life is impacted. I think sometimes we all have a tendency to play it down unhelpfully. Wishing you well, I do understand what a struggle life can be with chronic pain.

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I've had bulging disks (upper and lower back) with sciatica since 2017 and it's been life changing.

I take Zapain and restrict any repetitive activity (hoovering, lawn mowing etc.) to 30 minutes. Sitting down makes it worse.

I lie down a lot so have a mattress-type floor chair in here. Sometimes I sit on a little cocktail chair, with a cushion on top, but I never use the sofas. I use a good kneeler pad too.

I have to walk for an hour in the mornings to loosen up my poor legs, hips and knees for the day!