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I have been suffering from sciatica since mid-April. Nothing helps and it is a bad way to live.
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@emilyxlc I was hoping to hear of people that made it thru this hell and are currently ok,
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@jibz afte r 3 back surgeries, the sciatica is gone! But I’m getting older, so still have many aches and pains, but now it is tolerable.
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@jibz My husband has experienced it on and off for a few years; it’s subsided tremendously compared to how bad it was when it first started flaring up for him– I know that when we spoke to a doctor about it, they made some small recommendations that we would have never thought of that seemed to work. One thing they said, and I’m not sure if this works for everyone, was that heavy wallets (and phones!) , especially in back pockets, can really make the pain worse. They said it was especially bad for when you’d sit down, and it would have your alignment off because you’re sitting on a wallet. I would have never thought about small items like that being enough to be attributing to his sciatic pain, but he did notice some improvement once he tended to that. Not saying this is a cure or anything, but something that many people may be doing that are irritating their sciatica further.
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I am so sorry to hear that. I have fought HORRIFIC sciatica several times in the last decade, sometimes so painful I could not get out of bed for weeks on end. I wish I could offer you some miracle cure to help, but there is none that I know of. TENS unit helps some, not a lot…but any relief is a miracle when you are in the midst of a round I know!
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@happyboy So you are saying it could go away? I have been suffering for so long that I feel my previous life is no longer attainable. I am, was a very active man and now I just stare at the world knowing I can’t participate because of pain. My pain stays around my calf and prevents me from enjoying life, I want out of this!
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Sciatica flares should go away, but once you have one, you are prone. I’m on year 13 of having multiple diagnoses but the bilateral sciatica flares have been the bedridden worst for me for sure! One thing that helps me (for a bit) are Torodol injections. Your doctor should have referred you to Pain Management- where I hail from, Pain Management is specialized PT and medications tailored to what works for you. There are certain stretches for instance that I cannot ever do because I am hypermobile, but it sounds like what you have been trying, isn’t helping and alternatives should be found. Does compression help? I live in compression tape but as a teen I used to tie a bandana as tight as I could stand it (before self sticking tapes were born) around my calves, knees, wherever the muscles are stone hard from spasms. Heat heals by bringing blood flow-cold reduces inflammation, the cause of pain. *Have they ruled out MS?
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@eclecticzebra I had a cyst that was pressing against the sciatic nerve. They went in and drained the cyst and gave me injections in the 4 and 5th vertebra. I was having electric shocks so bad that I was getting panic attacks and not sleeping. The draining of the cyst stopped the electrical feeling but I am left with the pain in my calf and butt. Do you think a chiropractor would be of actual help? I try doing stretching but it doesn’t always seem to help.
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@jibz Have you tried soaking in hot as you can stand water with epsom salts? It is a natural muscle relaxer and does help. Gee, I wonder if the cyst sac itself is pressing on the nerve? Or maybe it formed hard scar tissue that is pressing? It sounds like stretching is merely treating the symptoms- sounds like the pressure remains the issue? Happy to hear the draining helped that shocking sensation is terrible gah!
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So sorry to hear that, @Jibz— I hear that sciatic pain can be incredibly painful. Did you come to Pain Resource to try to find new options?