Sciatica pain - anyone got any suggestions for relief

Anti inflammatory meds and keep moving seems to be the main recommendations. DH had a bad episode of this last month. It's much better after about 6 weeks but he still faithfully does his exercises. Hope you feel better soon.

I agree with Aveline see the GP ask for anti inflammatories and doing the stretching exercises religiously several times a day on the bed is fine. Hope it soon improves.

I’m in agony with it at the moment doctor has prescribed tramadol which is too strong for me. Mines worse at night can’t sleep for the pain in my left side.

Please see the doc about this - I know how miserable it is.

Franbern I’ve suffered with sciatica on and off for many years. When I feel that niggling pain starting I get on to my stretching exercises. I probably should do them daily as a maintenance programme but it’s easy to forget once the pain eases.

I do this one on the bed before I get up. Lie on your back and bend your leg up and grip hands around knee and pull it as far up to your chest as you can manage. Hold it there 10 secs then do the other leg. Repeat maybe 5 times if you can tolerate it.

The purpose of the exercise is to stretch your lower spine where the sciatic nerve is being impinged by the vertebrae. It will hopefully relieve the pressure on it. My physio suggested ongoing muscle strengthening exercises to increase support to the lower back and decrease the likelihood of the sciatic pain flaring up.

I hope you feel better soon. It’s a miserable pain.

Tramadol is a no no for me but prescribed Naproxen taken with a stomach protector does the job.

I go for a deep tissue massage with sciatica, it normally does the trick and the trapped nerves untrap.

Also, if you Google you can find all sort of stretches etc to do, if you’re able too.

Including using a tennis ball, sitting or standing against a hard surface, and moving in a circular way.

Good luck, sciatica is so awful, especially at night, where you could try sleeping with a pillow between your legs.

I have had acupuncture twice for sciatica and it has worked after about 2 or 3 sessions.

I also do these exercises advised by my acupuncturist if I feel it coming on. I do realise not everyone can manage them.

I get on the floor near to the sofa. I lie on my back and bring my knees up towards my face, so I have curled up and then you rock backwards and forwards about 10 tens. I then roll over and get on my hands and knees and I stretch out my leg backwards as much as I can to release tension in the spine and then do the next leg a few times. I then crawl over to the sofa in order to pull myself up to sitting or standing.

Go and see a physio, I thought I had sciatica and it was GTPS, the two are treated very differently but can be confused.

I found that sleeping with a pillow between my legs helped when I had sciatica for a while. As with my arthritis I find that my sleeping position very much defines how I’m going to be the following day. I do have a very good osteopath that I see sometimes when I can afford him.

I suggest you see your GP or even your practice physiotherapist to ensure that it is sciatica and to give you the correct exercises - it is not always 'one size fits all' and
Dr Google isn't always the best place to get treatment.

Yes definitely see your GP also look for a good Osteopath, mine helped me so much when I had sciatica. I always go to her with muscular pains and she works wonders. For me this is preferable to taking medication especially something as strong as tramadol.

Do try acupuncture. And for a while don't go out in the scooter unless you have to.