Sciatica - how do you cope?

tenacioust123

mumoftwins wrote: »

My GP referred me to the Pain Clinic but they just referred me straight onto a back specialist at the local hospital!

Got myself some of those pain relief heat pads yesterday, so got into bed ready to put one on for the night and the instructions said 'do not use whilst sleeping' - sprayed Deep Heat on instead! Still didn't help me sleep through

I'm back at work today (p/t) so hopefully things will be a bit better as I will pottering around all morning - as tenacioust123 says it is easier when I keep moving just so damned painful when trying to rest/watch tv or suchlike.

Try a good old fashioned hot water bottle, I love mine

jenhug

try a chiropractor and ask your gp for a low dose of amitryptilene. in low doses it relaxes muscles and aids sleep. (its actually an anti depressant.) I take it in the evening for my fibromyalgia.

A friend has sciatica and he recommends a 2ltr coke bottle filled with hot water, sit in a chair with bare feet and roll your feet back and forth over the bottle for about 10 mins, he swears by it for relief.

Shomac

Ive had sciatica for 9 years now & im on morphine based medication.

I have a heating pad which is great for the pain or a hot water bottle.

Its a horrible thing sciatica, so you have my deepest sympathies.

baccyman

my partner has a wheaty and she puts that in the microwave to heat it up and uses that on her neck and shoulders, one of those might help and in the long run it would be cheaper than buying heat packs.

Shapeshifter

I've suffered on/off with sciatica for years, but was always told to not use heat on back but cold packs has this reduces any inflamation, where as heat expands your muscles causing more pain.

mumoftwins

Shapeshifter wrote: »

I've suffered on/off with sciatica for years, but was always told to not use heat on back but cold packs has this reduces any inflamation, where as heat expands your muscles causing more pain.

This is a confusion as when I could afford the Chiropractor I was told to use heat for one thing and cold packs for another and I can't remember which is which .

Here I am again up just after 4am after approx 4.5hrs sleep, roll on tomorrow when I have some money come in I'm going to buy a Tens machine!

What sort of chairs do you sit on when watching tv? Do any of you use extra support whilst sitting down?

Tattoo, where do you put the 4 pads whilst using the Tens machine?

Jenhug, will give the coke bottle thing a try too - thanks!

I will try and get an appt with GP again for this afternoon and see if he can recommend anything else - I just want to be able to sleep for 8 hours straight through

Thanks all for your help, its nice to know I'm not alone.

mazza111

For those of you who can afford to, I would recommend a visit to a good chiropractor. For those of you can't afford to, try and scrape the money together for a couple of sessions. He worked wonders on my friend's sciatica. So much so that she was out walking 5 miles the day after her first treatment.

tanith

Sciatica has a cause and those of you that have it need to get your GP to investigate whats causing it if it continues for more than a couple of weeks, nerve compression can be the culprit and can be eased if the root cause is treated... mine was caused by nerve impingement at L4 L5 and although I had all the usual treatments , physio, pain management, chiropractor, acupuncture eventually I had a small op to remove the pressure on the nerve and I have not suffered with that leg since.... now I have arthritis in the other hip its starting down the same twingeing route ...
Please ask your doc for a referal to seek out the cause , having sciatica for 9yrs:eek: is crazy when it can possibly be fixed

mumoftwins

mazza111 wrote: »

For those of you who can afford to, I would recommend a visit to a good chiropractor. For those of you can't afford to, try and scrape the money together for a couple of sessions. He worked wonders on my friend's sciatica. So much so that she was out walking 5 miles the day after her first treatment.

After being completely at breaking point yesterday, I have made an appointment to see a local Chiropractor at 2pm today - lets hope she can make some real difference and I can get a full nights sleep

mazza111

aww hon, good luck with it. Nothing worse than losing sleep due to pain.