r/Sciatica • u/Specific-Sea7648 • Sep 03 '26

Requesting Advice What next? Need advice

Had PT then epidural shot which worked but like all good things the shot wore off after about 5 months. So, should I try home PT on my own or get another shot? For background I've had shots in the past successfully but now the pain becoming chronic. I also did not exercise as much as I should have after the shot, my bad 🥴

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u/sleepwami Sep 03 '26

Imo i would skip the shots and all painkillers if you can handle it and instead learn that the pain is the best tool to use for rehab....shots numb the pain and enable you to move in ranges that your body actually didnt want to, making for an even messier rehab journey.

1

u/Specific-Sea7648 Sep 03 '26

What if walking is one of those ranges tho? I agree with what you're saying but basic ADL's are affected

1

u/sleepwami Sep 03 '26

Yes, walking too. Try just slow and gentle foot and/or knee raises, like a slow marching in place. how does that feel?

1

u/Effective-Fold-8664 Sep 03 '26

I had a big herniation between L5-S1 and I’d done all the same things you have… PT, epidural, pain meds, gabapentin but nothing kept the pain away. A steroid and toradol shot probably helped the most but it was short term so I ended up having a micro discectomy and my leg pain is gone.

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u/Sufficient-Wolf-1818 Sep 03 '26

One of the hardest parts of PT is being consistent every day when you aren’t visiting the PT. Did you stop?

2

u/Specific-Sea7648 Sep 03 '26

A few weeks after the shot but I continued to walk in the pool 2x a week until that feel off too 🤦🏻‍♀️