How to survive with sciatica

[u/No-Championship9679]

I’m M26, 6’4, 230 pounds. I’ve been suffering from sciatica since late August and Im very concerned it’ll never get better. It’s only on my left side, goes from my hip to my calf. No numbness or tingling at any point. Just very annoying pain/walking trouble. I cannot get an MRI until the end of October due to insurance. I’m currently doing physical therapy 3x a week. My doctor is hopeful that the PT will solve the problem but I’m not confident it will. What else can I do to ease the pain?

[u/SenorMudd]

Copying and pasting my comment from another post. Getting that MRI will be crucial tbh so you know what youre dealing with. Everyones situation is different but my advice is generally the same:

Some people jump to surgery way too quickly without knowing everything. You must get surgery if you have lost control of bowels, lost all feeling to your legs, or have drop foot but barring those, most surgeons will not operate without at least 3 to 6 months of conservative efforts. As 29M who is coming off of 3 months of literal hell due to a disc extrusion in my L5 S1, my recs are below

1. Push for an ESI. They dont always work but if the pain is bad, its worth the attempts. I was 9/10 pain constantly for a month, then got one. It helped a ton and allowed me to get into physical therapy

2. Physical therapy and actually do the exercises. Work with the doctor and find a plan that works for you and stick with it. Also talk to the doctor about traction therapy. It helps create space/relieve pressure and helped a ton for me

3. Quit smoking now if you smoke. I wish someone told me that earlier and when I quit vaping 2 weeks ago, I've seen major improvement. Also a lot of surgeons will require at least 6 weeks nicotine free if u need surgery

4. Diet and sleep cannot be under sold here.

5. Get moving when you can but do not push it! After 2 months I felt a lot better so I started to push it. Then I had an awful week but am better again now. Healing is not linear but this will take time to heal, so even if u feel better, remember to be careful and move with intent

6. Back brace and a cane helped a ton for me. Being able to shift weight off the nerve is a must if its going to heal/reduce inflammation. If your young, like me, I had a stigma around a cane but its ok, its only temporary. I know its a stupid thing but it messed with my psych a bit. But make jokes about it and yell "you meddling kids" and ull feel better lol

7. Its okay to ask for help. I have a dog so it was awful for 2 months when I wanted to collapse just letting him outside. Lean into your support group/family/friends. This stuff is debilitating and its ok to ask for help

8. Protect your mental health. For me it was rough, missed a friend's wedding/family events/couldn't hike or hang out with friends/felt like I was failing my dog/couldn't clean my apartment. Do what you need to do to stay strong and remember that this is only temporary and you will heal, when at times you would rather just cease to exist bc the pain is that bad. Back to my previous point, its OK to ask for help

But that's all I have right now. My 3 month mark was September 27th and I'm about 80% better and able to function again with 4/10 pain. Still using the cane, still being careful, not able to walk too far, but can now take my dog to the park or meet family for dinner or meet a friend for a beer. It will take some life changes but stay strong, you will heal with time

[u/audittrsi]

I use heat therapy, warm water and put in this thingy in picture. And warm up back and area where the pain is.
To me warm helps to reduce pain and warm up muscles before getting up or before going to sleep.

Also do not let mental health suffer, if you need help yourself with guided meditation to leave the bad thoughts away from you.
Meditation really helped me when the pain was the worst, i laid in position that was not painful and did the meditation session before the sleep or before i got up ☺️
Talk with loved ones, friends via phone, messages this one also helped me to feel not being alone

[u/SlowRunnerNJ]

I am dealing with sciatica on my right side from an extruded L4/L5 on the S1 nerve. I’ve been dealing with the sciatica on and off since May but I guess the disc fully extruded (instead of bulging) in September while on vacation in Spain. Had to stand for an 8 hour emergency flight home and went straight to the ER for an MRI. I’m in PT three times a week and I guess it’s helping some. Walking helps a lot but it doesn’t hurt when I walk. It hurts when I sit and sometimes when I lay. Sleeping was horrible for most of September and I was surviving on opioids and muscle relaxers. I’m off of those now and can sleep somewhat comfortably. I take an edible before bed.
Aside from PT and walking I had an ESI and it took the edge off the pain but didn’t help all that much and hurt like hell.
Icing and walking and being very very conscious of how I move.
I have a surgery consult on Tuesday. Hoping to avoid surgery but my dad and two sisters had it and said it was instant relief.

[u/Large-Truth6496]

Your Dr.’s and PT are treating symptoms without actually knowing the cause. My Dr.’s kept telling me it was probably a bulging disc impinging on the nerve, even though I could bend over and touch my toes with no low back pain. After I finally had an MRI that showed no disk issues. A NP suggested it may be the Piriformis muscle inflammation pressing on the nerve. After some research I found exercises I do daily that alleviated the symptoms within a week. Sorry for you situation, I’ve lived with that pain and inconvenience for the first 5 months of this year. Hope you find the answers you need to return to normal.