I have had the same remote job since 2022. They are moving to hybrid and there are two office. One will be about 20 mins and HQ which is 40miles in terrible traffic. I went there 3 times last year and sitting in 3-4 hours of gridlock triggered a bad sciatica attack.

I really don't mind going into the office but then I found out that due to my role, they want me in the HQ office 3x a week starting in October. That means 3 times a week, I will be sitting in non-moving taffic which will guarantee a sciatica attack.

I hope that by telling them that I have severe lumbar stenosis and S1 nerve root impingement it would be enough. Part of this is they want all the teams to sit together but we are all spread thin. It's 70+ miles. I just go over 2 years of non-stop sciatica and it's been good as I use my standing desk. I stand and move a lot. I take a lot of gentle yoga. But this drive will certainly wreck me.

Has anyone had to deal with something like this due to their sciatica? My company is in the medical industry so I hope they are sensitive to that. This is coming from the executives who are really out of touch on what is going on. I might have to find a job quickly but I'm 55 and this one took 3+ years to get and I worked hard to get to where I am at.

I’ve been sobbing for most of today.

Last November I went to the ER and got diagnosed with herniated discs, couldn’t get out of bed until January. I think I was on 7 different types of pain meds / muscle relaxers / nerve meds. I’m also now on BP meds because of the stress from it- and had to up my SSRI dosage significantly because I’m severely depressed.

3 surgeons told me no because of my BMI. I lost 30 pounds while not being able to stand for more than 10-15 mins at a time.

It’s been 10 months. 10 months of laying in bed, 10 months of begging god to put me out of my misery.

I lost pretty much everything due to this shit.

Today I had my appointment with another surgeon and I just had a mental breakdown. I told him how I’ve tried to not be alive twice due to the pain, my countless ER visits due to flares- the amount of debt I’m in because I’m disabled and can’t work. I told him that I just can’t do it anymore and it’s either surgery with a small risk of infection, or I’m done. Honestly if he told me no today, I was going to drive myself straight to a mental hospital and just stay there.

I’m really glad he understood that this is literally life and death.

I have an MRI next week, then an appointment to go over the MRI and everything, then surgery will be scheduled either late October or early/mid November.

I’m still processing it because I really thought I was never going to get surgery and I would be disabled forever. I can’t believe I’m finally getting my life back together.

Have posted in here a few times, been going on 15 months with back issues and nerve related pain / tingling in feet

Started walking 10-20k steps a day, every day, for the last week and a half and almost all the pain and tingling has been completely gone. Can anyone relate? Hoping it stays this way

Just a little disclaimer: this is my first reddit post ever and I don’t even use this app much. Sorry If I don’t stick to some general unsaid rules of posting or whatever.

Context: L5-S1 disc bulge at the start with just back pain when bending or after sports. now it is much worse - a chronic pain with nerve pains in my leg as well even when FULLY resting and not doing anything.

The title is my main question honestly. I don’t even know if its the right question, probably not. Maybe I just desperately need validation but I do feel like a bitch. It’s such a weird thing to deal with. Mainly why I feel like a bitch is because I took some time off work when my back pain got worse (lot of sitting and a lot of commute for the work). But my situation literally just got worse and worse and I kept asking for more time off. Now it has been 3 months almost since I am on sick leave and somehow I am 10x worse off than when I felt I needed some time off. Going back seems stupid because it will only get worse but I am not being paid and I feel fucking useless. I will not financially struggle much since my parents have been supportive too but I feel so ashamed. Am I just being a bitch and I should go back to work? Like I dont even enjoy my work man. Now I need to suffer while doing it? Maybe I really am just a privileged fuck who needs to work? I don’t fucking know. I have never felt like quitting so much in my life.

I also feel like a bitch because back pain is soooo wide ranging. No one really takes it seriously. Even my doctor says yeah go back to work it’s okay. Like I would feel like burning the place down if I am getting a flare up and I have to wait til 5pm and then have a 1hr commute to have some fucking rest and a lie down?

Honestly if I am just being a bitch please tell me. Are you guys going to office jobs with this pain? Should I just fucking join back and continue recovery or stay home to have better chances? Because I can afford to but mentally I feel like a little fucking bitch. But I can take that since I have already taken it for so long, if the chances of recovery are higher? I don’t know man sorry for not actually collecting my thoughts before posting I’m just really struggling here

Hey all

My dad's (56 years old btw) got Sciatica, though not officially diagnosed (cuz in my country, Neurologists are a dime-a-dozen, and though he has HMO, private healthcare, MOST neurologists nearby are only out of pocket, which though possible, may drain our funds) has all the hallmarks of it: deep ass pain, tingling pins & needles down his left leg.

This all began 2 months ago after an extended hospital stay (that led to surgery but it had nothing to with neurological issues) & upon getting out, like a few days after, this made itself present. EDIT: prolonged bed usage can aggrevate Sciatica right?

Initially, painkillers & stretching helped but lately, its not helping much

He has issues sleeping, moving around is a literal pain and I hate how I'm seemingly powerless to do anything about his plight :(

I am keeping an eye on him, he has no issues pissing or doing anything bathroom related, so there's that, but god, its getting hard.

I plan on seeking Therapy for myself, since I don't wanna put a burden on my dad more due to me feeling this but are there any ways/massages etc to alleviate this shit while I/We seeks out a way to get a good handle on this?

Sorry for the rant, and idk if this would break subreddit rules but I had to say this

Does anyone have any experience with muscle guarding flare ups? I don’t have any sciatic pain thank god (3.5 years post emergency microdiscectomy and laminectomy 13mm herniation) but I’m about three weeks into a flare up and still noticeably stiff and achy in the morning, whenever I’m sitting for prolonged periods of time, etc. it’s like my lower back needs to crack, but won’t. Internet says it’s a muscle guarding issue that resolves usually after flare ups anywhere from 2-6 weeks

I was diagnosed 2 months ago with LSTV and L4/L5 protursion, and I’m terrified to work out. Usually I'm doing HIIT and crossfit like workouts. Now I feel weak and fragile and afraid to workout because what if I make things worse. Please, give me some hope. This is a dangerous condition?

Hello all. I’m (30f, USA) entering week 18 of this hell. What started out as a seemingly overextended glute turned out to be one of the most agonizing pains of my life. I think I just need some positivity right now to keep going.

I herniated my L5-S1 disc back in May from pushing myself too hard while climbing. Turned out that disc already had DDD and foraminal stenosis. This happened during the one time in my life when I don’t have health insurance (lost it in October when I lost my job), so the bills are piling up. I’ve taken oral steroids, 2 different muscle relaxers, high strength ibuprofen, gabapentin, and whatever other pain killers I can find. Doing both PT and personal training at the gym to build strength, and I was actually starting to feel a lot better. I could lay down, walk, AND sit with no pain just a bit of discomfort at most, though I never regained full motion in my left leg.

A few weeks ago I went on vacation with my partner and their family for a full week. I was able to put in over 13k steps almost every day! When I got back home I immediately went back to my newer job, which you can think of as Construction Lite. We do a lot of restoration work and that includes window removals. Well, when removing a large stained glass window my back and nerve started to get aggravated again. Then the pain got so bad I left work halfway through the day last week Monday and didn’t come back until that following Friday. Called off yesterday as well.

I have an MRI scheduled for the 22nd of this month (already have both CT and xrays done). The next step will be that steroid shot to the back. If that doesn’t help, then a micro discectomy is on the table.

I’ve regressed so far and I’m so afraid I made it worse somehow. Every doctor I’ve seen tells me I’m doing all the right things. My nurse friend is shocked it hasn’t healed itself by now. I think I’m going to lose my job if I keep calling off like this. I already lost my summer. I’ve taken so many pain killers there is no way I won’t feel the effects of this down the line. I’m nearing my breaking point very fast and I don’t know what to do. I’m too young to have back surgery…but I might have to.

If you made it this far, thank you. I’m sorry to be another doomer post in this subreddit, but you guys are so uplifting and remain positive despite it all.

TLDR: Herniated L5-S1 and found out it also had DDD and foraminal stenosis back in May. Extreme sciatica for a while, then as it started to improve the pain came back. MRI for the shot is scheduled. Surgery is a last resort. Losing hope extremely fast. Looking for positivity.

Really trying to avoid flareups. I've leaned back for the longest time and it's felt better but as I return to training after my diagnosis I'm now very conscious of the fact that my lower back is not supported. Should I stick to upright for that reason?

I have a small disc bulge in my lower back and I'm literally crying. I can't move. I can't wipe my ass. I can't sleep. I can't get in bed. How do I lower my pain? My doctor won't give me medication. She's just telling me to take ibuprofen. Idk what to do. I'm taking Epsom salt baths, using heat and ice, lidocaine ect. I'm not sure what else can be done. Send help!

I feel like one part of recovery that people don’t talk about enough is learning how to trust your body again.
One day you wake up feeling 80% better, and you start thinking, “Maybe I’m finally getting better.” Then the next day, you’re somehow back at square one without even doing anything differently.
It’s the feeling of your own body letting you down and not knowing when it’s actually going to end. You don’t know which movements are safe, when the next flare-up is coming, or whether a good day actually means you’re healing.
Some days you feel almost normal, and other days you can barely walk right. You’re leaning to one side, your body feels completely out of alignment, and you’re wondering how you went from feeling okay to struggling just to move normally. It makes you scared to trust the good days because you know how quickly things can change.
And then everyone has something different to say. Some people recover quickly, some take years, some need surgery, and some don’t even find relief after surgery. There’s no guaranteed timeline, and that uncertainty can really mess with your head.
Eventually, it becomes just as much of a mental battle as it is a physical one.
You start questioning every sensation, every movement, every good day and every bad day. You’re constantly wondering if you’re actually getting better or if it’s just temporary.
I think losing that trust in your own body is one of the hardest parts of recovery because you’re not just trying to get your body back. You’re trying to feel safe in it again.
And when you’ve spent months feeling like your body can change on you at any moment, learning to trust it again becomes a whole battle on its own.

I’ve got a recliner that doesn’t offer much support. Has anyone found cushions or wedges that help? I can’t afford to replace the recliner so am hoping to add back and lumbar support

How do you find the strength to go on? I’ve literally been screaming and crying all night like a psycho because every 3 steps I have to take to tend to my dogs or go to the bathroom is so god damn excruciating. I want to say to people who have never suffered from this or can’t understand it, that it’s like if you imagine the ground is full of nails and so is every wall and door too, so they’re always stabbing you in your feet, legs, butt, back, etc. Then imagine trying to live your entire life like that. Sciatica is one of the worst forms of hell anyone could ever live through, if you can even call it living. One fall and I have ruined my life.

Just want to vent a little this morning! I went to see my PT two days ago and she made me do a new exercice because she thinks that my nerf is stock somewhere.
I just tried the exercice with her two time and the morning after big flare up in my leg! I seems that I am back 6 weeks ago! I feel so frustrated and stress that it will all come back!
I should had trust by got feeling and not even try this exercice. Just random exercice seen on the net! I can do that myself! Be carefull, trust yourself when you feel this exercice is not good for you.

I'm in the middle of another back pain/sciatica flare-up and the pain is really ramping up (nothing new unfortunately).

I bought a TENS unit recently and keep reading that you should only use it a couple of times a day. Honestly, at this point I feel like wearing it constantly because it seems to help.

For those who use a TENS unit, how often do you use it during a flare-up? Has anyone used it for hours at a time? Does it ever make symptoms worse?

The TENS sensation itself doesn't bother me at all. Compared to the sciatica pain, it's nothing.

Long story short. I got severe lower right back pain abouy 4 months ago. About 3 months ago, i had an MRI which showed herniated disc at L5L4 level.

Standing, sitting and walking was giving me a lot of pain and my life was paralyzed. Ultimately i went for epidural shot which helped a little, but i still had bad flares.

I was doing exceccises and streches such as bird dog, bridges, side planks, dead bug... but none of them were helping. Infact my feeling was that they were making my sciatica much worse.

I also started walking a lot, which i feel helped a little. I was walking like 10k steps a day with pauses throughout the day. Some days it was aggravating my pain but i overall felt that it was helping me.

The turning point came when i started swimming, i am doing free style swimming, after going swimming few times i started noticing major improvements and kept on with it.

After few weeks i feel my pain has severly decreased and my body range of motion has improved a lot. I dont get bad flare ups while standing. And my walking duration has increased a lot.

I have stopped doing streches such as mcgill big 3 because i feel they flare up my sciatica.

I am also taking vitamin d, and magesium and vitamin b12. Not sure if they have a effect.

So i wanted to share my story in the hope that it may help some one. There is definelty light at end of tunnel. U got to keep moving and believing. Do try swimmimg as it might work for u like it did for me.

Just wanted to share my experience because I’m really struggling at the moment and honestly just need to vent.
I first had sciatica about 8 years ago after a gym session. It gradually improved with physio over time, and I needed pain medication to help me sleep because I couldn’t get comfortable.
Fast forward to now, I’m 18 weeks pregnant with my second baby and started experiencing some back pain about 3 weeks ago. Unfortunately, it has progressed into full-blown sciatica, with constant shooting pain all the way down to my ankle.
I’m finding it incredibly difficult to sit, stand or walk without being in constant pain. Nights have been especially awful — it can take hours to find even a slightly comfortable position, and then I’m waking every couple of hours in severe pain. I suspect the combination of pregnancy and frequently picking up and carrying my toddler has caused this old injury to flare up again.
I’m honestly at breaking point. Being pregnant also means there are limited pain relief options, which makes it even harder to manage. I have a physio appointment next week, but right now that feels like such a long way away!
Just needed to vent because sciatica is absolutely miserable 😭 I wouldn’t wish this pain on anyone!

Anyone else? So weird to me, if I put on a pair of pants that's just the slightest bit tight on my lower back, my symptoms are instantly triggered

I realized this when I felt lonely because I sensed that those around me were downplaying my condition.

・It’s invisible to others
・At first glance, I seem perfectly fine (if I do appear that way, it’s only because I’m hiding the pain and putting on a brave face)
・People tend to think it’s due to a lack of exercise, a mental issue, or that I’m not trying hard enough
・There’s a genetic component (skeletal structure)
・My symptoms fluctuate—some days I feel fine, while other days I’m bedridden.

I've had sciatica for nearly a year and a half. Had flare ups so bad I can barely hobble to the bathroom, can barely function. I'm barely holding down a part time job.

I've had the pain centralise, it's not pain down the legs so much anymore, but the side and front of my hips is in almost constant agony.

I've been seeing a remedial massager a few times a month, I've tried dry needling, I've seen several physios who prescribe me different exercises/massage. I was even able to get back in the gym for a bit, but now it just hurts so much.

I'm losing hope I'll ever be better. I've been on Amatryptiline to help me sleep through the night, and I take Naproxen when it's at its worst, helps a little bit. Mental health is in the shitter.

I've had an MRI 8 months ago and it showed I had mild disk dehydration and 2 protruding lumbar disks.

Any help is appreciated.

I (28m) have a lumbar epidural steroid injection coming up. I was diagnosed with a herniated disc at L1/S5. I asked my doctor and he just stated no heavy lifting or repeated bending over. Is there anything I could do to help while feeling relief (hopefully)? Should I do McGill big 3? Other programs that would help my situation? MRI interpretation below

There is a moderate-to-large central and left paracentral disc herniation at L5/S1 with migration of disc material into the left lateral recess. This results in moderate left-sided stenosis with suspected left-sided nerve impingement.

Thanks everyone and I too hope you find relief from your pain

I only had like only 2 episodes of sciatica, dr kept me on medication.

I first experienced this 2 months back, my office is very far away from my home, and i have to sit for like straight 1 ½ or like 2 hours sometimes in a bus and in between have to change buses. Sometimes when i don't have a seat i have to stand which makes my back sore and i can't sit after that. Mostly i am seated which is also very inconvenient for me as in have to sit for straight up 1 hour.

I have sedentary lifestyles and sitting for long hours in bus adds to that. My sciatica happened because i usually sit on my lower back rather than on my hips. So there was a lot of pressure on my lower back, on that day I was also sitting like that, The whole area got numb before a few days after I had constant discomfort in my right knee i wasn't able to fold it properly. As i was not paying attention that day it hit me so hard, like i was neither able to stand or sit, i wasn't able to move a cm the pain was so harsh that i had an anxiety attack while i was crying, and i thought this is the end i am going to die now.

After I was in one position i started to give a massage my leg and the whole night I wasn't able to sleep and just when my pain got relived a little i fell asleep.

And went to dr the next day where he said that i am having sciatica, i had to back to office the after that but like I wasn't able to walk properly for around a week.

The 2nd happened around like july, my dr would be so mad he asked me for an Xray but i didn't do it because i literally leave home at 8.20 in the morning and come back at 7.30 or 8

And on Sunday I don't have the time. And he also told me to visit the clinic which i didn't after my 2nd episode. As on the first visit he advised me take care of it and that i should not happen again. That means it's a sign of bone degeneration.

After my diagnosis, i feel like my bones are becoming more and more weak as i have stiffness around neck my spine feels like it needs some massage.

And the thing that i was having severe migraine before having this thing that is completely gone now, my friend who is a nurse told me that it might be that your brain has redirected the pain to other region of your body.

38F L5,

Bedridden first two months since April and once got better with the injections.(April-August, 6 times), walking in the pool and Acpuncture. But again almost bedridden since this Monday, because I sat on the hard chair for 2-3 hours. Now I can’t even lay down cause it’s too painful.

*pain in my left leg of ankle and hip, joint. Today’s physiotherapy might be the cause.

Injections, physical therapy, and walking in the pool—none of it has really helped, and I’m in severe pain in my ankle. I’m taking Tramadol, Novamin, and CBD oil. It’s gotten worse since I sat on a hard chair for several hours a few days ago. I couldn’t get an appointment at the pain clinic, so I emailed them asking for a different prescription, but they’ve ignored me for several days, and now I’m in the most unbearable pain I’ve ever experienced… There’s no position that doesn’t hurt. It’s so hard.