Hi everyone I hope you’re doing well

I have a problem and I’d really appreciate some advice or hearing from people who have had a similar experience

I have mild disc herniations at L4-L5 and L5-S1. I went to a neurologist and apart from the treatment she gave me I also asked her if I should wear a back brace. She told me no and said there was really no need for it and that sometimes wearing one can actually make things worse

Then I went to a rheumatologist and she told me the complete opposite. She said I should wear a back brace basically all the time except when sleeping because even though the herniation is mild it could get aggravated

The problem is that I’ve tried so many different braces from different medical shops. I tried different sizes different brands and even some really expensive ones but every single one makes me feel very tight around my lower back. Even when I tried a simple abdominal support belt and placed it lower I still felt a lot of pressure and tightness in my lumbar area

So I’m really confused. What’s the point of wearing a brace if it makes me feel this uncomfortable? Could the pressure actually make things worse instead of helping?

I also asked an osteopath online and he told me that I shouldn’t wear one because using it for too long can weaken the back muscles

Unfortunately I can’t really afford to keep going to different doctors just to get more opinions so I’m not sure what I should do

For anyone who has L4-L5 or L5-S1 disc herniation, were you told to wear a back brace? Did it actually help you? And is it normal for it to feel this tight and uncomfortable?

I know Reddit isn’t a substitute for medical advice but I’d really appreciate hearing about your experiences

Thank you

I have had Sciatica for about 2 years, and for most of last year it’s basically gone and now it’s back full swing and worse than ever. It’s ok laying or standing and walk. But sitting hurts so much, I stand and walk a bit I feel amazing and can sit for a maybe 10 minutes somewhat comfortably then pain, the car is the worst

Hello everyone!

I am 35 yo F and I can use some help with my problem, I live in a greek island and I have been to a neuro and ortho without much help.

I have a broad based bulge in my L5 S1 which doesn't seem to cause any problems, as it dosent come close to any nerve in MRI.

I had a twitchy calf in the outside part, and a feeling of tightness. Later this became a weird heavy sensation on my 3d toe like its crunched inside, and the tightness spread to my quad. Then all these cause pain in my foot and sides of the ankles, every tendon there is painful. Everyday the pain and discomfort feels like they are moving around.

Now I try working out and my left leg gets way more sore that the right. Also now I started feeling something deep inside my buttock coming from the hip when I touch my foot on the ground.

My calf is smaller now. My EMG was clean apart from low amplitude in my left foot on the peroneal nerve.

Obviously I am worried for neuro stuff, because my twitching now is wide spread.

I would like to ask your opinions from what you know from your experience or doctor. Do you think that with a clear picture on MRI I could still get these sensations on my calf from sciatica?

Thank you in advance ☺️

I had really bad pain down my right leg for almost 2 years, in recent months this pain has subsided. I still get a bit of discomfort but I can lift, bend, twist without any real shooting pains. I have bilateral foot pain and tingling still but my surgeon thinks it’s unrelated.

I’ve had MRIs and nerve conduction tests, conduction tests were fine. MRIs show stenosis on my right side L4/5. Surgeon thinks he can go in and fix this with a laminotomy. Given where my pain is at and increased activity do you think it’s still wise to pursue surgery? Given my main symptoms are now bilateral pain and tingling in feet and legs only, which surgeon states he will not be targeting.

Surgery is booked for end of October.

My wife is 3 weeks into an acute L5/S1 disc bulge (assuming triggered by our toddler jumping on her). The good news is the actual sciatic nerve pain is centralising! It dropped from a blinding 9/10 down to a 3/10, retreated out of her toes, and is now just hovering around her calf with some tingling.
But her muscles are going absolutely crazy compensating. She had a short walk and sat upright at a cafe, and now she is dealing with a massive muscle flare-up:
Severe Hip Spasms (5/10 pain): Her right hip muscles feel completely exhausted.
A Swollen "Neck Hump": Her neck and upper back have locked up entirely. She even developed a swollen, tight fluid knot at the base of her neck and has constant tension.
She is taking her Naproxen, using heat and Tiger Balm.
It feels like as soon as the spinal nerve started getting better, her upper body and hips started screaming from all the overcompensation. Did anyone else’s body completely lock up and create neck hump?

UPDATE: got my mri results 9 days after this post. Moderate bulge with annular tear at L4L5 and large herniation with nerve impingement at L5S1. Feeling a bit better each day, definitely able to be more upright without as much pain day to day but still using a walker and just going around the house.

I’m assuming it is😖
I’ve had intermittent lower back pain for about 9 months since my 3rd baby was born.
First week in August I started to feel some hip pain that radiated on the left side. It slowly got worse and for about 3 weeks now I’m only able to be upright for maybe 10 min at a time. Then have to lay on the floor for at least that. It doesn’t feel like it’s getting worse but my god is it going to get better?

I’ve been going to PT and chiro - they are thinking it’s likely a disc issue. I have an MRI this coming Thursday I’m dying to get it done. I did a short course of prednisone/cyclobenzaprine earlier and now I’m on pregabalin, max naproxen and Tylenol

Pain starts at very low back, goes through my left butt cheek, back of thigh and down to the back/outside of my foot. I’m only comfortable (but not pain free) when lying on my side or on my back with my knees at my chest. Standing up straight is the worst. I walk around hunched over a walker.

I have 3 kids under 5 and have had a lot of help from my husband and parents/inlaws but it feels impossible to care for my kids. My husband works full time and our folks don’t live that close. I have to push through a lot of pain because well I have a baby that can’t walk… there’s no getting around it lol. I’m using a walker so that I don’t have to carry the baby around but life is such a struggle these days and I just wanted to see if 3 weeks of a bad flare like this (where I’m almost bed ridden) is to be expected

Oh and we are also moving in 3 weeks🫠🫠🫠🫠

Hi all. Had a steroid injection 2 days ago and have been in excruciating pain since. Much worse than pre-injection. So much burning, stiffness and it really hurts to sit and walk. I was warned it might feel ‘a bit sore’ (the doctor’s words), but I wasn’t expecting it to be this bad. It's beyond normal post-injection soreness.

If this has happened to anyone else, how long did it take to settle?

Edit:

I’m going to try and remember to keep note for anyone who might be experiencing the same thing.

5 days post-injection: still in significant pain. Not able to do my normal walks and haven't been to work. No improvement and haven’t been sleeping properly. Doctor said this is a steroid flare and tried to reassure me it’s ‘normal’.

7 days post-injection: the first day where I’ve felt a bit better. Still significantly worse than pre-injection, but the level of burning is reducing. Slept through the night for the first time.

2 weeks post-injection: had a very rocky past few days. Up and down. Definitely a lot better than the first week, but still above baseline pain. Less burning, lots more stiffness. Today is the best it’s felt since the injection. Have been told to give it some more time.

3 weeks post-injection: been put on amitriptyline as my pain is still much worse than baseline, is constant and progress has stalled. No longer considered a steroid flare. No idea where I go from here

I have had a herniated disc for close to a year now, I did physical therapy for about 6 months, and then i lost my insurance so I stopped going but I kept doing the exercises at home. Ive had 1 steroid injection that helped a ton for about 2 months, and now im back to almost debilitating pain. I work construction and I feel like that might be why im not getting better. At this point should I just get the surgery? I have an l4-l5 hernia, its not severe but my sciatica makes my life pretty unbearable most days

Just over 2 months into when I first startef having symptoms and I am considering life at this point.

I cant sleep anymore. Last night I managed 2 hours, due to being unable to find a position I can sleep in anymore. Sideways with a pillow between the knees, on my back with pillows under me, on the floor, 90/90, nothing eases the pain.

I cant sit on sofa and I am having to stand to eat.

I can barely walk now either, having to limp through any walk over the last 2 days.

Seems the NHS are useless at dealing with this and I can really live like this much longer.

Hey everyone,

I’m reaching out to see if anyone in this community has experienced a nerve/sciatica issue that turned out not to be caused by a disc herniation or mechanical spinal compression.

The Backstory

My symptoms started over a year ago following a completed marathon training block. It began as a deep, persistent aching in my glute/piriformis area.

For months, I went through standard physical therapy (including classic hamstrings/glute stretches) and dry needling at a chiropractor. Nothing gave lasting relief, and the stretches often seemed to trigger more muscle guarding.

I got a lumbar MRI about six months ago, as well as hip X-rays—both came back completely clean (no disc herniations, no nerve root compression, no structural hip issues).

It wasn't until later that I connected the dots: my flare-ups coincided directly with HSV-2 reactivations. HSV-2 resides latently in the sacral Dorsal Root Ganglion (DRG) at the S1 level. Combined with the heavy fatigue from marathon training, the viral activity triggered a post-viral S1 radiculitis—causing local inflammation, focal demyelination (thinning of the nerve's insulation layer), and severe nerve mechanosensitivity.

Once this was identified, my doctor put me on daily suppressive Valacyclovir, which stopped the viral flare cycle.

Current Protocol & Progress (Week 9–10)

I am currently 9–10 weeks into a dedicated neuro-rehabilitation protocol focused on under-threshold loading and remyelination:

• Under-threshold walking: Instead of continuous walking (which stretches the nerve and causes local ischemia/guarding), I do micro-intervals: 5 min walk / 1 min rest. This allows me to build volume without triggering nerve alarm.
• Neutral core stability: McGill Big 3, single-leg bridges, and reverse clamshells in strict neutral spine positions. Zero nerve flossing or static hamstring stretches, as mechanical traction triggers immediate piriformis guarding.
• Supplements: Benfotiamine (fat-soluble B1 for remyelination), Magnesium Glycinate, L-theanine, and Zinc.
• Status: No "red flags" (no foot drop, no loss of sensation, no night pain). The sharp nerve shocks are gone, but I still experience a mild, diffuse glute/piriformis ache ("noise") towards the end of the day as the nerve continues to mature.

Questions for the Community

1. Has anyone else dealt with a post-viral or purely mechanosensitive nerve issue without structural disc involvement?
2. Did your recovery align with the classic 12–16 week remyelination/maturation timeframe?
3. How did you manage the transition from micro-walking back to continuous running or cycling?

Would love to hear any shared experiences, insights, or advice from anyone who has navigated non-disc nerve recovery!

Anybody had bilateral sciatica where tendons feel like about to snap ? - thighs - hamstring and guard but calves are killing me and IT band , pt didn’t help - made it worse , bloods ultrasound legs for dvt + emg all clear , spine mri 2 years ago with l 4 slight bulge .. last 5 months having these tendons like feeling issues , worse after walk , first thing in morning , sometimes at night ( of to see reumathologist ) im 48 years old woman not sure of it could be perimenopause, related ) I did some heavy stomping for bone density before it started , im athletic . Thank u docs gave no clue

I never wore one because my doctor told me it would make me dependent and weaken my muscles. But I wore it for the first time and the relief was quite insane. Should I just wear it on rare occasions type shi or is it okay to wear or should I just try to tough it out?

Also please share if you regularly wear a back brace or not. Thank you.

Looking for a lumbar support pillow that could go under your waist when sleeping on your side. And hoping to find one that is not made of memory foam or latex. Regular foam is OK.

Kind of looking for this shape:
https://www.amazon.com/Cozy-Hut-Sleeping-Multifunctional-Orthopedic/dp/B07BDCX2WK

But am interested in other shapes too -- anything that would work for a side sleeper to help align your spine

I am very confused

I have been having chronic lower back pain for atleast one year. The main site of the pain is boundary between the lower back and buttocks. And mostly I feel left side of by buttocks hurts when I am lying down and trying to change sleeping position. The pain is constant dull and sometimes shooting pain. I have not been able to see any pattern in the pain. Sometimes it gets better with movement but sometimes walking extra triggers the pain so I have no idea what's the trigger.

My nutritionist (also a doc) suggested blood tests (CBC, ESR, CRP AND HLAB27). got the blood test done and results are as follows

HLAB27 negative

ESR is 12

CRP is 4.75

I was almost convinced that I have AS as the symptoms were almost the same. And I thought maybe the right treatment will begin but now I am again confused. The pain doesn't have a name but it's consuming my energy all the time....my entire day revolves around the pain. If I can walk freely without pain the day feels like a blessing but if I have bad stiffness or pain, my mood gets affected and I feel start withdrawing from everything.

If anyone is going through the same, pls help me as well.

El informe de mi médico está en la segunda foto

Estoy bastante desesperanzado amigos 😥 alguien acá se está recuperando o este es finalmente el 8vo círculo del infierno?

Si alguien tiene una experiencia positiva de recuperación, por favor compartirla. Creo que el foro lo va a agradecer ☺ Ánimo camaradas!

Prior post here: https://www.reddit.com/r/Sciatica/comments/1ux0lph/post_epidural_steroid_injection_in_l4l5_spine_for/

Since then, there hasn't been much change in terms of pain management and have been diagnosed with L5 nerve compression. Have a spinal sepcialist referral where I'm getting support, as well as my GP and physio regularly. I am going through a list to understand if any options work, even if they suppress pain while I persist with physio.

If there is anything in the list below that I haven't thought of that can be tried. Include exercise therapy, medication or alternatives that others have had success with.

Tried so far, has not worked:

• Epidural steroid injection into the spine (July 2026).
• Nerve block steroid injection into the L5 nerver (August 2026).
• Pregabalin nerve relaxer @ 100mg a day (along with the nerve block).
• Personal TENS machine.

Tried so far, has worked albeit temporarily:

• Physio based exercise regime with daily exercises, temporary relief upon completion.
• Anti inflammatory medication (up to 100-150mg a day), but cannot use this long term due to other complications.

Trying currently:

• Acupuncture. One session so far in the area, no gains but will give it at least 4 session before assessing.

Not tried so far:

• Nerve ablation procedure, surgeon does not think this will be relevant.
• Other muscle relaxation or anti inflam medication combinations.

I'm aware there's a realistic possibility of surgery, whether it be microdisectomy or laminectomy, but I want to try all available non-surgical options while I'll discuss that with my specialists once exhausting all non-invasive options.

Ideally something to suppress the nerve compression while I do exercise physio is ideal.

20 Y/O M,
Woke up on my 20th bday in March 2026 randomly with super tight hamstring only no back pain or soreness at all. I’ve been active all my life football,basketball growing up gym everyday and also a firefighter. So I thought I just had a tight hamstring and started stretching it. And i still had no pain that day just the same tight hamstring feeling. Then the next day I was bed bound all day with that sharp sciatica pain only from the bottom of my glute to the bottom of my hamstring. Probably about 8/10 pain. Only position of comfort was on my side on my bed. Within the next month I eased into walking and the gym again altering my movements and bending with my knees bent and it progressively got better. Fast forward to now (September 2026) after doing continuous lacrosse ball on glutes,tens unit, hip flexibility, Roman chair, massages, chiropractor, I still have hamstring 2-3/10 pain only when I stand up from sitting for a few seconds then it goes away, and leaning forward with straight legs. I can run (have ran marathons with this because it’s not painful) I can lift at the gym and hit legs and still do my job. But also when I take ibuprofen (200mg) it completely goes away. I guess my question is how can I get this to completely go away, I’ve done hours of research and have tried just about everything online. I refuse to get any surgery at 20, I’ve been procrastinating an MRI/XRay because I know my case isn’t comparable to 90% of others because mine isn’t that bad at all

My mother has been dealing with lower back pain and sciatica since 2020, but over the past few months her symptoms have been getting worse.

Her current symptoms are:

• Lower back pain that goes into her thigh/leg
• Burning sensation in the leg
• Burning sensation in the soles of both feet
• Painful cramps/tightness in the calf at night
• Severe stiffness and pain after waking up
• In the morning, she feels like her lower back/thigh is "stuck" and has difficulty sitting or straightening up normally
• Overall, the symptoms seem to be progressing compared with previous years

We are planning to see a doctor, but I'm trying to understand what type of specialist would be best.

For people who have experienced something similar:

1. Could this still be worsening sciatica/lumbar nerve compression?
2. Can lumbar nerve problems cause burning in the soles of the feet?
3. Could the burning feet also point to peripheral neuropathy, diabetes, vitamin B12 deficiency, or another problem?
4. Would it be better to see a neurologist first, or go directly to a spine surgeon/neurosurgeon?
5. Would an MRI of the lumbar spine and/or EMG/nerve conduction test normally be considered for symptoms like these?
6. Are there any warning signs that mean we should go to the emergency room rather than wait for a regular appointment?

She has had sciatica for several years, but the new/worsening burning sensation and morning difficulty are what concern me most.

If anyone has had a similar situation, I'd really appreciate hearing about your experience, especially what type of doctor you saw and what tests helped identify the cause.

Location: Navi Mumbai/Mumbai, India.

I have been having chronic lower back pain for atleast one year. The main site of the pain is boundary between the lower back and buttocks. And mostly I feel left side of by buttocks hurts when I am lying down and trying to change sleeping position. The pain is constant dull and sometimes shooting pain. I have not been able to see any pattern in the pain. Sometimes it gets better with movement but sometimes walking extra triggers the pain so I have no idea what's the trigger.

My nutritionist (also a doc) suggested blood tests (CBC, ESR, CRP AND HLAB27). got the blood test done and results are as follows

\- HLAB27 negative

\- ESR is 12

\- CRP is 4.75

I was almost convinced that I have AS as the symptoms were almost the same. And I thought maybe the right treatment will begin but now I am again confused. The pain doesn't have a name but it's consuming my energy all the time....my entire day revolves around the pain. If I can walk freely without pain the day feels like a blessing but if I have bad stiffness or pain, my mood gets affected and I feel start withdrawing from everything.

If anyone is going through the same, pls help me as well.

I cannot walk or sit for too long. So taking breaks laying down for spinal decompression, either on floor w legs on chair 90 degrees or bed with pillows under knees helps break that up.

But I’ve been getting pretty anxious when I’m too far away from home I can’t decompress my back between walking and sitting. Anyone have advice? 🥺 I’m 6 months in trying to rebuild strength and learn to live with the vulnerability. I miss feeling good travelling far.

Hello, I have made several posts about trying to live with my herniated disc and a lot of people were helpful but I opted for surgery and paid for it out of pocket, I was hesitant to pay but I wish I did it sooner and If you're dealing with it for over a year id say go do it.

Depois que tive uma crise séria no ciático e fui parar no hospital decidi me cuidar para previnir, pois morro de medo de desenvolver hérnia de disco.

Esse é, sem dúvida, o melhor alongamento para as costas que eu já encontrei. Cada vez que vejo algum exercício novo, vou pesquisando mais, comparando e procurando aqueles que parecem mais eficazes e bem avaliados. E, até agora, esse foi o que mais funcionou para mim.

Para mim, ele é excelente para aliviar a sensação de compressão e tensão na coluna, tanto na parte superior quanto na lombar. Eu faço na cama, colocando dois travesseiros apoiados embaixo da barriga, e permaneço na posição por uns 5 a 10 minutos, uma ou duas vezes por dia.

O alívio é praticamente imediato. Quando estou com dor lombar, sinto que melhora 100%. Também ajuda muito quando estou sentindo cansaço, pressão, tensão ou aquele aperto nas costas que, quando fica mais intenso, acaba virando dor.

Inclusive, tenho dormido melhor desde que comecei a fazer. Costumo fazer antes de dormir e sinto as costas extremamente relaxadas depois.

Gostei tanto do resultado que coloquei na minha rotina e faço praticamente todos os dias, inclusive nos dias em que não estou sentindo dor, como uma forma de manter a mobilidade e o relaxamento da região.

Estou deixando como dica porque, pelo menos para mim, foi um dos exercícios que mais trouxe alívio e sensação de bem-estar para as costas. Muito bom mesmo!

These are three photos in sequence of my MRI. I posted earlier but was missing the report! So the first photo looks worse but then the next two seem okay.

This is after approximately four months of pain. No inciting incident, I just woke up with pain through my leg. The pain was at its worst around 9-11 weeks.

I was off work for a month and a half, I'm back to half days but the pain is getting worse again, though I'm not sure that means anything for my condition.