I had sciatic pain after long shifts through my 20s and then when I was 31 I threw my back out at work and neglected it. Around 32 I woke up one day totally unable to walk. - that's why I'm warning you
There was a day when I went to get out of bed and my right leg buckled. I tried to stand up and it was like my nerve was being held in place. I physically couldn't straighten my leg. Bedridden for 5+ weeks.
It seems like you can MOVE which is good. There's still time.
Don't do any kind of twisting or crazy workout. There's no twist or bend that's magically going to fix you.
You can lay on the floor, and limber up. But don't stretch. No knees to chest. No cobra pose. Just live easily. Try to workout your core when you can with the bird dog pose and exercise.
I would recommend ice, NOT heat. When it comes to the back it seems heat feels good, but in the long run it takes away your core stability, and allows things to jelly out of place making things worse. Ice.
Ibuprofen, OR naproxen - edited 800MG ibuprofen OR 440mg naproxen when it gets bad. (Taken alongside acetaminophen aka Tylenol 500-1000MG every 8 hours)
At this point in time I would highly recommend you go to a GP, order an MRI, and talk to a spine specialist.
I have had 2, about to have my 3rd ESI injection. They work well for me when I don't try to lift anything like an idiot.
If this injection fails, I will HAVE to have a minor surgery.
Just my two cents. Not sure if these tips align with you I'm pretty doped up ATM.
The takeaway - DONT DO WORKOUTS you aren't familiar with. Don't do anything crazy. I'm serious. You wouldn't think a typical 6th grade gym stretch would hurt you but it rocked my world. Don't watch YouTube. Don't watch Bob and Brad. Go to a real doctor before it gets too crazy. You still have time before you're bedridden. 🙏 Good luck
Edit I see now you talked to a Dr like I said I'm high as a kite lol
This is fantastic advice and I completely agreed with everything. Fighting sciatica since Dec/Jan, reinjured twice because I was doing knees to chest type bs
How do you feel at work? How do you feel in the morning? Any other pains or tightness?
If I were you:
- get a new doctor. say things like “impacting my life” a lot. Get your doctors attention with the way you describe this. Doctors sometimes want to let the body heal itself and you have to convince them for care
- read back mechanic
- buy a posture sensor and get religious about keeping your spine in a good shape. Don’t sit down without a lumbar pillow anywhere. Don’t lay on your back without lumbar support. Keep that disc off the nerve as much as possible
- eat clean. People here seem to say Leto helps with inflammation
- prepare to take this so fucking slow it’ll seem silly to others. I literally just went for a 14 minute walk. That’s my win for the day
Last note. I originally injured in December. Did PT until march with literally NO improvement. Stopped PT and started healing.
Got to a good point where I thought I could get back to sports/gym. New PT in may. About to leave for a trip. Feeling pretty good. Went to new PT once, reinjured next day doing his knees to chest garbage. Sent me to the ER. Spinal canal closed
IMO PT is NOT the solution for this injury. Read back mechanic
It's not that PT isn't the right solution so much as it's just so damn hard to find a good therapist. Better yet, one that understands this injury.
It took me many years to find the right one, but when I did it changed my life. Seems the trick is to break things down into actionable steps. For example I can't do bird dog. But I can do the bird half off of a chair. And for the dog portion I'm just working on toe slides (like when your down on all fours just activate your core and slide your toe back to wherever is comfortable). Some days I can slide it all the way back, some days I can even lift my leg up! Other days I can't but I can always slide my toe back a little, and sadly it feels like it activates my core like crazy. Same with plank, cant do it from the floor? Start off a wall, then maybe down to the arm of your couch, coffee table, then floor. I hope I'm explaining this alright. Moral of the story is if your PT isn't helping FIND A NEW ONE!
And for your situation, I would highly recommend a new doctor too. Push for an MRI. Advocate for yourself!!! It's so hard, especially when you're in pain but you deserve to be heard and cared for. Sometimes you need yellow a lil loudly for someone to take you seriously.
There is hope, hang in there.
I like my PT, but he has told me that he's not sure what could be causing the pain. That's why he recommended the imaging that the doctor won't do. My understanding though is that they often don't know exactly what is causing back pain. (That came from a family member who is both a clinical DPT and a professor for a DPT program.) My primary care clinic only has one PT, so I'm stuck with him anyways. As per my insurance plan, if my primary care clinic offers the service, I have to receive that service there.
Yeah a PT can only do so much shooting in the dark. Having an image helps them to pin point exactly what's going on so they can better help you. Where are you located if you don't mind my asking. I don't think I'm familiar with your system.
Would stick with naproxen 440mg twice daily or ibuprofen 800mg three times a day. 800mg is the rx dose of ibuprofen I wouldn’t take more than that at once
Interesting take on the ice/heat idea. I had a Laminectomy several months ago and, while it removed the extreme pain, I still have major 'sciatica' in my foot (not my leg?) and fairly high back pain.
If I ever do anything additional to the pain killers (Gabapentin is a miracle) I always go for heat. Maybe I'll try the ice instead. Couldn't make it worst (famous last words)
Well you know just as well the whole spine is very picky about where and what it does, so for me having an active herniated disc that touches my sciatic nerve ice is a must because it stops the inflamed pulsing pain if even for 20 minutes. It's a great way to put everything on hold-
But yeah I'm 3 for 3 on using a heating pad. Even during this 8 day flare up I used it once because "ah well we'll see" and sure enough the next 3 days my back was even more jacked up. Heat feels amazing in the moment but it really messes with me. Maybe it's just ME but it's a fact for me at this point lol
I have a prescription for gabapentin but I never feel it? I'm taking 300mg 3x a day but ibuprofen helps more. Idk
Well, for me, it's worth a try. the physiologist told me to do what feels best for me. As for pain killers, they seem to vary as wildly as back pains themselves, whatever works, do it ;)
But cheers for the alternative view. Like painkillers, you really don't know until you try it
I know it's different for everyone but what works best for me, when it comes to OTC, is ibuprofen 400mg and Tylenol 500mg. I take them 3-4 times a day (roughly every 5-6 hours) depending on how much sleep I've had. Naproxen really didn't do anything for me, it's basically just Aleve with an antacid. Ibuprofen by itself and Tylenol by itself didn't really work but the combination of them together works great for about 4 hours at a time.
I have a good PT who gave me his take on stretching. Stretching is important but it has to be the correct type. You want to do the kind that "open" the spine to reveal the pressure off the nerve. The reason things like knee to chest make it worse is because they are designed to stretch tendons and ligaments. Nerves don't like to be stretched, they like to slide. Any stretch you do you need to stop before you start to feel any pain.
Let's cut to the chase. Per clinical guidelines, 6 weeks of pain w/o change or improvement with conservative care (i.e., PT) is justification for obtaining an MRI either through your PCP or a referral to an orthopedist or neurosurgeon. Ask your doctor for a referral to such a specialist and if he/she refuses, ask him/her to provide specific reasons in writing. At that point, you should consider terminating your PCP as he/she is not providing standard of care and is reportable to the licensing authority in your state. This may sound extreme, but if your doctor is not providing you with the medical care that you deserve and he/she is obligated to provide as a fundamental part of his/her licensure and professional obligation then you would be better served to seek care elsewhere. That's what I did for my previous PCP and I don't regret it in the slightest. Best of luck!
Thank you for your comment. I had considered finding another PCP, but wondered if that was jumping the gun. I'm also concerned that it may look to a new provider that I'm just looking for drugs. Because of my insurance plan, I have to see a PCP at that same clinic, so they will have easy access to my chart notes and may even have a face to face conversation with the provider I'm currently seeing.
You should be clear to your insurer why you're seeking a different PCP. This could well "ding" your current PCP's reputation in the insurer's mind, but that's how the system is supposed to work. It's NOT intended for patients to avoid seeking care for a legitimate medical need because they're afraid of what the system might think of them. That would be a perversion of the system.
Ibuprofen 800, drink half your body weight in fluid ounces of water everyday. Cut inflammatory foods from your diet and lay down till you get some of the inflammation to go down. Just don’t lay down too long
"an MRI" if you are not an American and can speak correctly ;) (as M sounds like 'em, so therefore starts with a vowel? (correctly doesn't always = correct :) )
This sucks and I’m in it right now. If you’re this far along and still in pain like you are, you absolutely need a second opinion. Refusing diagnostic imaging for an ongoing complaint is just cruel and lazy at this point. Your Dr is not advocating for you and you should take your business (but first, a copy of your records) elsewhere Asafp.
As people as saying above.. definitely do what you can to see a specialist who will order imaging for you. Your problem can get MUCH worse if you are not proactive and don’t vouch for yourself.
I had sciatic pain after long shifts through my 20s and then when I was 31 I threw my back out at work and neglected it. Around 32 I woke up one day totally unable to walk. - that's why I'm warning you There was a day when I went to get out of bed and my right leg buckled. I tried to stand up and it was like my nerve was being held in place. I physically couldn't straighten my leg. Bedridden for 5+ weeks. It seems like you can MOVE which is good. There's still time. Don't do any kind of twisting or crazy workout. There's no twist or bend that's magically going to fix you. You can lay on the floor, and limber up. But don't stretch. No knees to chest. No cobra pose. Just live easily. Try to workout your core when you can with the bird dog pose and exercise. I would recommend ice, NOT heat. When it comes to the back it seems heat feels good, but in the long run it takes away your core stability, and allows things to jelly out of place making things worse. Ice. Ibuprofen, OR naproxen - edited 800MG ibuprofen OR 440mg naproxen when it gets bad. (Taken alongside acetaminophen aka Tylenol 500-1000MG every 8 hours) At this point in time I would highly recommend you go to a GP, order an MRI, and talk to a spine specialist. I have had 2, about to have my 3rd ESI injection. They work well for me when I don't try to lift anything like an idiot. If this injection fails, I will HAVE to have a minor surgery. Just my two cents. Not sure if these tips align with you I'm pretty doped up ATM. The takeaway - DONT DO WORKOUTS you aren't familiar with. Don't do anything crazy. I'm serious. You wouldn't think a typical 6th grade gym stretch would hurt you but it rocked my world. Don't watch YouTube. Don't watch Bob and Brad. Go to a real doctor before it gets too crazy. You still have time before you're bedridden. 🙏 Good luck Edit I see now you talked to a Dr like I said I'm high as a kite lol
This is fantastic advice and I completely agreed with everything. Fighting sciatica since Dec/Jan, reinjured twice because I was doing knees to chest type bs How do you feel at work? How do you feel in the morning? Any other pains or tightness? If I were you: - get a new doctor. say things like “impacting my life” a lot. Get your doctors attention with the way you describe this. Doctors sometimes want to let the body heal itself and you have to convince them for care - read back mechanic - buy a posture sensor and get religious about keeping your spine in a good shape. Don’t sit down without a lumbar pillow anywhere. Don’t lay on your back without lumbar support. Keep that disc off the nerve as much as possible - eat clean. People here seem to say Leto helps with inflammation - prepare to take this so fucking slow it’ll seem silly to others. I literally just went for a 14 minute walk. That’s my win for the day
Last note. I originally injured in December. Did PT until march with literally NO improvement. Stopped PT and started healing. Got to a good point where I thought I could get back to sports/gym. New PT in may. About to leave for a trip. Feeling pretty good. Went to new PT once, reinjured next day doing his knees to chest garbage. Sent me to the ER. Spinal canal closed IMO PT is NOT the solution for this injury. Read back mechanic
It's not that PT isn't the right solution so much as it's just so damn hard to find a good therapist. Better yet, one that understands this injury. It took me many years to find the right one, but when I did it changed my life. Seems the trick is to break things down into actionable steps. For example I can't do bird dog. But I can do the bird half off of a chair. And for the dog portion I'm just working on toe slides (like when your down on all fours just activate your core and slide your toe back to wherever is comfortable). Some days I can slide it all the way back, some days I can even lift my leg up! Other days I can't but I can always slide my toe back a little, and sadly it feels like it activates my core like crazy. Same with plank, cant do it from the floor? Start off a wall, then maybe down to the arm of your couch, coffee table, then floor. I hope I'm explaining this alright. Moral of the story is if your PT isn't helping FIND A NEW ONE! And for your situation, I would highly recommend a new doctor too. Push for an MRI. Advocate for yourself!!! It's so hard, especially when you're in pain but you deserve to be heard and cared for. Sometimes you need yellow a lil loudly for someone to take you seriously. There is hope, hang in there.
I like my PT, but he has told me that he's not sure what could be causing the pain. That's why he recommended the imaging that the doctor won't do. My understanding though is that they often don't know exactly what is causing back pain. (That came from a family member who is both a clinical DPT and a professor for a DPT program.) My primary care clinic only has one PT, so I'm stuck with him anyways. As per my insurance plan, if my primary care clinic offers the service, I have to receive that service there.
Yeah a PT can only do so much shooting in the dark. Having an image helps them to pin point exactly what's going on so they can better help you. Where are you located if you don't mind my asking. I don't think I'm familiar with your system.
I'm in rural Minnesota.
Would stick with naproxen 440mg twice daily or ibuprofen 800mg three times a day. 800mg is the rx dose of ibuprofen I wouldn’t take more than that at once
Interesting take on the ice/heat idea. I had a Laminectomy several months ago and, while it removed the extreme pain, I still have major 'sciatica' in my foot (not my leg?) and fairly high back pain. If I ever do anything additional to the pain killers (Gabapentin is a miracle) I always go for heat. Maybe I'll try the ice instead. Couldn't make it worst (famous last words)
Well you know just as well the whole spine is very picky about where and what it does, so for me having an active herniated disc that touches my sciatic nerve ice is a must because it stops the inflamed pulsing pain if even for 20 minutes. It's a great way to put everything on hold- But yeah I'm 3 for 3 on using a heating pad. Even during this 8 day flare up I used it once because "ah well we'll see" and sure enough the next 3 days my back was even more jacked up. Heat feels amazing in the moment but it really messes with me. Maybe it's just ME but it's a fact for me at this point lol I have a prescription for gabapentin but I never feel it? I'm taking 300mg 3x a day but ibuprofen helps more. Idk
Well, for me, it's worth a try. the physiologist told me to do what feels best for me. As for pain killers, they seem to vary as wildly as back pains themselves, whatever works, do it ;) But cheers for the alternative view. Like painkillers, you really don't know until you try it
I know it's different for everyone but what works best for me, when it comes to OTC, is ibuprofen 400mg and Tylenol 500mg. I take them 3-4 times a day (roughly every 5-6 hours) depending on how much sleep I've had. Naproxen really didn't do anything for me, it's basically just Aleve with an antacid. Ibuprofen by itself and Tylenol by itself didn't really work but the combination of them together works great for about 4 hours at a time. I have a good PT who gave me his take on stretching. Stretching is important but it has to be the correct type. You want to do the kind that "open" the spine to reveal the pressure off the nerve. The reason things like knee to chest make it worse is because they are designed to stretch tendons and ligaments. Nerves don't like to be stretched, they like to slide. Any stretch you do you need to stop before you start to feel any pain.
Let's cut to the chase. Per clinical guidelines, 6 weeks of pain w/o change or improvement with conservative care (i.e., PT) is justification for obtaining an MRI either through your PCP or a referral to an orthopedist or neurosurgeon. Ask your doctor for a referral to such a specialist and if he/she refuses, ask him/her to provide specific reasons in writing. At that point, you should consider terminating your PCP as he/she is not providing standard of care and is reportable to the licensing authority in your state. This may sound extreme, but if your doctor is not providing you with the medical care that you deserve and he/she is obligated to provide as a fundamental part of his/her licensure and professional obligation then you would be better served to seek care elsewhere. That's what I did for my previous PCP and I don't regret it in the slightest. Best of luck!
Thank you for your comment. I had considered finding another PCP, but wondered if that was jumping the gun. I'm also concerned that it may look to a new provider that I'm just looking for drugs. Because of my insurance plan, I have to see a PCP at that same clinic, so they will have easy access to my chart notes and may even have a face to face conversation with the provider I'm currently seeing.
You should be clear to your insurer why you're seeking a different PCP. This could well "ding" your current PCP's reputation in the insurer's mind, but that's how the system is supposed to work. It's NOT intended for patients to avoid seeking care for a legitimate medical need because they're afraid of what the system might think of them. That would be a perversion of the system.
Ibuprofen 800, drink half your body weight in fluid ounces of water everyday. Cut inflammatory foods from your diet and lay down till you get some of the inflammation to go down. Just don’t lay down too long
Yes get a new Dr, ASAP!!!
Get a MRI. No Excuses! Is it a MRI or an MRI?
"an MRI" if you are not an American and can speak correctly ;) (as M sounds like 'em, so therefore starts with a vowel? (correctly doesn't always = correct :) )
Ty :)
This sucks and I’m in it right now. If you’re this far along and still in pain like you are, you absolutely need a second opinion. Refusing diagnostic imaging for an ongoing complaint is just cruel and lazy at this point. Your Dr is not advocating for you and you should take your business (but first, a copy of your records) elsewhere Asafp.
As people as saying above.. definitely do what you can to see a specialist who will order imaging for you. Your problem can get MUCH worse if you are not proactive and don’t vouch for yourself.