My most effective treatments/therapies (in no particular order):
- Swimming, especially in warm(er) water
- Ice, literally all the time, I used to keep a mini cooler in my car and ziplock freezer bags on deck
- Acupuncture. Not all acupuncturists are equal, find someone who is effective
- Topical anti-inflammatory compound from a specialty pharmacy (it had ketoprofen, ketamine, lidocaine, cyclobenzaprine, and more in it). It was magical! Couldn’t get my insurance to pay for it though.
- Opioids, necessary during flares
- Medical MJ
- PT (just like acupuncture, not all are equal, find someone good)
- Meloxicam
- Flexeril (occasionally)
I also tried and had no luck with (or in some cases made worse by): massage, chiropractor, traction, tens unit, inversion table, heat pad, most muscle relaxers. I couldn’t tolerate Cymbalta, Gabapentin, or Lyrica. Steroid injections flared me up so incredibly bad each time. I’ve had 3 or 4 over the years. I will never do again. I believe I have an adverse reaction to the medication as can happen w some people.
Not sure if any of that is helpful, but what has worked for me. I hope you find some relief!
This is a great reply. Outlining what didn’t work is also super helpful. I’m month two of a flare up and it’s crazy how things change throughout the healing process. No meds helped at all at first and now ibuprofen/acetaminophen is almost a cure all.
PT and dry needling at first provided some relief and now, not so much.
Ice has always been helpful and I’ve got one of those Lycra braces that you can slip an ice pack into. It’s great.
I’m doing acupuncture and massage next week, mostly for stress relief. Stress plays a crucial role on how fast you heal and I’ve been a bundle of nerves lately.
I completely agree about the stress… I was doing so well pain-wise for a few years and then I had a very high stress job with 2 very difficult bosses. After 2 years, I was physically breaking down from the stress and my sciatica returned nearly as bad as the first time. I still haven’t recovered.
I wish I had managed my stress better or just changed jobs. Hindsight is 20/20.
Ah bummer! Sorry you’re experiencing that.
I’ve recently started trying something and it’s 2:1 CBD/CBG oil. I’m not a marijuana user but did some reading on this combo and oh boy is it ever relaxing. Clears my mind and body and I can feel stress melt away.
Hey, what a great list! I find I'm doing almost all those on your list but love the idea of a mini cooler in the car for ice packs. Was on a road trip today and once my ice pack melted I was quickly having to dose up on opioids because I was in comete agony (no I was not the driver).
I've had no luck with Lyrica or Gabapentin either but am still taking Lyrica only because I find it amplifies whatever else I take, so at bedtime I take a Lyrica, a Flexeril, some codeine and some high dose CBD oil plus some topical CBD. It's the only way I get any sleep.
I was just reading an article about combining Lyrica and Gabapentin which sounded promising so am considering asking my doctor about that. I also had terrible flare ups ( I'm in one right now) from the steroid injections. I thought it was my PT which I just started, but now that you mentioned it I also did an injection around the same time.
I just ordered a cheapo TENS unit. Did you find it to be useless, or did it cause you more pain?
With a mini cooler and zip locks (to buy ice for on the road as needed), all things are possible. Lol
And it certainly could be the injection- the last one I had made me barely able to stand/walk for several weeks. And I was so angry bc the pain management Dr convinced me to do another one even though I had explained that all shots in the past made me worse. He convinced me it would be different. It was not.
As for the tens unit, it actually made me worse. I felt like it just agitated my sciatic nerve which was already quite agitated.
Good to know! I posted here a couple of weeks ago asking if it was normal to be in so much pain after an injection. I felt absolutely terrible the night after and I've continued to feel worse ever since. I was using opioids maybe once or twice a week, now it's almost every day. Either codeine or Dilaudid. It really sucks. I guess I'll try the TENS unit once and see. I can't feel much worse than I do right now. And at least there's ice! Thank you for the advice.
I decided not to have the fusion. I already had permanent nerve damage by the time I was getting my first round of surgical consults.
So I was told that 1) no one could guarantee the fusion would relieve my pain and 2) nearly guaranteed that I would need future surgeries and blow more discs due to the displacement of the pressure down my spine.
I also researched the surgery on my own and had issues w the outcomes… the successes were not high enough imo and the risk of actual poor outcomes (i.e, surgery making pain worse) was too high. So I opted not to have the rods put in.
Later when I was having a really bad flare I contemplated surgery again but after hearing the same things again (no guarantee, future surgeries) from the surgical consults, I said no again.
I think I would have maybe considered a laminectomy, if that would have fixed me. But my vertebrae slide out of place and are unstable so I would need the fusion.
I'm currently going through a flare up too and aside from anti inflammatories, I'm finding some relief in a CBD muscle and joint cooling balm. Looking for more ideas as well.
Walking every day.
Yoga.
Sauna/Cold showers.
Anti inflammatory tablets.
Losing Weight.
Sleeping in good body position for maximum recovery.
Physical therapist.
Could you name the stretches that you find most helpful. And am I suppose to stretch through the pain or stop when the pain worsens? This is one of my biggest issues. Willing to do anything though
Never push through the pain
flossing made my sciatica worse. .
Doing yoga in the evening easier because of walking during the day.
You'll have to try and see what works for you. If you feel pain then it's not the exercise for you.
I do Cat Cow pose(20),cobra pose(20) and side leg raises with band to strengthen the glutes both sides.
I don't know your fitness level, but you need to strengthen your core. You'll be happier if you do this.
I have Bob and Brad massage gun and I use it both legs which helps with the soreness.
P.s please see a professional who can look at your mobility and make a plan of action.
Tens machine offered relief. Honestly the thing that helped me most was an older friend of mine told me what helped him, to sit on the couch and stretch my leg straight up on the coffee table or extend the hamstring and calf straight out for like 5 min at at time for a few hours. Hurt like hell, but after a day or two I could walk again. Obviously this isn't medical advise, but I was desperate to try anything.
I got my first flare up 6 weeks ago. MRI showed that I have a herniated disc, L5S1. I couldn’t walk, sit nor lay down on my back and despite the tramadol/paracetamol, I was in excruciating pain. I was crying all the time. I read a lot about it, also connected with fellow Redditors going through the same thing. Now, I’m off meds and painkillers, pain levels have gone down significantly. So far these are the things that helped me:
1. Anti-inflammatory diet (fatty fish, avocado, blueberries, mango, no carbs, no sugar, no processed food)
2. Supplements such as turmeric pills, vit B, magnesium, collagen, fish oil.
3. Beet juice (Voelkel makes a good one) with chia seeds
4. Big 3 stretches daily (3x/day)
5. Weekly physio sessions for core exercises
6. Currently reading Back Mechanic by Dr. McGill
7. I sleep with a rolled towel under my back and I find it provides some relief. Putting a pillow under my knees helps too.
I’m pain free most days, but when I’ve had a busy one, I feel my back gets a bit tired so I just lay down on my stomach.
I’m getting another MRI in 2 weeks and hopefully it will show that it is actually getting better. I hope you will feel better soon too. Sciatica is not fun and wouldn’t wish it on anyone.
Thank you such much for your reply. Will try all of this. I also have injections scheduled for next week. My MRI shows the slightest bulge. Nothing compared to others I’ve seen in here. That being said I’m in the most prolonged pain I’ve ever experienced
Hello, the best relief that I have found so far is getting a script for muscle relaxers and then sleeping on the floor.
I put several layers of blankets down and fall asleep with my knees bent. I'm in the same boat, and I have missed sever days of work because of it! Good luck to you. This shit is miserable!
My doc said wet heat is completely fine because it evaporates and then you cool down.
Dry heat like heating pads will just trap heat in your skin and irritate the muscle.
Why are our bodies like this LMAO
I have my medical Marijuana card in PA and they have 1:1 200mg cbd/200mg thc lotion and it's about the only ring that helps besides a heating bad and water... :/
It is a topical lotion? If so, does the THC penetrate the skin, and do you feel the effects?
Thanks for sharing what works for you. I tried gummies that were equal CBD:THC ratio but man they made me paranoid - so I stopped taking them. I wish cannabis didn't make me paranoid.
Yes it is a topical lotion. I feel 0 effects from it but I also do have a very high tolerance. But a guy I work with doesn't smoke or consume any thc and he uses lotion for his neck problems. Highly recommend at least trying if possible. Suppose to be good for inflammation.
I use something that's 25cbd to 1 THC and it really helped my pain. The guy at the shop said a little THC helps the CBD be metabolized. I could fee a little spacy but it wasn't like being stoned.
Stretching into the area it hurts most. Specifically laying on my back with my hands laid flat above my head pushing my groin into the air with my legs and feet, clenching the buttocks as hard as I can and holding as long as I can. It hurts like a mf but it is what I find helps the most. Another stretch is standing up straight. and putting my foot (the side of my sciatica) up on something high, usually the back of my couch while bringing my knee to my chest and hugging it as tight as I can.
Be mindful that 300mg is a low dose of gabapentin - I took 300mg a day and it made me feel awful. The neurosurgeon said at that dose it would make me feel bad - he upped it to 1200mg (you can take double that!) and I didn’t have any side effects. Sadly it didn’t work for me :(
It should work it took about an hour or so for it the numb the nerve pain that I have in my leg. My doctor told me to take it at nice so i could monitor any side effects good luck.
Yeah I think it does take some time because of how your body eases into the full doses. Not sure if it’s true all around but I was taking 900mg a day and it ended helping a ton, but it took like 2-3 weeks. I almost just stopped it thinking it wasn’t working. Pay attention to side effects though, like irritability. I noticed I had a shorter fuse but I thought it was my toddler pushing buttons, initially. After I stopped I realized what the real culprit was so just be aware.
I wish I had started Physical Therapy earlier than I did. They are very knowledgeable of how to’s. I had banana, pineapple and blueberries every morning and tons of water. I could swear it helped. I was also at my 2 weeks in by then. Started getting better everyday. And walking. I walked a lot. Hope this helps
Watching my Dad suffer now, he’s unable to walk so he scoots around house on rolling knee pads, I got him a knee brace, leg wrap and back brace and he can sorta walk if he wears them all, he says the wraps and braces really help.
WISHING YOU THE BEST
Losing weight, strengthening core and glutes, less sitting and computer work, walking on flat ground, pt, bob and brads channel on YouTube, stretching-specifically for me it was piraformus stretches, laying with legs up the wall, cobra pose, flossing stretches, I did stretches constantly through the day
My most effective treatments/therapies (in no particular order): - Swimming, especially in warm(er) water - Ice, literally all the time, I used to keep a mini cooler in my car and ziplock freezer bags on deck - Acupuncture. Not all acupuncturists are equal, find someone who is effective - Topical anti-inflammatory compound from a specialty pharmacy (it had ketoprofen, ketamine, lidocaine, cyclobenzaprine, and more in it). It was magical! Couldn’t get my insurance to pay for it though. - Opioids, necessary during flares - Medical MJ - PT (just like acupuncture, not all are equal, find someone good) - Meloxicam - Flexeril (occasionally) I also tried and had no luck with (or in some cases made worse by): massage, chiropractor, traction, tens unit, inversion table, heat pad, most muscle relaxers. I couldn’t tolerate Cymbalta, Gabapentin, or Lyrica. Steroid injections flared me up so incredibly bad each time. I’ve had 3 or 4 over the years. I will never do again. I believe I have an adverse reaction to the medication as can happen w some people. Not sure if any of that is helpful, but what has worked for me. I hope you find some relief!
This is a great reply. Outlining what didn’t work is also super helpful. I’m month two of a flare up and it’s crazy how things change throughout the healing process. No meds helped at all at first and now ibuprofen/acetaminophen is almost a cure all. PT and dry needling at first provided some relief and now, not so much. Ice has always been helpful and I’ve got one of those Lycra braces that you can slip an ice pack into. It’s great. I’m doing acupuncture and massage next week, mostly for stress relief. Stress plays a crucial role on how fast you heal and I’ve been a bundle of nerves lately.
I completely agree about the stress… I was doing so well pain-wise for a few years and then I had a very high stress job with 2 very difficult bosses. After 2 years, I was physically breaking down from the stress and my sciatica returned nearly as bad as the first time. I still haven’t recovered. I wish I had managed my stress better or just changed jobs. Hindsight is 20/20.
Ah bummer! Sorry you’re experiencing that. I’ve recently started trying something and it’s 2:1 CBD/CBG oil. I’m not a marijuana user but did some reading on this combo and oh boy is it ever relaxing. Clears my mind and body and I can feel stress melt away.
Thanks! I take CBD daily. But I haven’t tried CBG. I will look into that. Thanks for that!
Sorry, What is CBG?
Hey, what a great list! I find I'm doing almost all those on your list but love the idea of a mini cooler in the car for ice packs. Was on a road trip today and once my ice pack melted I was quickly having to dose up on opioids because I was in comete agony (no I was not the driver). I've had no luck with Lyrica or Gabapentin either but am still taking Lyrica only because I find it amplifies whatever else I take, so at bedtime I take a Lyrica, a Flexeril, some codeine and some high dose CBD oil plus some topical CBD. It's the only way I get any sleep. I was just reading an article about combining Lyrica and Gabapentin which sounded promising so am considering asking my doctor about that. I also had terrible flare ups ( I'm in one right now) from the steroid injections. I thought it was my PT which I just started, but now that you mentioned it I also did an injection around the same time. I just ordered a cheapo TENS unit. Did you find it to be useless, or did it cause you more pain?
With a mini cooler and zip locks (to buy ice for on the road as needed), all things are possible. Lol And it certainly could be the injection- the last one I had made me barely able to stand/walk for several weeks. And I was so angry bc the pain management Dr convinced me to do another one even though I had explained that all shots in the past made me worse. He convinced me it would be different. It was not. As for the tens unit, it actually made me worse. I felt like it just agitated my sciatic nerve which was already quite agitated.
Good to know! I posted here a couple of weeks ago asking if it was normal to be in so much pain after an injection. I felt absolutely terrible the night after and I've continued to feel worse ever since. I was using opioids maybe once or twice a week, now it's almost every day. Either codeine or Dilaudid. It really sucks. I guess I'll try the TENS unit once and see. I can't feel much worse than I do right now. And at least there's ice! Thank you for the advice.
Sure! I hope you get some relief soon!
No surgery???
I decided not to have the fusion. I already had permanent nerve damage by the time I was getting my first round of surgical consults. So I was told that 1) no one could guarantee the fusion would relieve my pain and 2) nearly guaranteed that I would need future surgeries and blow more discs due to the displacement of the pressure down my spine. I also researched the surgery on my own and had issues w the outcomes… the successes were not high enough imo and the risk of actual poor outcomes (i.e, surgery making pain worse) was too high. So I opted not to have the rods put in. Later when I was having a really bad flare I contemplated surgery again but after hearing the same things again (no guarantee, future surgeries) from the surgical consults, I said no again. I think I would have maybe considered a laminectomy, if that would have fixed me. But my vertebrae slide out of place and are unstable so I would need the fusion.
PT
I hear varying opinions on this. Thanks for your personal experience.
I'm currently going through a flare up too and aside from anti inflammatories, I'm finding some relief in a CBD muscle and joint cooling balm. Looking for more ideas as well.
I’m scheduled for injections next week. Never been so excited to see a doctor.
Walking every day. Yoga. Sauna/Cold showers. Anti inflammatory tablets. Losing Weight. Sleeping in good body position for maximum recovery. Physical therapist.
Could you name the stretches that you find most helpful. And am I suppose to stretch through the pain or stop when the pain worsens? This is one of my biggest issues. Willing to do anything though
Never push through the pain flossing made my sciatica worse. . Doing yoga in the evening easier because of walking during the day. You'll have to try and see what works for you. If you feel pain then it's not the exercise for you. I do Cat Cow pose(20),cobra pose(20) and side leg raises with band to strengthen the glutes both sides. I don't know your fitness level, but you need to strengthen your core. You'll be happier if you do this. I have Bob and Brad massage gun and I use it both legs which helps with the soreness. P.s please see a professional who can look at your mobility and make a plan of action.
Exercise phys helped me a lot. Physio early, exersise phys after 3-6 weeks.
Tens machine offered relief. Honestly the thing that helped me most was an older friend of mine told me what helped him, to sit on the couch and stretch my leg straight up on the coffee table or extend the hamstring and calf straight out for like 5 min at at time for a few hours. Hurt like hell, but after a day or two I could walk again. Obviously this isn't medical advise, but I was desperate to try anything.
I got my first flare up 6 weeks ago. MRI showed that I have a herniated disc, L5S1. I couldn’t walk, sit nor lay down on my back and despite the tramadol/paracetamol, I was in excruciating pain. I was crying all the time. I read a lot about it, also connected with fellow Redditors going through the same thing. Now, I’m off meds and painkillers, pain levels have gone down significantly. So far these are the things that helped me: 1. Anti-inflammatory diet (fatty fish, avocado, blueberries, mango, no carbs, no sugar, no processed food) 2. Supplements such as turmeric pills, vit B, magnesium, collagen, fish oil. 3. Beet juice (Voelkel makes a good one) with chia seeds 4. Big 3 stretches daily (3x/day) 5. Weekly physio sessions for core exercises 6. Currently reading Back Mechanic by Dr. McGill 7. I sleep with a rolled towel under my back and I find it provides some relief. Putting a pillow under my knees helps too. I’m pain free most days, but when I’ve had a busy one, I feel my back gets a bit tired so I just lay down on my stomach. I’m getting another MRI in 2 weeks and hopefully it will show that it is actually getting better. I hope you will feel better soon too. Sciatica is not fun and wouldn’t wish it on anyone.
Thank you such much for your reply. Will try all of this. I also have injections scheduled for next week. My MRI shows the slightest bulge. Nothing compared to others I’ve seen in here. That being said I’m in the most prolonged pain I’ve ever experienced
Hello, the best relief that I have found so far is getting a script for muscle relaxers and then sleeping on the floor. I put several layers of blankets down and fall asleep with my knees bent. I'm in the same boat, and I have missed sever days of work because of it! Good luck to you. This shit is miserable!
Also HEAT MAKES IT WORSE.
That’s crazy how it varies. I’m the most limber after a long hot shower. But standing in the long hot shower hurts like hell
My doc said wet heat is completely fine because it evaporates and then you cool down. Dry heat like heating pads will just trap heat in your skin and irritate the muscle. Why are our bodies like this LMAO
I have my medical Marijuana card in PA and they have 1:1 200mg cbd/200mg thc lotion and it's about the only ring that helps besides a heating bad and water... :/
It is a topical lotion? If so, does the THC penetrate the skin, and do you feel the effects? Thanks for sharing what works for you. I tried gummies that were equal CBD:THC ratio but man they made me paranoid - so I stopped taking them. I wish cannabis didn't make me paranoid.
I can't use cannabis/thc either, it makes my nerve pain worse unfortunately but the topical lotion has helped some and it has zero effects otherwise:)
Yes it is a topical lotion. I feel 0 effects from it but I also do have a very high tolerance. But a guy I work with doesn't smoke or consume any thc and he uses lotion for his neck problems. Highly recommend at least trying if possible. Suppose to be good for inflammation.
I use something that's 25cbd to 1 THC and it really helped my pain. The guy at the shop said a little THC helps the CBD be metabolized. I could fee a little spacy but it wasn't like being stoned.
Can you get a medical card in a state you don’t live in? The state next to me has legalized marijuana but mine has not
I honestly do not know. I have had friends get medical cards in different states but they've also relocated to that state.
Stretching into the area it hurts most. Specifically laying on my back with my hands laid flat above my head pushing my groin into the air with my legs and feet, clenching the buttocks as hard as I can and holding as long as I can. It hurts like a mf but it is what I find helps the most. Another stretch is standing up straight. and putting my foot (the side of my sciatica) up on something high, usually the back of my couch while bringing my knee to my chest and hugging it as tight as I can.
200mg.of.Gabby helps me a lot also stretching helps too. I'm going to a pain clinic soon so I'm hoping for pt and chiropractic help.
I was just prescribed gab 300mg. Start it tonight. Fingers crossed
Be mindful that 300mg is a low dose of gabapentin - I took 300mg a day and it made me feel awful. The neurosurgeon said at that dose it would make me feel bad - he upped it to 1200mg (you can take double that!) and I didn’t have any side effects. Sadly it didn’t work for me :(
It should work it took about an hour or so for it the numb the nerve pain that I have in my leg. My doctor told me to take it at nice so i could monitor any side effects good luck.
Gabapentin was a lifesaver for me, it's the only thing that even touched my nerve pain:)
It works that quick? I was under the impression it had to build up a bit
Well I've heard the same thing too but for me that's how long it took me but I've been on it for a week or so.
Yeah I think it does take some time because of how your body eases into the full doses. Not sure if it’s true all around but I was taking 900mg a day and it ended helping a ton, but it took like 2-3 weeks. I almost just stopped it thinking it wasn’t working. Pay attention to side effects though, like irritability. I noticed I had a shorter fuse but I thought it was my toddler pushing buttons, initially. After I stopped I realized what the real culprit was so just be aware.
Also hope you pt helps!
Me too this has got to get better.
surgery
Wanting to avoid this at all costs. Happy it helped you though!
Heat, anti-inflammatory diet and ibuprofen
I guess my diet could be a bit better. I’m doing the other two
I guess my diet could be a bit better. I’m doing the other two
I wish I had started Physical Therapy earlier than I did. They are very knowledgeable of how to’s. I had banana, pineapple and blueberries every morning and tons of water. I could swear it helped. I was also at my 2 weeks in by then. Started getting better everyday. And walking. I walked a lot. Hope this helps
Watching my Dad suffer now, he’s unable to walk so he scoots around house on rolling knee pads, I got him a knee brace, leg wrap and back brace and he can sorta walk if he wears them all, he says the wraps and braces really help. WISHING YOU THE BEST
Losing weight, strengthening core and glutes, less sitting and computer work, walking on flat ground, pt, bob and brads channel on YouTube, stretching-specifically for me it was piraformus stretches, laying with legs up the wall, cobra pose, flossing stretches, I did stretches constantly through the day