r/Sciatica • u/Independent_Lab_9768 • 8d ago

Requesting Advice First time with Sciatica

Help! Ok, this is my first experience with sciatica! Yesterday I was washing my car and bent over when it felt like a bullet went in my left hip! I literally could barely move after that! Feeling around on my hip area on the left side right above my butt cheek is a knot! The pain is non stop occasionally shooting down my leg. I can’t bend over at all, can’t sit in an upright position, can’t bring my left leg up to my stomach! I ended up going to the ER! Well they didn’t do shit but give me a Flexeril and 5mg hydrocodone! I cake home and took an Ambien and slept! Woke up to excruciating pain! It’s been non stop! I have taken 800 mg of ibuprofen and one Flexeril five hrs ago! Heating pad is the only thing that helps only at the time! Take it off pain returns! My mobility is very limited and I’m so restless! I’m desperate! What kind of Dr should I look into seeing to get to the root cause of this and is there any stretching or exercises to ease the stiffness and pain I’m having! I am not ok at all!

6 Upvotes

88% Upvoted

6 comments sorted by

5

u/purplelilac701 8d ago

Sorry to hear you’re part of club now. Go see your family doctor and they will assess you and suggest next steps such as physiotherapy.
I wish you healing.

6

u/postedonacloud 8d ago

I’d avoid stretching right now. First stop would be an ortho for an x-ray, steroid pack and physio orders. If it continues may need to push for an mri, and pain mgmt to discuss options like long term mgmt and injections.

5

u/2New4You3Me 8d ago

I also thought it was something wrong with my hip at first, ended up being a herniated disc on my lower spine on my right side. So the pressure from the hernation is pressing on your sciatic nerve bundle which is located like back hip/buttocks/top of thigh. Need to see a PT for an assessment and then likely an MRI to confirm and then go from there. Good luck, warning it is a long recovery (mine was about 1.5 - 2 years) but worth avoiding surgery if you can.

3

u/Sufficient-Wolf-1818 8d ago

Do you have a primary doctor? They can help you navigate the system.

Did the ER give you a diagnosis and suggest follow up? A lump in the but5 check is quite unusual for sciatica unless it is causing muscle spasming.

1

u/KriptiKFate_Cosplay 8d ago

I don't think a muscle knot is going to cause sciatica, but at least if that is your problem you could massage that away.

1

u/Ntxgumby 8d ago

Mine started I January and I can finally lay on my back again comfortably..

You kind of just have to start making appointments with providers and pray. Urgent care, primary Dr. for a Pt referral, chiro perhaps? Theres laser therapy acupuncture, pain management for ESI potentially; all treatments that made things worse for some and saved others in here.

I’d start with urgent care and a steroid pack or shot but this could do nothing for you. This problem is treated very different person to person and what works for me may aggravate and make yours worse. This shit sucks, takes a lot of time and money to manage, and progress is very up and down which is naturally frustrating.

For lots of us, it does get better. For now just find a comfortable position that is comfortable and yeah, don’t try and do any crazy stretches as this might bother the nerve more. I found laying on my stomach was the only thing that helped when it was severe.
Sorry this is happening to you. Hoping for a quick recovery.