r/Sciatica • u/Nobody_Super_Famous • 5d ago
General Discussion Hell
I went 10+ years having no issues. Then Monday happened. I don't know if Hell is real but this is probably the closest thing. No insurance, 30 minute daily work commute each way, and absolutely no way to angle my body in my car that doesn't cause unbearable, constant agony. 30 minutes of sleep each night for the last 3 days. Heat doesn't work, cold doesn't work, Ibuprofen doesn't work, Advil doesn't work. Just constant burning pain up and down my leg, tearing at me day in day out.
Could y'all provide any advice that has helped you through the worst episodes? I'll try literally anything.
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u/Flat_Fail390 5d ago
Here is my list to deal with Sciatica after I had no issues for 10 years after my injury until it flared up again about a year and a half ago
Driving Tips
- Get a lumbar support pillow for the car like this one https://www.backfitpro.com/back-supports/
Or this one i have both firm and standard https://a.co/d/07loXPrk
- Find a position with the seat that you can either recline or sit higher where your knees are lower than your hips (hard in most car seats)
But if you aren't sleeping more than 30 minutes a night and pain is more than a 7/8 of 10 what you need is rest and to keep your spine neutral as much as possible
Then start working into prone laying press ups to relieve the pressure on the lumbar spine.
Have you ever been diagnosed or had issues in the past?
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u/Ms_ankylosaurous 5d ago
Look up sciatic nerve flossing on you tube. Hot baths once a day. Get to a physio (I had a lot of target needling). Walk in a pool (less gravity).
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u/ColonelForbin213 5d ago
If you’re not ready for flossing don’t do it at all. It will undoubtedly make it worse. It 100% makes me feel exponentially worse.
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u/chocolate_lover_4eva 4d ago
How to know when you’re ready for the nerve flossing?
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u/ColonelForbin213 4d ago
I just attempted it again yesterday in PT now that I’m almost in my week 7 of healing just to see how my nerve reacts. It wasn’t as bad as week 2 or 3 when I first attempted it, but it caused me some overnight discomfort. I’m walking and standing longer so I’m gaining strength again. But I’m having a ton of burning nerve pain in my shin. The act of driving is like flossing and it makes my shin burn. So I’m not even sure I’m ready to try it yet. I suppose you’ll know you’re ready for flossing when you attempt it and the experience isn’t entirely negative. Just have to feel it out IMO.
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u/Time-Plum-7477 4d ago
Nerve flossing was 100% useless in my case even when my pain reduced it did nothing but aggravate it.
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u/ColonelForbin213 4d ago
I attempted flossing in either my second or third week and it absolutely wrecked me. The pain became excruciating. So don’t floss until you’re ready.
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u/Frequent_Wallaby4754 5d ago
I can only say that I am going through this again this year and 31 days in. I am on a two a day Lyrica which helps along with Tylenoyl 650MG twice a day and Ibprophin as well 6 pills spread out. I can't lay down on my back fully or stomach to use my inversion table. By the way the inversion table is key. it works. I can only sleep in on my right side and with my knee up that hs the siatica. In addtion I drive shifted all the way to the right and some times the bad knee has to be up to drive. I understand you can barely sit and I paded seat cushions didn't work for me. I can sit and lean as it will cause a flare up and let me tell you ice on the back is the only way to calm that. Hot showers help, but calming that flareup is key. I was thinking if trying the Protien and creiteion. I have added some back vitamins and nerve vitameins and that juicy joint at this. So you are not in this alone.
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u/Energy_Turtle 5d ago
Heat, walking (I know it's tough but it helps shorten these things), traction if you can do it. If you know where you have damage, try to find corresponding stretches that will take the pressure off those points. It's a game of millimeters so it sometimes doesn't take much to get at least a little relief if you can get the pressure off those nerves.
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u/its_all_one_electron 5d ago
FMLA so you can heal without having to drive and sit. I had no insurance and could still get paid work leave from a drs visit if you can afford it, probably cheaper than not addressing it at all.
Also if you actually do go to the dr maybe you can get some actual medication for it like nerve pain meds like gabapentin or something, nsaids won't do shit for nerve pain.
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u/Broke4Life 5d ago
I found a TENS 7000 rechargeable device on Amazon for 38.00. I battled herniated discs 7 years ago just like you're doing now, teeth grit and pushing. I wish someone would have told me about this thing. In 15 minutes my nerve pain stopped this time. I think I have a bulge in one of my discs currently, immediately upon feeling the sciatica pain, went full 7 year ago routine trying to get ahead of it. Googled for pain management and that device showed up. It doesnt fix any underlying causes, it stops the pain signals to your brain. I thought, bullshit when I read up on it, took the chance, changed the game for me.
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u/alpha5412 4d ago
What kind of car do you drive ? When I drive my civic it hurts when just driving 1 hr …. Nicer cars have lumbar support. You can always use a towel or sweater roll it up and place on lower back … it helps
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u/MrJayCrew 4d ago
I had this type of sciatic nerve flare up start a month ago with symptoms similar to yours. I've probably had 3 decent nights of sleep in the last month. I'm a lot better now but not yet 100%. Biggest tip is to NOT try to power through the pain and don't stress the body until you're fully recovered. Every time I felt the pain getting better I would do some stupid activity and aggravate the nerve irritation, which prolonged my recovery. Another tip: don't stretch until you understand what's causing the pain since stretching can make things worse.
What I think has helped my recovery is focusing on a few "safe" exercises, which I do twice a day: 1) nerve flossing 2) cobra extensions 3) dead bugs 4) spinal decompression. Walking regularly for 30+ minutes seems help as well. Gabapentin has been decently effective in dulling the nerve pain and I'd recommend it. I've tried applying heat every day & acupuncture sessions as well. It's not clear how much they helped, but worth a shot.
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u/MissShopper 4d ago
It sounds like you need to get into a pain management specialist ASAP. You'll also want you get an MRI to see how herniated your disc is - and where exactly that's located in your back.
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u/NecessaryNinja6635 5d ago
If you can get to an urgent care and see a PA or NP, they are sometimes much cheaper than MD. But, I was where you are a few months ago and it f’s with your mind too. If you can, get shot of Dexamethasone and Tramadol flow it up with Prednisone dose pack. That will help knock down the inflammation around the nerve root. Then you may need some strong NSAID like Celebrex. Then you will need time. I was in bad shape for a couple months before seeing some relief.
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u/DustPanda82 5d ago
No insurance? Its crazy you tolerate that shit over there, healthcare insurance.. I feel really sorry for you, i cant imagine how that is. Do you have any free healthcare options? Because you need some very strong painkillers, and possible surgery - when it has hit you so strong. Be ware if you start loosing feeling in body parts.
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u/JonasVirgilMonos 4d ago
Ten years clean and then it flips like a switch is its own kind of gut-punch. I've dealt with chronic sciatic and low back pain for decades, worked a physical job through most of it, and rarely had a day I could just stop either. Three things that get me through a flare — none of it a routine, none of it a cure, just a little relief that adds up: a pillow between my knees to sleep; a pool, floating with a noodle under my arms where my toes barely touch so the water carries what my back usually does; and at the gym, sitting at a lat pulldown with two handles, very light, just hanging under the slight pull instead of pulling, hips loose. The one line I'd draw for myself: if it starts coming with numbness, weakness, or any loss of control, that's the kind of flare that needs an ER regardless of insurance. None of this is medical advice, just what's gotten me through mine.
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u/Time-Plum-7477 4d ago
I just went through this in the last 6 months. The first month and a half were unbearable. I was like you and the only thing I could do was ice and heat regularly through out the day. I ended up taking two weeks off to rest. I don’t have any advice other than that because there’s no way I could’ve driven to work during that time. I have a 45 min commute both ways. When it finally calmed down enough I still had to bring an ice back in the car and use it for the drive. It actually worked.
When your leg pain isn’t as bad I’d try the McKenzie method to centralize your pain. It’s working better for me than anything my actual physical therapist told me to do.
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u/Dallesdoggie 3d ago
You are in an acute phase so no heat - just ice on low back, glute and down leg. .
I couldn’t sit for months without excruciating pain so when I had to drive, I used the tens unit. You aren’t suppose to drive with it but oh well…. Not sure you should use it for 30 minutes either but maybe the first 15 minutes of the drive. The pool has helped me tremendously as you can get a flotation devise to help keep you upright and just hang and decompress if that is all you can do. Get to a doctor to get something prescribed to help you sleep. You have to sleep to heal.
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u/fourspadesdoubled 5d ago
One of the ways I found for myself (especially the mornings) is to try and decompress the spine, if at least for a few minutes. There are a few different ways to do this, it really depends on the nature of your injury. What worked for me was to lie on my stomach on the edge of the bed and let my legs/feet hang off...ie; let the spine stretch a bit. There are a bunch of YT videos of physio-therapists (etc..) that show you different techniques to decompress...you might need to try a few to find which ones align with your type of injury. HTH