Anyone suffered with this and can advise of anything to help.  I've hardly been able to walk for 5 weeks now with suspected sciatica and it's driving me round the bend.  Have my dogs entered for shows in a few weeks time and there's no way that I can show them as I am at the moment.  Never had pain like this before!

If it's a trapped sciatic nerve then manipulation can free it and the relief instant.  If the problem is actually something else and the trapped sciatic nerve is the body compensating, then relief can take longer. :)

'suspected sciatica'? - Get it checked out, my daughter had what was 'suspected' and it turned out to be a Deep Vein Thrombosis in her groin...Very painful and a long recovery. Hope you're soon well.

It's years since I had it done, but an osteopath released a trapped sciatic nerve for me, and the relief was wonderful.

ohh i feel for you really i do my neighbour has has this for around the last 5/6weeks now and still off work with it she having to walk with crutches to get about and it been a very sloww recovery her pain killers the doc gave are doing nothing to releave it now and she is about to start Accupunture (forgive spelling not sure if thats right)
but she cant start untill she can lay on her tummy and at the moment she still cant do that,
my cousin gets it  also shes suffered for years on and off and  she swears by smoking some pot the releave the pain it works for her , not sure myself iv neve had either, :-)

Memory foam mattress's are supposed to help this sort of thing - not cheap but worth looking at :-)

suspected sciatica
An Osteopath will correctly diagnose and treat.  Pain killers and other aids don't sort out the cause........

Osteopath should be able to release it,my OH occasionally gets it trapped a quick visit bit sore next day but fine until the next time he does somthing daft! Oh cold on it not hot, cold reduces the swelling and inflamation.

Thanks guys, will have to find a good one somewhere.  Have put on half a stone in the past 5 weeks due, I presume, to not being able to walk the dogs.

> Have put on half a stone in the past 5 weeks due, I presume, to not being able to walk the dogs

Of course you need to find out why you have this. I have chronic pain and have learnt over the years that resting is really the worst thing you can do. I'm not assuming you are flaked out on a sofa, none of us can do that but even a little walk around the block is better than nothing as the muscles around the root of your problem, soon start to get weaker, even after days, so if you can just do a bit, then its better than nothing.
I agree that manipulation can be a good thing but first, find out why you have it in the first place.

Unfortunately I work in a hospital so walk a lot.  By the end of the day I can hardly stand or sit due to the pain.  Fingers crossed I'll get to the reason of this soon.  Luckily though it isn't waking me during the night so I'm pleased about that.

I had sciatica 3 years ago I went from fine to having to use a walking frame in about 5 days. My Doctor gave me pain killers and Diazepam to relax the muscles nerves but the only thing he said would really help was a chiropractor.

How right he was when I first went I had to stand against her electronic table and be lowered flat as I couldn't move without horrendous cramps shooting from my heels to my waist.

I do sympathise as I've never felt pain like it Hope you find some help soon

I agree - an Osteopath and having acupuncture are they only things I'd recommend personally. Of course you need a GP as well - just to check it's nothing else.
However, if it is sciatica you'll find your GP will tell you to take pain relief and rest..............I listened to mine for far too long before I realised it's the standard GP answer to the problem !.
An Osteopath can often relieve the problem very quickly and suggest ways of preventing it from happening again. Acupuncture - well I think it's amazing - wonderful for pain relief.

My hubby is a landscape gardener and gets sciatica regular for 4to5 weeks at a time,he is in agony and just takes pain relieve and uses a bean bag in the microwave.
He cant sleep at night with his as cant get comfortable.
I beg him to get it sorted but wont go to the Drs as they tell him to rest up from working,but he works for himself,so no way will he do that.
I think he will have to get it sorted soon or he will be laid up completely with no choice.

My daughter is an Osteopath and keeps a stunt man working!  You can't get much harder on your body than that! :(

> suspected sciatica

I think you need a definate diagnosis and i would be getting at least an x-ray , but preferably a scan .
A friend of mine recently had back pain and was told by a Consultant that it was muscular so to take painkillers and go to physio . After being in increasing pain for weeks and by now having a 'dead' foot she insisted on a scan . Within 3 weeks she was in having her disc operated on as she had a trapped disc !

Hope you get sorted soon !
ps. when standing at the sink washing dishes etc , put one foot up on a step such as an upturned washing-up bowl or childs toilet step . It is supposed to release the stress on the nerves .

As sciatic pain is a symptom not a diagnosis I think you need a clear diagnosis of the cause of the pain before any treatment is undertaken.  Disc problems, of which there are many, are a frequent cause but so is osteoarthritis and its associated complications and the management of these is likely to be very different.  It may be a postural change (for example due to a previous injury) that could be rectified with relevant exercises to correct the posture.  The pain can also be caused by trigger points in the soft tissue so ensure this is not overlooked as for example piriformis syndrome can often appear as a herniated (slipped) disc.  Very rarely sciatica can be caused by a serious medical condition (not meaning to scare anyone!) that requires immediate attention so for this reason it is important to get a correct diagnosis before starting on any course of treatment.
Heat can be used effectively for healing as it increases blood flow to the area, but with both cold and heat watch out for burns especially if you have altered skin sensation.
Exercise is important as without movement the back structures and muscles become deconditioned and less able to support the back so try and keep as active as you can!

Ive suffered with sciatica for several years now. Like others have said, get it checked out first. I see my chiropractor every 3/4 months for ultrasound and adjustment which helps alot, particularly with relaxing the tight muscles. I also have a tens machine that I got online which works wonders, especially with long show days when I never seem to find time to sit down. It also gets worse after running, or anything that creates alot of impact on the lower back area. I had to cut back on the running, but i still manage to go bikejoring on a regular basis and have been able to continue as a kayak instructor with the help of the tens machine & ultrasound treatment. I find that rest just makes things worse as the muscles tense up. Hope you get some relief soon.

K5Kees, just wondering can you actually feel the tens machine?  I've had it on full power and there's just nothing, thought it wasn't working at first so tried it in a different area and it definitely was :)

I'm in sooo much pain at the moment, 3 months down the line and no further on.  Can't go shopping, can't walk my dogs, still going to work but the last week or so I've been in so much pain at the end of the day I've really wanted to cry!  Had a MRI scan Saturday just gone so now awaiting the results.  Don't know what I'm going to do if nothing shows up.

Please go & tell a doctor you can't feel the TENS misses!  I know we all have a pain threshold but either the TENS isn't working or well I don't know what to be honest.  It's a fizzing sensation from memory (used one during childbirth - very annoying for child one, very useful for child 2).

Think it's about time you found a doctor to take you seriously cos IMHO they haven't done much for you in the last couple of years.

Would offer to show your nutty girl for you but not going to the show in question.

Aww thank you, I might just take myself off to A&E after the show on Sunday.  Though at the moment because of the way that I am I really don't feel like going there, so it's stopping me from doing everything I'm interested in!

that's my point.  You haven't been well for so long, the least they could do is take you seriously.  It's damaging your quality of life, if you were a dog...... :-P

Have a great show, sorry I'm not going to be there but probably a good job as Z is poorly & B is bald :-(

I could definately feel it in all areas, and although it does make the skin feel a bit numb you should still be able to feel the fizzing. The pads might not have been connected properly (i found it best to lie down with it on my lower back). I'd go and get it checked out again just to be sure. I seem to remember when I had a problem with my neck/shoulder/elbow, the homeopath that I saw checked the nerves with the tens machine, and also did the same on my back. So it could possibly be a trapped nerve. I hope they find something on the MRI results and you can get answers and treatment. Nothing worse than being sent from person to person without being able to find out what is wrong. Ive been there too many times.