Hi! Anyone here have experience with Sciattica?

Bf has just been diagnosed with it. and I feel really bad for him. The pain usually travels down from the back of his leg, all the way to his ankle. He's going for physical therapy three times a week but it's not helping. The doc prescribed some pain meds, and although it did help manage the excruciating pain, I feel there should be another way to deal with it.

He started electro-acupuncture a few days ago and it seems to help. He no longer limps while walking, although the pain remains.

Anyone here have been through this, or knows anyone who managed the pain successfully?

My Husband has that and he had to retire early because of it.
He refuses to take meds so I do not know how to help you.
He did take theripy for it.

It depends on what is causing it. Has he had an MRI to figure out what is affecting the nerve?
If not, please do not let him go to a chiropractor as you don't know it's spondylolisthesis, spondylosis, or disc fluid leaking out onto a nerve. Any of these can be easily worsened by a chiro.

Oh poor guy! I had it once when I was 15 but it passed after a few days. I can say that the pain was dreadful so I do sympathise.

Hope he can get some relief soon

I have it on my right side with the pain travelling down my right leg. It hurts like heck!!

Physio really never helped me with that, but one or two visits to a chiropractor and the pain was gone. It's a pinched nerve that causes it, and physio really doesn't help when you have a pinched nerve.

Someone i worked with had it down his right side and was forever stretching his leg out. It was painful for him though, so lots of pain free coming over.

The electro-acupuncture, is that the same as ultra sound? It sounds like it and i had that on my shoulder when i damaged it. My shoulder used to hurt worse than ever after i'd just had it done, but the following day it was a lot better. 6 weeks of that really did the job

I've had sciatica in my left leg a couple of times over the years. My chiropractor has always been able to take care of it for me.

Physio really never helped me with that, but one or two visits to a chiropractor and the pain was gone. It's a pinched nerve that causes it, and physio really doesn't help when you have a pinched nerve.

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Exactly. Get your bf to a good chiropractor. Hope he feels better soon!

My niece has it and although she has used pain meds for it she now is having acupuncture done once a week and has found that very helpful...Also she worked with a physiotherapist on a exercise program that involves stretching.
Being only in her early twenties they are trying to work out a pain management program for her that involves more physical alternatives then pharmaceutical..

Sciatica isn't just caused by impinged nerves, people. If that where the case people with herniated discs wouldn't have sciatica pain. No amount of "adjusting" or cracking the spine is going to fix a torn or herniated disc, but it could rip open more if they're bulged enough. Once that fluid is out on the nerve it causes the nerve to become inflamed, enough of this causes scarring. With spondylolisthesis the person would risk becoming paralyzed if something went wrong, and while some relief may be found from spondylosis - it's arthritis and will never go away.

Originally Posted by strange_wings

It depends on what is causing it. Has he had an MRI to figure out what is affecting the nerve?
If not, please do not let him go to a chiropractor as you don't know it's spondylolisthesis, spondylosis, or disc fluid leaking out onto a nerve. Any of these can be easily worsened by a chiro.

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Hi, the MRI showed no damage to the disc and that is why the doc believed it is most likely the piriormis is irritating the sciatic nerves.

Originally Posted by Rosiemac

The electro-acupuncture, is that the same as ultra sound? It sounds like it and i had that on my shoulder when i damaged it. My shoulder used to hurt worse than ever after i'd just had it done, but the following day it was a lot better. 6 weeks of that really did the job

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Electro-acupuncture is unlike ultrasound. It is just like regular acupuncture, the used of needles and they stick in into various points in his legs to relieve pain. But pulsating electric is being channeled through the needles to the points in his legs. He said that this is the only thing that seems to help.

I think with Sciatica, a chiro or physio really doesn't help at all! He said that he sometimes feel even more pain after the session. We are also looking into Yoga as there are reports that this is also another alternative that seems to bring much relief.

That would be arthritis then. Getting the inflammation down will help, have they offered something called a Medrol Dose Pack to him?

For that area some people will get radiofrequency ablation (RFA). Simply put - they burn the nerves surrounding the affected area. This kills them off for a few months, then follow up treatments are needed. For most, after a few follow up treatments the nerves in that area die off.

The other option is an injection into that nerve.

Originally Posted by tutti_bella

Bf has just been diagnosed with it.

and I feel really bad for him. The pain usually travels down from the back of his leg, all the way to his ankle. He's going for physical therapy three times a week but it's not helping. The doc prescribed some pain meds, and although it did help manage the excruciating pain, I feel there should be another way to deal with it.

He started electro-acupuncture a few days ago and it seems to help. He no longer limps while walking, although the pain remains.

Anyone here have been through this, or knows anyone who managed the pain successfully?

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My history may or may not help you but I offer it for your consideration.
1 1/2 years ago while hiking, I stepped on a pebble rust right and it split my Jones bone wide open. This is normally called a Jones fracture but in my case it was wide open. The next morning I was feeling not bad except for a small amount of pain where I broke my foot. I was told to wear a walking boot. The following morning I was in absolute pain and agony with the pain all the way across my toes. After six weeks, the pain remained and I took the walking boot off which I had been wearing to bed on doctor's orders. The podiatrist could not figure out why I was still having pain because the xrays showed my foot had healed. I finally fired that podiatrist and got another. I also got a neurologist who did an EMG on me that proved my nerves from my back were shooting the pain into my foot. I never could believe this because he was asking me to believe that I broke my back at the same instant I broke my foot. Meanwhile the pain kept getting worse. The Sciattic nerve was blamed and I was given Gabapentin and morphine which keeps me stoned but does not do much for the pain anymore since I have become immune. So I was then sent to two back doctors and they told me my foot doctors were crazy, that the MRIs I had taken of my back before and after my accident showed there was no change in the L5 area where the sciattic nerve begins so I have been going back and forth between back and foot doctors. I have been given steriod epidural injections, sympathetic nerve blocks, and finally I had a stimulus implant to shoot electric along that nerve to my foot. It did not work. Back to the foot. Just two days ago I saw a new foot doctor and his new theory is that the walking boot did the damage to that nerve where it ends right between your big toe and its neighbor. So if his theory is correct, the pain I am having is actually shooting up along that nerve rather than down like most people have. So I am waiting for more results. So the bottom line appears to be that the nerve can be damaged anywhere between the L5 area of your spine right down to between your two biggest toes and right now the walking boot is being blamed. So your question is probably what are they going to do about it which is the question I have right now, I should know next week.

Thanks Lee! I appreciate it a lot. BF was also on a number of medications and I hate to see a dependency developing and that is why I'd rather he find alternatives. The doc just diagnose him as Sciatica did not even seems to be interested in pursuing any further diagnosis. He had an X Ray and an MRI done and since they couldn't find any herniated or damaged dics or spinal chord, backbone or whatever it is they are looking for, they sent him home with pain killers.

I hope your doc will be able to better pin point the source of your pain. I know how bad it can be. 2 u 2!!

^Your bf needs to find a better doctor then. A doctor's goal should to find a treatment plan that helps the pain and restores quality of life, this shouldn't include just popping pills because it's easier for a doctor to write a prescription.
Look into some of the other treatments used, including the ones I mentioned.

Originally Posted by Persi & Alley

So the bottom line appears to be that the nerve can be damaged anywhere between the L5 area of your spine right down to between your two biggest toes and right now the walking boot is being blamed.

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Pretty much, nerves send signals both ways after all. But if it's not common doctors don't always think about it.
Also, not everyone's nerves are set up text book like - some people are more complicated. I suspect that some of the nerves in my face and jaw branch out more then what is normal or cross somehow, as I've had pain where I shouldn't have. It confused the dentist.

I have had it several times and the only thing that has helped me is to sit and rest untill the inflamation is gone. It really is a terrible pain, at least with me, because it was not constant. I could sit one way and not hurt, but the moment I moved or twisted wrong, or anything, it was excruciating!

I hope they can find out WHAT it is that is causing it, and FIX the PROBLEM, instead of just TREATING the SYMPTOMS, which is something that doctors are doing all too much of!!!!


that he gets the releif he needs!

No personal experience, but a close friend of mine found yoga really helped and gave her a few stretches to do when things were bad. Just make sure the instructor is aware of the sciatica and has experience working with people who have it.