I was wondering if anybody here has had sciatic nerve pain and what pain med did your dr give you for it?

Hello! I have dealt with Sciatic Nerve pain for a number of years now.

There are ways of dealing with this if you are interested which are not related to a certain medication.

It all depends on how painful your condition is right now, as well as the cause.

Stretching out the leg on a regular basis is very important, keep well hydrated, using the principles of PRICE (Prevention, Rest, Ice, Compression, Elevation) is helpful as well, for instance if the pain originates in your lower back, use plenty of pillows to help support the area, pillows to prop your affected leg up on when resting, and using a support pillow when sitting for long periods (at the office and in the car). Eating a healthy (anti-inflammatory) diet and the use of a TENS unit can help when your pain is not at level 10. For the serious flares adding an anti-inflammatory and a muscle relaxant can be added to the regime listed above.

I have heard that the use of inserts in the shoes and the correct shoe can also work wonders for this type of pain.

I wish you the best, and hope you find answers to your question soon.

Hi FG...I have had sciatic problems on and off for years. The last time was about 5 months ago. It wasn't too long after it started that I told my reflexologist about it. She discovered that one of my legs was longer than the other......she did some work on the nerves in my shoulders and I had instant releif from the pain. My hip and butt felt bruised afterward but it worked. Now whenever I see her she checks me and redoes it if necessary. I haven't had a sciatic problem since!

My sciatic problem is being taken care of by Radio Frequency Ablation. Basically they burn the nerve that is causing the problem. I have had it done twice and it has helped. While it is not the cure, it does give me relief for long periods of time. Up to 8 months for me...but for some only one session is needed.
Trust me I don't recommend this lightly since this is the next step before invasive surgery.
I have done the meds route, chiropractor, massage, accupuncture, physical therapy, facet injections, trigger point injections and none of them worked. So I am at the most radical of outpatient treatment.
There are plenty of options, you just need to find the one best for you.

Hi FeelinGoofy,
My grandad used to suffer from Sciatica. The doctors used to give him really strong pain killers and anti-inflammatories. Sometimes he's had keyhole surgery.
Ali

Hi, sorry to hear about your pain.

My regular chronic pain meds don't always help with the nerve pain of sciatica. My physical therapist helps by manipulating the ilia that is usually the culprit. (My bones go out of place due to muscle tension. When it's the sacrum/ilium it's often onto the sciatic nerve.) Ultrasound also helps.

Recently (this year) when I went into the urgent care center, the doctor not only gave me a shot of toradol, but a script for more in pill form. It has been life changing. It almost immediately aids in the swelling, allowing the bones to return to (AT LEAST) close to normal, and helps the pain subside.

Good wishes!
JD

Tried Toradol it didn't work for me since it is not inflamation that is causing my pain. I have facet joint syndrome....so its just annoyed.

Toradol is just a short term med . I found out PT is what you need for your Siactic nerve . Exercise , went for about 3 months and now its gone

Yes, surely Physical therapy! I'm glad yours took care of it in 3 months. I could only wish! LOL I have been in PT for 20 years and do stretching sessions at home too. Mine is chronic pain. No one wants to hear my laundry list of things I do for all my chronic pain, in fact, I have them typed out on a page so I can remember to try each thing as one fails to help at the time!

Wendy, I'm sorry the toradol didn't help your inflamation. Maybe your doctor can give you something that will? I've just begun using it in flares this year, myself.

TC
JD

The cause of mine was trigger points in the piriformus muscles. There are many possible causes of sciatica, but this one is often overlooked. The muscles can become so knotted or inflamed that they press on the sciatic nerve.

Luckily, my trigger points responded to a combination of deep tissue therapy, PT and warm water exercise. They still act up from time to time, but massage therapy every three weeks plus daily stretching help keep them from getting totally out of control. I cannot tolerate narcotics, so when the pain is really bad, I take Baclofen to get the muscles out of spasm.

It is important to find out what is causing the sciatica because that will dictate what you do about it. Make sure your doctor has ruled out any muscle problems that may be complicating your situation. Oh, and making sure your sacroiliac joints are in alignment can help too.

I realize many people have much more than trigger points or misalignment. But sometimes taking care of the smaller things can make the bigger problems more manageable too.

fanfaire