I have constant awareness of a nagging dull pain in the lower left back but I also have spells of severe pain where I absolutely have to sit down and rest. These happen a few times a week but sometimes several times a day.

The sciatica spells I've had (about 4 of them) that I went to a doctor about (and then to PT) were a constant severe crippling pain, making it impossible to walk without aid.

Since I have MS I'm used to not being able to walk very far but I haven't reached a point where I can't walk at all, and so not being able to stand on account of the sciatica was a big enough problem for me to want to solve it.

The PT involved ultrasound and electrostim.

Sorry, to hear that! I can so relate to not being able to walk far and having a nagging pain..

Do you have any muscle soreness with your sciatica pain? Have you tried any injections?

Omg, talk about sciatic mess. I've lived with damage from a hysterectomy when I was about 40, so about 40 yrs. I've gone for some yrs doing good and then a hip replacement in 2010, put me back into a mess with sciatic damage. Oh those surgeries, what we know now after the jobs were done.

One MD who talks about the Prolotherapy work he does to "keep people out of surgery"...... is forever saying once surgery is done, can't be undone. How true is this?

It's probably partly muscle soreness. The real sciatica attack is a searing pain that runs from the tailbone done to the foot, and if it's bad I can't stand or walk. The rest of the time I have a constant dull nagging pain in my left hip and after some standing or walking I often have burning in my left thigh. My lower left leg is swollen and sometimes red but I keep an eye on it. I can still get a sock and shoe on, and that's good. It's been like this for years.