Leg Pain and buttock pain

Hi Darren, sorry to say that this may last a while. I've had sciatica for 5 months. There's no evidence to show that a firmer mattress is any better than a soft one. I found that out after I bought a new bed! Try to minimise exercise to floor exercises that strengthen abdominal and back muscles such as pelvic tilts , flexed knee to opposite shoulder pulls and lying prone with as many pillows as needed under your abdomen until the pain centralised in your lower back. You can then move into the serpent position for about 10 reps. Don't walk up hills or inclines for the immediate future. After being on a range of meds including fentanyl patches I've found that Pregabalin is most effective for pain relief (once you get passed the side effects). Good luck.

Sounds like Periformis. A condition more common with athletes.

Hi Darren

I have just been suffering for a year

House bound for 6 months ..

Had surgery last week so much better..

You say you use ice packs ..

Some one mentioned Bio Freeze on here and I was willing to try anything you can buy it at any chemist ..

It freezes the area and gives you some relief ..It's not a pain killer do you can still take them it's just a freezing gel

I used it at night so I could grab an hour here are me there ..

Hope you are sorted very soon x

I have had sciatica many, many times over the years...except for one occasion, all were fixed either immediately or over a few weeks of sessions by a chiropractor.  

The immediate fixes were accomplished after I'd fall on my hip while skating without my hockey pads on.  Chiros have this "pretzel twist" maneuver that always worked instantly.  At other times, the sciatic pain was caused by my hips being out of alignment or my SI joints got locked up from not walking properly.  Hip and knee replacements tend to throw your gait off resulting in a pinched sciatic nerve.

The only time chiro, meds, shots, etc. did not work was when my neurosurgeon found a bone spur at L4 literally crushing my sciatic nerve root.  Simple laminectomy and all the pain was gone inside of two weeks...after the inflamed nerve had a chance to calm down.

So...  First you find the source of your sciatic pain.  Pelvis?  Hips?  SI joints?  Spine?  Then you get it fixed.  I'd start with the least invasive: x-ray and chiropractor.

I have the same and been told it is sciatica, I have been given diclofenac [doesnt help],  have been using a tens machine and having physio and acupunture,  acupunture helped it last time I had it 6 years ago, maybe you should try that 

Thanks for the messages and advise. I have a specialist appointment booked for 25th Sept. I can,t wait that long so booked in to a chiropractor, early days yet only had 2 appointments, but what he did advise was not to exercise or follow the you tube exercises this only aggrevates it. So I use an ice pack 2 or 3 times a day and try not to sit down too much and the only form of exercise he recommends is walking. I do feel better from the sessions but feel it the next day probably because of the manipulation of the spine etc he reckons 6 to 8 sessions and I will be sorted so fingers crossed