worse nights but better days
Hey sciatica fam. Does anyone have any advice on sleeping- here’s my sitch:
Somewhat healthy 40F, active gym participant. (lifting and light to moderate cardio 5-6x a week prior to injury)
Sciatic symptom left side started Nov 1 2025. MRI 3 weeks later showed disc protrusion at l5-s1 displacing the nerve root. I have done physical therapy since Dec about 3x a week and then 2x a week this past month. Had an ESI on Dec 2 and prescribed gabapentin (i take 200mg 2x a day). I went from bed bound to slowly being able to walk little bits to now miles. Also did some acupuncture. My pain went from terrible whole leg pain to glute and hamstring tightness and pain to irritated parts in my glute, leg and outside of my ankle sometimes. (it varies because sciatica is a crazy thing)
I would say currently my pain is mostly manageable through the day about 1-3/10 on a tylenol or some advil.
I walk and do core exercises, back extension isometric holds and i’m back to my old gym routine which is modified and no real leg days (squats deadlifts etc) for now.
However! nights have been awful. I’m up every 1-2 hours with pain and stiffness when I move. I have tried different mattresses from medium softness to firm, firm mattress topper, sleeping on the floor on a pilates mat, sleeping on the floor on a japanese style futon mattress. I’ve tried body pillows and other pillows propping me in all directions and every sleeping position that exists.
In the morning i can barely walk, and have to slowly get myself moving to get back to “normal”. Sometimes I need a cane to help get the first few steps in.
Sorry for the lengthy post, but has anyone encountered this and have any advice past what I’ve already tried? Thanks in advance and as always i wish healing to you all.