r/Sciatica

I have an L4 L5 disc herniation and it’s causing severe spinal canal stenosis. I saw my doctor today and he said the narrow spine is congenital. Since my symptoms are greatly improved, we don’t need to do anything right now, however, eventually I will almost assuredly need a laminectomy. He said that I will feel pain again. It’s just a matter of when. I am so worried and scared and I feel like I am living every day in fear of causing myself pain. Anyone in a similar situation please tell me how you cope with news like this. I am only 34 years old.

I've been battling this excruciating horrible disease since 2021., and today I consider myself 90% healed and I can't believe the solution (for my situation) was so stupidly simple. if this helps just one person and saves it from the misery I went through I would be so happy.

2021. and 2022. were the years I was living in constant, chronic, some days debilitating pain it was horrible I was still functioning but it took over at least 50% of my daily thoughts and mind space.

During that time I did spine and brain MRI, tons of bloodwork, even some obscure tests like antiganglioside antibodies and everything came back normal. which just made everything worse tbh. I felt insane, and my pain was worse every day.

I tried everything, mild exercise, HIIT exercise, yoga, brisk walking, slow walking and NOTHING SEEMED TO HELP! I literally thought I was going insane.

I just accepted I will live with this pain for the rest of my life. then I got pregnant and soon my symptoms slowly subsided and then went away completely! I was so happy but also so confused, so many pregnant ladies complained about sciatica meanwhile my chronic sciatica was almost gone??!

once I gave birth the symptoms slowly started creeping back in, I was miserable again how will I battle this chronic pain again with a small baby and barely any sleep.

new round of tests - again lumbosacral MRI and X rays of the pelvis - all came back normal!

FINALLY, after almost 5 years of feeling completely lost and confused and angry something in my brain clicked and I realised it was my sleeping on the stomach that was causing all the freaking symptoms! pregnancy making things better also explained by the sleeping pose change.

I know it sounds so stupid but I've been stomach sleeper my whole life and even If I tried side sleeping position I would just turn to stomach during the night in my sleep.

this time I decided I will give it a proper go, side sleeping pillow and a pillow between my legs, and I've been sleeping like that for the past 6 months and the change in my symptoms just makes me want to cry. it was so simple but I just couldn't see the forest from the tree.

TLDR: I changed sleeping position from stomach to side! didn't believe it could have such an impact- it did!

English is not my first language, I'm French and used the translation. I hope the soul of the text survived the crossing.

Neuroplasticity

It all started with sciatic pain in my left leg. An MRI, fast-tracked. "Small herniated disc."

For me, it was a slow descent into hell.

The brain, magical and infernal machine, capable of joy or tears.

Fragile and resilient.

When a smell can pull up a memory. When a color brings back joy, or sadness, drags you back to childhood nightmares, the brain learned that. It built billions of neural connections to let us become, over time, who we are.

The years pass. Fears accumulate. Knowledge grows. The capacity to understand the world expands.

Connected to everything. Disconnected from ourselves. No room left to listen inward. But the body screams.

I searched for a thousand solutions to my chronic pain. Medication, sport, yoga, physio, osteopaths, buying a new chair (which I'm genuinely grateful for). But nothing led me to the exit door. Instead, a piece of my soul slipped away each day.

So I kept searching. Other leads. Other studies. Other ways of seeing things. Sensing that this pain ran deeper.

I strongly recommend The Way Out by Alan Gordon and his research on pain reprocessing therapy. It changed something in me.

Neuroplasticity, it's like learning to drive. At first you stall, grind the gears, nothing flows. Then slowly everything becomes fluid, reactive to the millisecond in front of an incident, an accident. You can change the radio station while shifting gears without thinking. The brain no longer needs to concentrate. The connections are just there.

Pain works the same way.

At first the injury is acute. It hurts. It lasts a while. But depending on your brain's capacity to retain a threat, to adapt, depending on your stress threshold, your brain will learn that pain. It will know it by heart. Like you do. And it will be there with you.

There are entire bodies of research, MRI-proven, showing that real pain (real to the brain) with no apparent physical cause can trigger a full physical storm of suffering.

The point isn't to say the pain isn't real. It is. But in chronic pain, when physical causes have been ruled out, when doctors no longer understand your suffering, when you no longer have a clear answer, the pain can become something the brain has learned.

Think of it like a radio volume dial.

Before the acute pain crisis, the brain listens to the body at low volume. A tightness, a discomfort, a twinge, background noise, no alarm needed.

But after a phase of acute pain that lasted too long, the brain has turned up the volume. Now it reads the faintest signal as a threat and fires pain to warn you of danger. Stress feeds fear. Fear raises the brain's alert level. Alert raises the volume. And you are drowning in pain.

By the time you sit down in the chair you're afraid of, your brain is already there, sending fear and pain signals before anything has even happened.

The brain can literally fry you in an electric chair that isn't on.

I have neuroplastic pain.

My herniation is years old now. The physical recovery should be done. But the pain is still here. Strong.

It has become part of my life. Part of my fears, my anxieties. At home there's me, my wife, my daughter, my dog and my pain.

It sits at the table with us. Watching to see if I dare to laugh. It shows up during activities with my daughter. During work. Even sitting down to watch a film.

Because yes, it loves everything that matters to me. It wants to be there. And the more precious a moment is to me, the louder my fear of its arrival knocks at that door.

My brain, on high alert, calls in the temple guardian. My pain. Just to remind me to be careful.

I understand now that the key is teaching my brain that things are not dangerous. Accepting my fears. Naming them. Sorting through them. Showing it the way out.

Yes, my pain is real. But I have to show my brain it's no longer a threat.

I don't have all the answers. But I finally have a path toward the door.

With the help of a good osteopath, showing my body what it can actually do without falling apart. With yoga and Pilates on Apple Fitness. With meditation on my pain, not running from it, trying to teach my brain something different, slowly things are coming back. I won't rewrite Alan's book here. But I'm grateful for that door. That path. I'll share it with everyone I love who is suffering.

Chronic pain. Something I discovered at 40.

The years pass and pain is a magnificent thief, of time, of love, of hope.

Between the phases that improve and the relapses after periods of hope, it's a perfect washing machine for destroying everything. Little by little the smiles fade. The soul like a watercolor painting dissolving in the rain.

Every day trying to give the best of myself to the people I love, and slowly losing who I am. Like watching my former self standing somewhere behind me.

You always need to push for medical opinions. Pain and internal causes must be treated, I still need to book an appointment with a rheumatologist. But understanding the mechanics of pain, and the fear that fuels it, is a decisive step.

I'll look at every face of suffering differently now.

A lot of lonely soldiers out there.

619 million people in 2020 living with chronic low back pain.

I just needed to put this somewhere, for myself and for anyone out there fighting the same quiet battle. Not looking for upvotes. Just solidarity.

I'm also posting this to trace the journey. Somewhere to look back from, one day, when this is finally behind me.

If any of this resonates, read The Way Out by Alan Gordon. Seriously.

Has anyone experienced sciatica that did not come from a disc problem? I also don't think it's piriformis syndrome. My lumbar MRI is clear (actually healed a slight disc bluge at L4/L5 since my last one). Most of my symptoms don't seem to fit an unseen disc issue. I'm exploring a few options, including soft tissue causes and iliac vein compression-related neuralgia. So I'd like to hear the not-so obvious causes if you've experienced that.

Please don't tell me to just do PT and walk, and it will get better. It started while I was walking and I have been consistently doing lower back and piriformis PT stretches before this even started.

-Most pain is in my feet and lower legs from the knee down. Thighs and gluten are bypassed for pain (odd, I know).

-The pain ranges from burning, occasional sharp stabs, pins and needles/numbness, and muscle twitches. It changes but it is always incredibly uncomfortable.

-The pain is bilateral, moves around and is primarily right-sided.

-Pain originates in my lower back, primarily right side above my glute.

-Glutes do not hurt outside of soreness from PT exercises.

-Initial pain began as a sudden sharp stab in lower back while walking slightly uphill on February 25.

-Burning pain in feet has come and gone over the past 5 years, but this is the worst It's ever been. It had never started at one distinct moment before, but was gradual and resolved with gentle PT stretches.

-Sitting sucks. I can do it for about 30 uncomfortable minutes. Standing still also sucks, I have to alternate for work. Walking seems to help a little, but even that is uncomfortable after so long and my lower back gets a tight/pressure feeling.

-35F, avid walker/hiker, desk worker, non-diabetic (so no it is not peripheral neuropathy), assumed hypermobile by my spine specialist due to other symptoms (waiting on formal diagnosis appt).

-Related: Previously diagnosed with snapping hip syndrome/ snapping iliopsoas by ortho surgeon.

I'm at a loss and I'm so frustrated because it seems nothing is getting better no matter what I do. I've already had one major setback after walking for 2.5 miles (the pain happened again and symptoms got worse), so I am trying to avoid another one.

If anyone has any thoughts on this, I'm all ears. 😩

3 yrs ago an excruciating medical nightmare began. (Not sure of relevance but had 3 c sections, single mom of 14, 17, 18 yr old. I also had a radical hysterectomy about 11 yrs ago due to extreme periods, iron deficiency, and severe endometriosis. Ovaries were also covered in scar tissue so removed) I was given little to no education on all of the possible side effects that that surgery would have in my life. It was then that I gained a significant amount of weight although I was not leading a very healthy lifestyle I didn’t change anything and gained 80-100 pounds within a year, . I was never thoroughly educated on hormone replacement therapy and I was put on a very small amount of oral estradiol. For a decade have had an estradiol level in the 15-20s or low 30s ever since and I’ve never been told that that is actually lower than it should be to prevent such things as osteoporosis, degenerative disc disease, etc. )I was then in the best shape of my adult life after being clean and sober long term (past meth/ opiate addict/alcoholic/ on and off smoker) . I lost 100 lbs in 10 months as I decided to adopt a “dirty keto” diet and became obsessed with exercise. I did hiit workouts regularly, lifted free weights, hiked a few miles a day, avid advanced snowboarder, etc. Im not sure how to keep this short. Symptoms first began in RUQ area as stabbing acute horrific throbbing pain, like an organ rupturing or something. I also began losing more weight , though effortlessly which does NOT happen to me. The pain resulted in repeated er trips to both the hospital in my town and neighboring town as I was treated pretty horrifically at my closest local ER. (I sure wish I did not have addiction an mental illness in my history as that has been the biggest hurdle-convincing providers I am not pill seeking, not faking etc) I have a high pain tolerance and this reduced me to screaming and crying to God to save me regularly in front of my children. Every scan under the sun was performed. I had long struggled with chronic constipation/ possible IBS, etc but was so used to that I just learned to deal with it naturally by eating as well as I could /exercise etc. GI symptoms worsened horrifically. All blood work and scans came back normal except slightly heightened liver enzymes. I also had hep c which I took medication and was cured (or in remission )around 10 yrs ago. Gallbladder scans came back normal , however HIDA scan revealed high ejection fraction - I was told hyperkinetic gallbladders can sometimes be the source of these symptoms and pain and agreed to gb removal. I will regret that decision forever. Immediately I awoke and knew that wasn’t it. The pre surgery pain was far worse, also was diagnosed with H pylori and put on horrible quad antibiotics for that which I took before and after gb removal. Gallbladder pathology was perfectly normal .For months I had extreme reflux that tasted like laundry soap, I was dismissed by my primary care as being depressed, hypochondriac etc. My pain then changed to feeling more structural especially in my ribs. I started to be unable to lie on either side of my body comfortably as my ribs seem to sublux underneath each other, and I had extreme pain in my rib cage, also wild, spasms nodules, etc. tons of knots throughout my coat hanger region in a along both sides of my spine, etc. I have had sciatica for 7+ years often on and was used to dealing with it also with exercise, stretching mobility, etc.. I begged my primary care doctor to have my ribs evaluated, and he acted like I was insane that my ribs could not possibly be causing any of my symptoms and that most likely my spine was the culprit. While acknowledging I would like a spinal work up and that I have had issues with my back, I insisted the debilitating pain that caused me to take FMLA from work was mainly throughout my rib cage.. I’ll note that growing up. I often had a wonky rib that would pop in and out during an activities such as toe touches. I really thought nothing of it since it didn’t hurt which sounds really dumb. I also wasn’t a health anxiety ridden, miserable chronic pain patient then though either. It took much begging and multiple different providers to find someone who would do thorough hormone, testing, nutrient, testing, etc. which I found out I had many deficiencies. My estrogen and testosterone were extremely low and I had nonexistent progesterone which I have always been told. I don’t need without a uterus and ovaries. I did find out I have kyphosis. I have been told three different degrees. I believe the last MRI red somewhere around 50° curve of my spine and some DDD. Other than the intermittent sciatica and some lower back pain, I really did not feel the focus should be on my back considering my rib cage was an absolute nightmare. I did a bunch of my own research, of course because I was absolutely denied and gaslit by so many providers. I had now have new set of PTSD and intense fear of clinical settings and doctors in general. I also have had hyperhidrosis since I was 12 a severe case which which I learned to live with over the last 30 years, but it is extreme and has affected my quality of life ever since. Hyperhidrosis as a normal healthy 12 year-old was my first introduction to be gaslit by doctors and completely neglected. I never did learn of any helpful treatments for that condition aside from getting an Iontophorosis device about five years ago which is essentially sending electric current through water into hands and feet, which paralyzes sweat glands and with dry hands and feet remainder of body also sweats less. Any other treatments for hyperhidrosis or medication medications that have horrific side effects. There are no cures. Anyhow. It is so difficult to retail the story and probably no one will read it because we’ll be eight novels long. I was so proud of my heart earned extremely strong body, good health, solid long-term sobriety, success in careers and helping others etc and have lost so much in these 3 plus yrs. I had more spine imaging done. I do have stenosis and lumbar disc degeneration at L4 and five and l5/s1.. was mild initially. With stenosis and mild spondylitis. I was basically told with physical therapy to address my spine issues I would be fine. I agreed to the physical therapy. I got injections in my thoracic spine that made my pain worse. I kept seeing different specialist and begging for my ribs to be evaluated and usually I would be completely ignored/gaslit/accused of seeking pain pills etc. I learned about slipping ribs syndrome via a Facebook support group. I became quite obsessed with desperately trying to figure out what was wrong with me so I could get my life back that I love so much. I ended up seeing a thoracic surgeon in Seattle, who I had found out about via slipping rib syndrome website and also Facebook. I flew to Seattle with my mom and was evaluated by him. He had apparently changed my CT scans that have been done locally to 3-D and explain that I had a healed fractured rib on the right side (6th I believe) that was sticking quite a bit farther out than it should’ve and I was explained that I had what appeared to be spaces between cartilage that should not be there, and that my intercostal nerves could be affected and impinged in healed in injuries and or cracks in cartilage in my ribs. I was convinced to consider a very invasive surgery in which he would clip off parts of some ribs, possibly resect an entire rib or more, then clean out any areas between the cartilage and untangle nerves, then basket weave sutures to stabilize the entire rib cage he also told me that my kyphosis was most likely due to the instability in my rib cage, not my spine and that if I do not get my rib cage fix my spinal issues will worsen. I got plane tickets and was to fly for pre-surgery appointment with him and decided at the last minute to cancel my flight with my mom, as I had learned of many, very poor surgery outcomes from this surgeon. Mainly women, but a couple of men were having to have revisions done and had new fractures because the sutures were too tight. Basically they were worse off than than before, and had an excruciating recovery from the surgery itself. I couldn’t imagine being any worse during this time. I also got on a hormone replacement therapy for the first time in my life from a natural path that insisted my estrogen should be much higher than it had been for a decade since my hysterectomy and recommended a very small amount of testosterone. After getting on these hormones and a very strict gastritis healing diet/supplement regiment I began feeling a little bit better and could start doing some of the things I used to do, although every single day of my life has been painful, I basically resigned to just trying to be as healthy as I could , do as much physical therapy as I could, etc., and see if my symptoms would just get better overtime when I would not need such a scary surgery. All of the rib symptoms come in flares where I will have horrific weeks or months and sometimes a few days here and there where I almost forget I have rib problems, although I have not been able to lie on my right side in over three years as it is worse than the left. I have not ever been able to return to my previous beloved HIIT workouts and exercise regimen, though I continued walking and making sure to do mobility workouts and move my body much every day. Now, in May, it will be a year since I woke up one day with new symptoms. I was at a Housing conference in another town and had gone on a long Bus tour of the city and had spent a lot of the previous day sitting in a very tight spot. I am 5 foot nine and was about 190 pounds at the time which surprisingly is a healthy weight for me. It sounds like it’s quite overweight, but I was lean and muscular and look the best I basically ever have in my adult life before all this. At that Housing conference I woke up in a hotel room with my legs weighing about 2000 metric tons and aching as if I had hiked Mount Everest the day before. I thought perhaps I was getting sick or I was just getting old and things were achy and it would go away. It has been a year in May and my leg symptoms have worsened much. My right leg, especially has had calf weakness, cramping, pins, and needles, intense knee pain, which I have had two sets of injections for even though they told me I had arthritis in the knee, but nothing serious. My thigh, especially in the back but often in front also feels constantly achey and painful and like I am having cramps, but I’m not. I get hip pain as well. I get all of these pains on both sides now but they’re generally worse on the right side still. New imaging of my lumbar spine has proven that my issues in that area have progressed and I have a moderate root impingement worse on the right side than the left. I was told by the spine doctor I was seeing that that could very well be the cause of my leg issues and then had more injections in my lumbar spine that gave me no relief and then had a neuropathy test, which they said I passed and that I do not have neuropathy. Previously to having that test, I had asked if a laminectomy might be an option for me in the future as my father had very similar lumbar MRI, weakness in both legs and had a very successful laminectomy surgery, which was minimally invasive, and he recovered from fantastically and has been great since. Spine doctor said that that could very well end up being an option but at my follow up appointment after having the nerve test and I was told that because I do not have neuropathy and that the injections I received did not give me relief that they could not offer me any surgical options they offered to send referrals to immunology, rheumatology, etc., which I already have referrals into from my newest primary care doctor because she believes that I might have fibromyalgia, EDS, etc although so far I’ve been told my blood work is normal for autoimmune issues and negative for alkalizing spondylitis. In research, I have done an pouring over experiences from people with similar MRI results as me, the right leg issues are quite common, so I was quite devastated that I was given no surgical options as this is now progressed to me being unable to work. I had a very high stress job when this all began working with the homeless population in Housing. I had an extremely huge client load and dealt with the extremely mentally ill often. I decided that the stress of the job might be contributing to my chronic pain and was offered a different position with a different organization, which would be similar, though not as high of stress and not as high of a caseload. Three weeks into the new job I realized that the chaos of my previous job actually had been keeping my pain at bay from what it could have been and I was exactly wrong. Also sitting or standing at my desk all day long at the new job was absolutely excruciating and I highly regretted leaving my previous job where at least was on the move a lot with many duties aside from sitting or standing at a desk/computer. At that point, I did start to seek pain management, and of course have been denied for any opioids from basically every provider I’ve ever seen because of my history of addiction. I had to quit my job as I could not stand the agony anymore. It has been four months since I worked, I’m terrified I will eventually lose everything. I was able to get six months of mortgage assistance and get on Medicaid and food stamps, which I never thought I would have to do again, but I’m grateful for. I had hoped taking some time off work would help me quickly come to a diagnosis and treatment plan to get my life back and be able to go back to work. I am nowhere near any sort of treatment plan. The spine doctor had seen for two years offered no surgical options, I then saw my father’s spine Doctor Who had done his laminectomy, who informed me, he cannot help me and referred me to a very well-known spine doctor for disc replacement surgery. The specific surgeon is well known for doing radical surgeries on almost any patient he ever sees a lot of people locally refer to him as a butcher and have had horrific results from surgeries from him. I was very surprised to be treated quite poorly from my father’s surgeon who really did not explain why i was not a candidate for a laminectomy, but would refer me for a much more invasive scary surgery. It was quite conflicting information than my previous spine. Doctor had told me which was that basically my spine issues are not causing my leg issues and to navigate rheumatology. I still have all of the issues with my ribs, being hypermobile and constantly in pain and feeling like they’re coming out of my back, but I am so used to that at this point I would do anything to have the normal use of my legs back. I recently read a story of a woman who was misdiagnosed for over a year and had blood clot issues in her legs, and I am wondering if I should get evaluated for that at this point I am scared to even ask doctors questions. My new primary care nurse practitioner seems kind and empathetic, however has not sent any referrals since I have seen her and it’s been a few months, does not know much about hormone replacement therapy and I can no longer afford the telehealth specialist that I have been seeing prior. I’ve been basically treating my hormones myself with the injectable E and T I was prescribed by a previous telehealth hormone specialist. Current NP added Prometrium 300 mg my stomach cannot tolerated it and it caused me extreme mental health issues and disrupted my sleep so she recommended rectal administration. I did attempt that for a month and my pain worsened as well as my gastrointestinal issues, worsened and my depression worsened so now I’m just doing 100 rectally of progesterone. I recently saw a pretty horrible story of a woman being misdiagnosed with fibromyalgia, etc., and ended up having had blood clots in her legs. I’m wondering if that is the next thing I should ask about even though I’m honestly terrified to even call my doctor at this point I have been up all night since my legs have been so bad. She is the only doctor in this nightmare Battle that has agreed to prescribe me low dose of a mild opioid pain medication which is extremely mildly helpful but better than nothing. Would it be possible to have blood clots in my legs for almost a year and not know it? And not have ever had a doctor recommend checking for them since my leg symptoms started last May? If anyone has any advice of any of my other issues it would be greatly appreciated. I lost my relationship of 3 1/2 years during this health battle. I have lost the respect of many family members who don’t believe my issues are real or that I am exaggerating them, that I am possibly slipping into old habits, etc. I have lost faith in myself. I am terrified of losing my home that I was so proud to achieve five years ago, etc. I spent my life savings on naturopaths, massage, chiropractic, hormone therapist, physical therapy devices, meeting deductibles, massage etc., until I finally could not work anymore and got on Medicaid. A friend has suggested I apply for disability, which sounds absolutely devastating but at this point I I cannot work. I attempted to just start a part-time job printing T-shirts at a friends shop and could not even handle three hours of running a T-shirt press and stepping to the right to put the shirts as it inflamed all my issues horrifically. It really sucks that so many of us have to look to reddit and or Facebook, etc., for experience and advice because it is so difficult to get any of the providers that I have seen to be willing to take my situation seriously and at times I have started to believe that I deserve to be in this much pain every day of my life because of the past poor choices that I made in younger years. My kids really need me to not give up and I’m doing my best. I could really use a little bit of hope.

I have been dealing with severe sciatica around l5-s1 for many years, and sleep is basically impossible. The constant pain in my leg makes it difficult for me to feel comfortable. Sitting and working all day doesn't help. Last month, after seeing some people mention them here, I finally got an auvon tens unit.

This can't be cured, but it helps me enough. I can really sleep without feeling shocked every time I move. I usually put the cushion on my gluteus and calf for about 30 minutes before going to bed, but I don't sleep with it on. Still trying to find a point that really touches the nerve. Do people with l5-s1 problems have the best position for them?

27M. Herniated my L5-S1 doing a deadlift with bad form 7 months ago. No sciatica, no leg symptoms (or very rarely), no neurological issues — just central low back pain and deep muscle spasm (multifidus/deep erectors).

Here's my timeline:

• Month 1-3: Didn't know what I was doing. Saw a chiro, did personal training, lots of things that probably made it worse. Despite that, after 3 weeks of rest I got to a point where I could walk much more. Then I moved apartments and crashed back to near zero.

• Month 4-5: Stagnated. Then tried spinal decompression. First 3 sessions were amazing — went from 5 min walking to almost 30 min. But sessions 4, 5 and 6 progressively made it worse. After session 6 I couldn't even walk 1 minute. Worst flare-up yet.

• Month 6-7 (now): Working with a McGill certified practitioner. Doing Big 3 (1 set, 4 reps), prone lying 3 min multiple times a day, walking 1 min 12 sec, position cycling every 20 min. On Arcoxia and muscle relaxants.

It's been exactly 1 month since the flare-up from spinal decompression and I'm still at 1 min 12 sec of walking. Progress is painfully slow.

On top of the physical side, my girlfriend left me during the worst of it. The relationship was toxic but the timing crushed me. I'm alone in the Philippines with no support system. Alone and isolated. I think that’s the hardest. Tonight everything hit at once. A stressful confrontation with her, the pain spiking, tingling showing up in my leg and arm, exhaustion so deep my vision went blurry. I lost all motivation for my business, for recovery, for everything. I feel like I've completely lost myself.

My entire day is a 20-minute cycle of lying on my side, standing, and prone. That's it. That's my whole life right now.

I'm progressing but it's extremely slow. I'm now trying +10% every other day on walking. But that might still be too much.

My questions for this community:

1. Has anyone had spinal decompression backfire like this? How long did it take to recover from it?

2. For those who were stuck at very low walking tolerance (1-5 min) — how long before you saw meaningful improvement? What was the turning point? Is staying below 1 min for over a month normal?

3. Should I get a new MRI to compare with my initial one? It's been 7 months and I want to know if the decompression actually worsened the herniation or if this is "just" a massive flare-up.

4. Any success stories from people who were in a similar situation (multiple relapses, months of pain, very low function) and came out the other side?

5. For those who hit rock bottom mentally with this injury — the isolation, the feeling that it will never end, losing yourself — how did you keep going?

I know the McGill method works. I have a good practitioner. I understand the biomechanics. But tonight I just need to hear from real people that this gets better. Because right now I can't see it.

Thanks.

Hey everyone,

Im sorry if I’m not making this post correctly, I am new to posting on reddit. Im a 26 year old man dealing with intense sciatic nerve pain.

According to my doctors, my mri has shown I have spinal stenosis and most of my discs are bulging causing this issue.

About 2 months ago, I had gotten a spinal injection, along with pt, and that helped the pain a lot till yesterday when i was having worse pain than i was having before my injection, my wonderful fiancé has been helping me up and down from the bed, couch, etc.

I had an appointment with my orthopedic specialist today who broke it down as i have two options.

Option 1) do a couple more sessions of pt, try another injection, wait and see but over all would still suggest back surgery

Option 2) do a couple more sessions of pt, for insurance reasons, and go for back surgery

I had went with option 1 cause I’m not a huge fan of doctors or surgeries already but now im trying to think if i made the right choice. Im worried that ill be out of work for a while and am not sure what to say or do for work to get them to understand. Any advice, words of encouragement, or wisdom would help tremendously and i will try to respond to comment as much as i can.

Thank you!

I've been dealing with severe sciatica for the last six months. It's ruling my life. I'm frustrated, but my partner is starting to vocally suggest I should just ignore it and get on with my life. I can't even sit at a restaurant for a half hour without squirming in pain.

I feel completely betrayed that they're not being understanding and I'm tempted to leave the relationship. It'll suck being alone with sciatica and I don't know how I'd even move out right now. I just don't want to be with someone who sees me in extreme pain and thinks I'm exaggerating.

So I fell down from a chair 7months ago since then my left leg back of the thigh hurts very badly when I sit in my college benches when sit or stand for longer hours it radiates to the calves after 2 months Ive got an MRI scan done the scan says I have a l5s1 disc compression and annular tear since then I have visited many doctors but no progress few physiotherapists said it was piriformis some said it was a muscle spasm(I also got a anesthesia injection but it only worked for like 2 days)some say it is sciatic it's been 7 months since Ive walked or sat properly

Hi everyone,

tl;dr 5 weeks sciatica. Plantar heel pain when stepping. Not plantar fasciitis. Can walk still. Looking for advice.

I’ve been looking at this forum for a bit now reading everyone’s different experiences. This truly does seem like one of the worst and most confusing injuries I’ve come across.

For reference, I am a 25 year old male. Before my injury, I was extremely athletic, possibly overdoing it on a daily basis for the last few years running 30+ mile weeks at vigorous paces and religiously using the stairmaster. Hindsight is 20/20 now that I was slowly creeping up on this. I’d spend 1-1.5 hours each day in the gym or outdoors, sticking very much to a routine. I’ve never been much into stretching albeit some bouts with plantar fasciitis and runners knee helped me figure out how to use bands to stretch.

After a 4.5 hour drive home one day and a long run, I bent over to unload the dishwasher & my left calf went numb. No pain. Nothing— just numbness. Quickly learned this might have been a disc issue so I paused running immediately and began walking. I tend to do things in excess, so I walked 8 miles feeling fine, just numb.

I had preplanned a trip that was slightly ruined by sciatica, whereas I could still run/walk, but the numbness faded into left-sided foot/calf pain, more on my calf near my heel when stepping. I would think this was plantar fasciitis if it resolved with activity, but that’s not the case. Walking shoes with a ton of heel support have seem to have helped, but I am still feeling it zapped infrequently. I have since turned the dial back and just walked, a lot. Each day I’d still be walking like crazy. No pain immediately afterwards or during, but in the evening I’d take it easy with McKenzie and McGill for my lower back because the pain did start then like clockwork. I’ve plateaued here now doing my own self-PT protocol from online PDFs while awaiting the formal referral from my PCP for more structured advice. It’s week 5 now and my foot has pretty much all the pain with my lateral plantar heel taking the brunt of it all. I made the mistake of thinking slight jogging and nerve flossing would be good to try, and I flared it pretty bad. Dialed back walking to <2 miles and this is where I’m at now. Along the sural nerve seems to be where I can pinpoint it to. I’ve had no formal imaging done however.

This is such a weird case because my lower back, thigh, and buttocks have never been painful. I’m still able and very grateful to move with these slight modifications and slight zaps that stop me from running or incline walking, but man this sucks! I’ve found that biking flares me up like crazy, recumbent or seated so I’m absolutely terrified to try anything else other than walking. I may try the elliptical just to get some activity and test that one out.

I’m just looking for advice on what to do. Does it get better and is there ever a point where I can do the high impact stuff I enjoyed before? Wishing everyone the best.

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.

context 18F 4 years post discectomy in L4-5 with a pinch of lingering nerve damage in left leg

which is something i didn’t think affected my life at all until right now, where i’m at the gym hitting legs and i realise when i do a single leg press (the leg press machine but just one leg at a time), my left leg is significantly weaker than my right. like it hurts so bad and gets tired out so easily.

initially during my sciatica days it was only nerve pain and i didn’t experience any motor weaknesses, except i guess now?

i genuinely tried to push thru it and work my left leg harder thinking it was a muscle imbalance, but nope, it’s almost like having a dead limb that won’t do what i know it could and should do

id ask if there’s any way around this issue to resolve it but i fear i sort of know the answer already :(

About 8 months ago I started getting this sciatic-type pain. I didn’t know where it came from. I was working out lightly, so I thought maybe it was that.

After about a month, I went to a medical massage therapist. He told me it was piriformis syndrome. He said my glute area was extremely tight and he was pretty confident about it. He even told me there’s no point going to a physio. At first I believed him, but I didn’t stay consistent with the stretches, so the pain stayed.

Later I went to a physical therapist. I told him I think it’s piriformis syndrome. He immediately shut it down and said piriformis is very rare and that it’s my posture. He focused everything on my lower back and posture. I did about 8 sessions. All posture work, lower back exercises, sciatica routines, etc. Nothing worked. After a few months it actually got worse. I couldn’t sit in a car, couldn’t sit normally, had to lie down most of the day. At that point I gave up on physio.

Then I randomly decided to try the piriformis-type stretches again, but this time consistently.

Main ones:

Pigeon stretch

Sitting on a chair, ankle over knee, leaning forward

And honestly… it was almost immediate relief.

Like 90% better.

I was confused because I had tried them before, but I guess I wasn’t consistent enough.

I kept doing them daily for a couple weeks, and now the pain is almost gone. It still comes back a bit, but whenever I stretch, it goes away again. So I’m 99% certain it’s piriformis syndrome.

In retrospective maybe the best first move is to get an MRI, which would’ve skipped all this nonsense.

My sciatica has been flared up badly for a few months now, and it is agonizing to cough. It’s a bit better if I pull my knee up to my chest, but only slightly.

Any tips would be greatly appreciated, Google is just telling me to do physio which I’ve been doing for over a year