How can my husband relieve his Sciatica pain?
Question by jaynellekenney: How can my husband relieve his Sciatica pain?
My husband knows that weight loss, stretching and seeing a chiropractor will help this condition, and I am trying to motivate him to do these things. However, most nights he is in much much pain that he can hardly stand it. He cant find a position that does not cause sharp pain in his thigh and hip. ANy ideas on temporary relief?
Best answer:
Answer by cateyes
The best temporary relief is medication. 10 years ago when this first started with me I was put on a prescription arthritis medication (it’s been banned since then) and it thankfully helped me to keep working for almost 2 years when I finally had to have surgery. I waited too late for the surgery though and ended up with a lot of nerve damage in my butt, thigh, knee and leg. Whatever form of therapy or surgery he chooses don’t wait too long, the nerve damage is permanent. He can’t get what I was prescribed but there are similar (safer) drugs out there to be had. Talk to his doctor about ‘arthritis’ medications, explain that you’ve heard they helped many others in the same pain. Otherwise, sciatica is a terrible pain that is not easily eased. In the meantime try taking Aleve, OTC, although I’m on Oxycontin I still have to take this to relieve the additional pain I am in.
Edit: in reference to the first answer, of course he has disk problems! If he didn’t he wouldn’t have sciatic pain. Duh! And weight loss isn’t a cure all, believe me I should know. I was very thin when my disk first ruptured and no matter what therapy, etc. I went through nothing helped, at all!
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he needs to see a DR. not a chiropractor at this time
I had a prolapsed disc which resulted in sciatic nerve pain, and found that curling up in the foetal position (knees right up to my chest) helped to ease it when in bed at night.
Worth a try.
The problem with many pain killers is that they also result in constipation and the added pressure from an overloaded gut doesn’t help.
Have the checked out the possibility of a TENS machine (check in Boots Chemist is in the UK) to enable him to have a better, pain-free night?
Do not listen to “Smudge” as he has obviously never been in pain before. When you are in horrible pain you don’t feel like doing anything and you should NOT blame your husband for that. My suggestion would be to see a doctor about pain relief. Tell them that he is in horrible debilitating pain and wants to be treated for it. He might prescribe some type of medication, or refer him to a pain management clinic. If he is concerned about opiate pain meds, just let him know and he’ll work around it. Well, thats my suggestion, hope it helped.
As a fellow lifelong sciatica sufferer, and a medical professional who works in pain management and sees a LOT of these cases, I’ll give you as much info as I can!
First of all, when it comes to immediate temporary relief of sciatica with something you might already have on hand, I highly recommend prescription strength Ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin) which would be 600 to 800mg (3 to 4 over the counter tablets) every four to six hours for acute pain, as well as either applying moist heat or ice. There is an ongoing debate in the medical world over which works better, and it seems to be very individual. Have him try ice first; if that doesn’t work, moist heat. Moist heat sources include specially designated “moist heat” microwave packs, a warm bath or shower, a warm washcloth, or hot water bottle. AVOID DRY HEAT, such as heating pads, regular microwave heat packs without “moist heat” designation, or most sticky heat patches (such as ThermaCare); moist heat will increase pain and inflammation.
Secondly, chiropractic works WONDERS for sciatica. This isn’t just my opinion, although I go every time I have an episode; spine centers at major medical institutions such as Johns Hopkins, Mount Sinai, Columbia Presbyterian, and more have chiropractors on staff for treating the pain of sciatica and other related conditions. Even one chiropractor session can relieve pain for up to several days on end, so I would see how soon you can get him in for his first appointment (most chiropractors will get him in ASAP if they know he’s in a lot of pain).
There are also specific at-home exercises that can help almost immediately; try to get him to start some of these on a regular basis, especially when in pain – he’ll probably see a reduction in pain instantly.
http://www.mothernature.com/Library/Bookshelf/Books/48/176.cfm
http://www.wellsphere.com/back-neck-pain-article/the-two-best-stretches-for-sciatica-relief/427595
Topical treatments can be hit or miss, but it may be worth trying a few to see if something works. Capsaicin is actually used at many pain treatment centers (even though it’s available over the counter) for nerve pain; sometimes sciatica responds very well. It’s available by the brand name Capzasin HP in most major drugstores; just remember not to expose the area to heat of any kind (including showering or bathing) less than two hours before or 4-6 hours after using the cream, because it can sometimes cause uncomfortable tingling/burning at the site of application (it’s harmless, just uncomfortable).
Another outstanding product is Topricin anti-inflammatory pain relief cream – all natural, some people say it’s 100% effective, others say it didn’t work for them; I personally find it about 60-70% effective for my sciatica, enough to keep using it.
Peaceful Mountain makes a topical cream called “Sciatica Rescue” that also works well, but can be hard to find – some health food stores carry it.
I also highly recommend looking into prescription medication management as well. Gabapentin (Neurontin) and Pregabalin (Lyrica) are two of the only medications on the market that are formulated to treat nerve pain. These are often effective alone, or may need to be taken in addition to prescription anti-inflammatories (Celebrex, Diclofenac) or muscle relaxants (Flexeril), depending on the cause of the sciatica. I still take Lyrica for my sciatica, and when I’m on it have no episodes, but these have to be taken regularly and so aren’t meant for occasional pain; they take approximately 7-10 days to start working, and need to stay in your system to remain effective. His other option might be Tramadol, a non-narcotic opiate that’s actually more effective than some stronger narcotics like Darvocet. If all else fails, he may need to be prescribed something stronger like Vicodin or Percocet and/or muscle relaxants (if the underlying condition warrants it) even if just for sleep.
Long term, I would recommend seeing a chiropractor for maintenance as well as looking into physical therapy – physical therapists perform ultrasound and TENS which can be great pain relief methods too – in fact, my physical therapist got me a home TENS machine at one point (paid for by my insurance company) which was a godsend at times.
Lastly, if the sciatica has gone on longer than about 4-8 weeks, I highly suggest (if you haven’t done so already) a complete diagnostic workup to determine the cause of the sciatica. Diagnostics should include xrays and MRIs; sciatica is a pinched nerve that can occur all on its own (and resolve spontaneously within 4-8 weeks) due to something as simple as prolonged sitting, or can occur as part of an underlying disorder such as piriformis syndrome, spinal stenosis, sciatic nerve tumor or injury, etc. and it’s easier to treat the pain of sciatica when you know the underlying cause. Some doctors are also too quick to blame the patient being overweight; while obesity can exacerbate sciatica, that’s not always the main cause. If you decide to get more diagnostic work done, I would suggest specifically seeing a physiatrist (physical/spinal diagnostic specialist).
http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/sciatica/DS00516
Stretching is the best. If he refuses to stretch, let him suffer.
Stretching is very important, as is finding a position that he can sleep, sit or walk comfortably. Have him lie on his back on the floor with his legs up on the seat of the couch or a chair. His butt should be up against the couch and his lower legs and feet resting comfortably on the seat of the couch. This allows your back muscles to completely relax. When they relax, they take a little pressure off the sciatic nerve. There are 10 videos with more tips on sitting, sleeping and stretching and they are yours at no charge on my site http://bit.ly/coCffV
I had sciatic pain for several weeks. Although pain medication helped, the real cure was physical therapy, which is not addictive as some pain medications can be. When I was first referred to Healing Hands for therapy, I had my doubts, but it really worked. After 13 hourly (two per week) sessions paid for by my insurance plus a co-pay, I was free of pain and could walk again. If I ever have another episode of sciatic pain again, I will immediately start doing those same exercises. The therapists informed me that physical therapy can take care of a lot of physical problems and keep you from having to go through surgery (which always has a certain amount of risk).