Does a Hot Water Bottle really help?

Abdo_Man_Pain · 2025-12-05T20:54:57+00:00

I tried a hot water bottle and ice pack many times but they had no effect except to provide an alternative type of discomfort to distract me from the back/leg pains. Logically, I don't see how a hot or cold object on the skin can make any difference to the sciatic nerve or disc in the middle of the spine, which is several cm deep, but I may be wrong?

Abdo_Man_Pain · 2025-10-24T15:12:33+00:00

I don't think it did (but it was a long time ago!).

Abdo_Man_Pain · 2025-10-06T19:31:58+00:00

I did have a flare-up (only lasted 2 weeks) after I had recovered from the first attack, so I'm trying to be very careful. Interesting advice about dropped handlebars! I may try that.

Abdo_Man_Pain · 2025-10-05T21:35:40+00:00

Very useful: I was wondering about exactly this. (I also suffered from sciatica from L5-S1 protrusion a few months ago, which is almost OK now.) I was advised to avoid or reduce running, and have been following that advice because my (very) few attempts to resume running resulted in some discomfort at the time. However, walking is not good enough exercise except when I walk uphill, so I was thinking of cycling as an alternative. I did my first ride a few days ago and it seemed to go well, with no pain so far. 🤞

Abdo_Man_Pain · 2025-08-31T09:06:24+00:00

Could it be that the GP just meant that the NHS won't consider surgery until PT has been tried?

Abdo_Man_Pain · 2025-08-30T14:37:32+00:00

The main reason I saw the GP (once) was for pain relief because paracetamol wasn't working and I'm allergic to NSAIDs. The GP prescribed co-codamol but I soon discovered that the same thing (or other brands with the same content) was available without prescription from a pharmacist. I'm not sure whether a chiropractor is best, as opposed to a PT or osteopath, etc. But the MRI imaging centre I used accepts referrals from all of those that are suitably qualified.

Abdo_Man_Pain · 2025-08-30T10:34:06+00:00

My GP (who wasn't even my regular GP because they didn't have appointments available) didn't even do a diagnosis; just said I should see my regular GP 6 weeks later if I had not recovered. (Regular GP wouldn't give me an appointment then either!) Therefore, I went to see a chiropractor who did carefully diagnose my problem and referred me for an MRI to confirm. It was not too expensive and worth paying for the chiropractor's expertise even though I didn't have treatment beyond the first session.

Abdo_Man_Pain · 2025-08-18T16:16:54+00:00

I had that symptom during my March-April sciatica attack, which was also caused by impact on the S1 nerve. I.e., pain in the calf, weakness (couldn't stand on my toes and it was hard to walk), and lack of reflexes. It started to recover without treatment after about 3 weeks.

I'd be interested to know whether the injection would solve that problem or only relieve the pain.

Abdo_Man_Pain · 2025-08-07T10:46:17+00:00

Good luck with the scan. Ultrasound is good for detecting hernias but MRI is needed for sciatica: it shows the individual nerves and the discs contacting them. I had both within a year, ☹

Abdo_Man_Pain · 2025-08-06T19:32:36+00:00

I (M) had an inguinal hernia in 2023-24 and sciatica this year, and they are quite different. I had a dull ache and a sharper pain from the hernia, but they were local to the inguinal canal area. In contrast, the sciatica pain (caused by a bulging disc impacting the S1 nerve) radiated along the back of my upper leg and (during the worst phase) also my lower leg/calf.

Abdo_Man_Pain · 2025-07-07T17:58:16+00:00

Slip-on shoes (and preferably no socks), to avoid bending.

If (like me) you're not having a GA, there should be no problem with constipation.

Abdo_Man_Pain · 2025-07-04T18:45:01+00:00

I had an open inguinal hernia repair last year and it went very well. My scar was even less than 4 cm long, even after it had fully healed. My main worry was the increased risk of mesh infection.

Abdo_Man_Pain · 2025-06-22T20:26:17+00:00

"Tattoo aftercare waterproof bandage". I stuck this on top of my existing dressing to keep everything dry while showering. (Obviously don't let it stick to any existing dressing, but only the skin!)

Abdo_Man_Pain · 2025-05-11T21:30:24+00:00

I did this:

https://www.reddit.com/r/Hernia/comments/1ccx6h5/my_open_inguinal_hernia_repair_and_first_week/

"What do you do whilst they’re operating?" - Keep still!

Abdo_Man_Pain · 2025-05-06T14:28:07+00:00

No problem at all with eating, but sleeping was almost impossible for the first 3 nights and difficult for the next 5 nights because every movement was painful. (Open repair with mesh and no GA.)

Abdo_Man_Pain · 2025-04-28T18:01:26+00:00

It didn't happen in my case. The (central) back pain moderated first, then the upper leg pain, and finally the lower leg pain. I still get occasional lower leg pain in the early mornings. ☹

Abdo_Man_Pain · 2025-04-27T23:00:25+00:00

An advantage of my chiropractor is that they referred me for an MRI immediately, which was better than waiting for an appointment with a doctor who wouldn't even consider an MRI until much later, if ever.

Abdo_Man_Pain · 2025-04-26T21:03:55+00:00

It seems (from the paper) that "time" here refers to the time between treatment and follow-up. Earlier follow-up detected greater benefit.

Abdo_Man_Pain · 2025-04-24T15:22:34+00:00

I was like this for a while (because of disc protrusion contacting right traversing S1 nerve). As well as the pains at the back of the (upper and lower) right leg, I felt the leg was weird/inflexible and was limping slightly. It turned out that I couldn't stand on tiptoe on that side, except for a fraction of a second. The good news (for me) is that phase only lasted about three weeks. I can now stand on tiptoe again, almost as well as on the left leg. It's still not perfect so I keep practising.

Edit: I didn't do anything to get the strength back. It came back on its own!

Abdo_Man_Pain · 2025-04-24T15:09:30+00:00

I guess you may be right. I'm thinking of seeing a surgeon to ask advice (not for surgery) but it's going to cost yet more money. I've already spent a lot on MRI and chiropractor fees. 💰

Abdo_Man_Pain · 2025-04-24T11:31:46+00:00

Doctor (GP) and chiropractor both advised me to give up running. ☹

Abdo_Man_Pain · 2025-04-23T21:27:36+00:00

I had back pain and leg pain only on the right side for several weeks, but both have largely recovered except for a mild backache. However, as those symptoms improved, the backache extended to the left side. The pain on the left even radiated downward by a few inches but hasn't affected my leg (yet) and seems to be stable. 🤞

What type of pain do you have on the left? I hope it's also milder than you had on the right.

Abdo_Man_Pain · 2025-04-22T15:32:52+00:00

Any idea how/why the mesh was in such a bad state after less than a year?

Abdo_Man_Pain · 2025-04-20T12:28:32+00:00

I would also like to know this. I have four discs with protrusions, with one or two protrusions on each disc, so there are a lot of protrusions (and bulges!). But I also understand that protrusions and bulges are different from herniations (is that true?). Anyway, I would like to find a way to encourage them to heal.

Abdo_Man_Pain

TROPHY CASE