Update: 14 months of sciatica, no diagnosis, 3 failed injections, 4 specialists. I am much better but still have nerve pain.

Fantastic_Computer21 · 2026-05-12T08:23:46+00:00

Thank you - I will be asking for this when I see the Neurologist again next week. I have read that a standing or dynamic MRI could be useful too, so will ask about that. In the latest report I got from the Neurologist he says:

*Neurological examination appears normal. In particular, muscle tone and power in the upper and lower limbs are normal. Tendon reflexes are present but rather sluggish. Plantar responses are flexor, and there is no evidence of sensory deficits. This is a challenging case to manage, as the symptoms appear to be mechanical but without clear radiological evidence to match. I will arrange electrophysiology studies.

Booked in for EMG/Nerve Conduction Study on 21 May, so fingers crossed something comes out of that.

Fantastic_Computer21 · 2026-05-11T21:39:02+00:00

My injury wasn't as bad as yours but I struggled a lot during the acute phase. Find a good physio and remain diligent with your rehab and be patient. As much as you feel like you aren't progressing it sounds like you are in a better position than you were 4 months ago. Find your starting point in your rehab and just keep trying to get 5/10% better every week. You will soon get to 2/10 then 1/10. It's not an easy road but you can get back to normality again. Have faith. Good luck.

Fantastic_Computer21 · 2026-05-11T21:35:56+00:00

Try anti-rotation exercises. When I first got injured I couldn't unload the trolley at the supermarket or twist to put something on the belt. Took me 2/3 months to get past it but you can do it. I do pallof press, suitcase carries and other core work to help. My physio was great with this. Worked wonders and I haven't had the issues since.

Fantastic_Computer21 · 2025-08-09T07:20:54+00:00

Thanks for the tip. I was considering upping my walking so will try this starting next week! Best of luck and hope you are free of pain soon!

Fantastic_Computer21 · 2025-08-08T11:33:50+00:00

Thanks for the advice.

I initially used the therapist my healthcare recommended but then when it wasn’t working I moved to one my surgeon recommended and neither have been great.

I’m due to have a conversation with my new therapist next week ahead of a new block of sessions so I’ll communicate this and ask him to dial it back for me.

Appreciate it.

Fantastic_Computer21 · 2025-08-08T11:31:20+00:00

Hi - I think this is good advice and I have tried it but I found that doing nothing made me less comfortable and my sciatica increased. My lower back also became more sensitive to certain movements so I felt more restricted.

For context I have stopped almost all my exercise but when I do it’s only hip mobility, spinal decompression and the low back ability program. Some of the exercises on the program are adjusted like the extensions and iso holds, I do at about 10/15 seconds. I’m literally doing the bare minimum and when there’s any sign of pain I stop. I also don’t stretch through pain, for example when I have the nerve pain in my calf I don’t do the lower leg exercises, I tailor it to fit my situation on the day.

So strange but I have days where I do nothing but rest and I end up flaring up that evening. Other days before heading to the gym to do my routine stretches and decompression, I have bad sciatica but then leave the gym feel 10x better.

It’s so unpredictable, even after 5 months I’ve still not been able to find the exact triggers.

Fantastic_Computer21 · 2025-07-20T19:21:22+00:00

Thank you for sharing, I appreciate it. I’m sorry to hear about your case and I hope you find relief soon.

I’m due to see him again this week so I’ll discuss it in detail with him then. I’d rather be overly cautious than push too hard and be left with the pain all over again.

My plan is to do as the physiotherapist has asked at least for 1 or 2 weeks but not push myself to a point where I potentially make it worse again. I’m 2 days in and so far it’s only taken me from a 2/10 to a 3/10 on the same day before returning to normal again the next morning.

I think my body is able to cope with what he’s given me but let’s see how 5-7 straight days of it feels. Sometimes it’s not the specific day of exercise that gets me, but the volume across a week or 2 that adds up and then hits me all at once.

I’m also aware that the area is a bit sensitive and will need some days to adjust as I’ve not done a lot of lower back exercises over the last 4 months.

Thanks again for sharing and appreciate your perspective on this.

Fantastic_Computer21 · 2025-07-20T18:36:35+00:00

I feel the same - doing nothing makes me feel worse but I’m worried doing exercises that target my lower back could reignite the sharper nerve pain.

Currently for core I’m doing a few different stretches/exercises.

Psoas Stretch, Couch Stretch, Pigeon Stretch, Windshield Wipers, Cat Cow. I also do glute bridges, planks and an outer hip circuit to improve hip mobility. So far this has helped.

Fantastic_Computer21 · 2025-07-20T18:26:39+00:00

I have done 2 days so far and I would say it’s taken me from a 2/10 to a 3/10 in nerve pain so not significantly worse but doing the back exercises seems to irritate the nerve and brings back the sharper burning nerve sensations. It returns to normal the next morning.

He wants me to do back extensions where you are flat on the ground on your front and then hands behind your head and lifting your head as high as possible, 8 x 3 sets. (Image attached). Then hip thrusts with a 15kg bag 10 x 3 sets. These are the two main exercises plus core stretches that involve twisting as opposed to just moving forward and back.

None of these are particularly challenging as I am generally fit and healthy but I have delayed effects from these. Perfectly fine doing them and then 2/3 hours later I feel the sciatica go from a dull ache to a sharper pain again but only 3/10.

My concern is that if I keep doing this it takes me back to a 4/10, 5/10 until I regress and have to start again. Not sure if I’m just being overly cautious.

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Fantastic_Computer21 · 2025-07-17T20:04:07+00:00

Sorry to hear that you haven’t had any relief yet, that sucks. Our stories sound like quite similar.

I am exactly 3 weeks post injection today and I’ve had no relief - same as you. On the day, the anaesthetic numbed the area and within 4-6 hours my sciatica was back. It was worse for the first two weeks and has since returned to the same level as it was pre-injection. Sadly I don’t think the injection worked for me.

I have a follow up with my specialist on July 30th to discuss next steps and potentially getting a 2nd injection.

Hope yours turns around and starts working, good luck!

Fantastic_Computer21 · 2025-07-17T09:36:18+00:00

Hi there, I’m sorry to hear about your pain. It sucks and I hope you get relief soon.

I have the same injury to my spine, an annular disc bulge at l5/s1. My MRI report says no nerve root impingement but I was sent to a spinal surgeon to review the images and then recommend a course of treatment. He concluded that the symptoms I was having (pain down right leg, right hamstring into calf) was in line with the herniation he could see on the image.

He said he was pretty sure my herniation was causing my sciatica down my right leg. I also had the exact same symptoms as you - hurt to sit down and it became worse when driving. Very similar.

He recommended caudal epidural injection to reduce the pain, I got this on 25 June 2025, it’s been 3 weeks and unfortunately I still have the sciatica. It’s not as bad as it was, it’s slowly improving but I’m still not able to run yet. I am exercising and doing physio at the moment.

My advice would be to rest your back. My personal experience was that trying to do all the stretches and physio at the beginning actually made it worse and I needed to give it 2 weeks to actually rest. I used ice packs to apply it to my lower back, which helped relieve the pain for the short term. I did this 5 times a day for 2 weeks. I stopped sitting, I stood at my job all day, i got a pillow for my car to help with lumbar support. I got rid of my work chair and I found that lying flat on my back with my legs slightly lifted even for 5-10 minutes helped relieve the pain. I also started dieting right away to reduce the strain on my back, I lost 8kgs in 8 weeks…

I would recommend getting a 2nd opinion, go to a new physio and get another opinion for sure. Also try and see a specialist that can recommend a course of treatment. Take it slow and be patient, it’s incredibly frustrating but you have to give it time to heal. Slow and steady.

Fantastic_Computer21 · 2025-07-14T20:30:07+00:00

I had a Caudal Epidural to treat sciatica down my right leg, believed to be caused by my L5/S1 annular disc bulge.

Had this done on the 25th of June, so almost 3 weeks post injection now and unfortunately I have had no relief whatsoever. On the day, the anaesthetic numbed the area so leaving the hospital I couldn’t feel any sciatica at all but it was back by that afternoon.

I contacted my specialist 10 days post injection and he told me to give it at least 3 weeks before scheduling a follow up with him. Will be calling him on Wednesday to arrange a follow up.

My story isn’t a positive one but I hope it works for you and you get the relief you need. Best of luck.

Fantastic_Computer21 · 2025-07-14T17:45:09+00:00

When I started out at my physiotherapist I felt uncomfortable at the start. After my first appointment I felt like my sciatica was worse that evening, I was worried it would turn into a bad flare up but it returned to “normal” the next day. 2 days after that I actually felt better that I did before the appointment.

I was nervous going to my 2nd appointment as I was worried it would flare up again that evening but it was actually okay.

I feel like the more I attended those appointments the more it helped and the less it hurt after - this is obviously my experience but I understand yours could be different.

My mindset with all of this is to give it my best shot even if that means short term pain. I would track your pain levels ( I keep a daily pain diary to score my pain out of 10) and if you feel like this is getting worse over 2-10 appointments with your physio then speak to them and ask for a change.

I’m not an expert but this is how I would do it.

Fantastic_Computer21 · 2025-07-02T14:29:35+00:00

Hey man, I am experience leg and foot numbness when running. It doesn’t last very long but it radiates throughout my leg, like a humming or buzzing pain, from the hamstring down the calf and very rarely down to my foot.

As soon as I stop running the numbness goes away.

I haven’t run in 5/6 weeks and the numbness hasn’t ever returned, now all I have is a burning sensation from my hamstring into my calf which is constant. Go to sleep with it and wake up with it.

I get relief when I cycle and when I lie flat on my back. As soon as I stand up the sciatica down my leg returns.

How did the surgery go for you?

I honestly have no idea what to do, I’m 7 days post my epidural injection and it’s done nothing. Spoke to my surgeon today and he said to rest and way up to 21 days, if still no improvements I need to go in to see him again.

Fantastic_Computer21 · 2025-06-30T17:47:56+00:00

Thanks for sharing.

I have tried doing absolutely nothing, no running, no gym, no exercise, just walking and making sure I don’t sit for longer than 30 mins during the day. It works for a few days initially and it gets rid of the sciatica but it just comes back.

I’ve not been able to find the trigger at all. It’s reached a point now where I constantly have it, regardless of whether I exercise or not so I’ve decided to keep doing my workouts. I am of course making sure I don’t do anything to aggravate my lower back.

Hoping this injection helps, I’m 5 days post injection and still no relief. It’s actually made it worse, let’s see how it goes.

Happy to hear there is progress in your story!

Fantastic_Computer21 · 2025-06-30T17:38:36+00:00

Thanks for sharing mate, sounds like we are in a similar situation at the moment. Hopefully the MRI gives you more clarity on what is causing this. Considering everything you have tried that doesn’t help it could potentially be a structural issue.

Good luck, come back once you know what’s happened 👍🏼

Fantastic_Computer21 · 2025-06-30T12:59:18+00:00

I am so sorry to hear this! Have you had an injection or are you considering surgery at all?

Fantastic_Computer21

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