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Dr. Andrew Rynne
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Dr. Andrew Rynne

Family Physician

Exp 50 years

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Suffering From Sciatica Due To Slipped Disc, Terrible Pain. Permanent Nerve Damage?

hi Doctor I m suffering from sciatica due to a slipped disc for a few months now and the pain is terrible to bear. My Gp has only decided to give me pain killers and told me to exercise by swimming as a cure. After complaining I have been offered physio which I find it useless and instead give me more pain. What do you suggest I do to help my suffering from pain and from permanent damage to my nerve . Many thanks
posted on Fri, 25 Oct 2013
Twitter Wed, 30 Oct 2013 Answered on
Twitter Wed, 30 Oct 2013 Last reviewed on
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Orthopaedic Surgeon, Joint Replacement,  's  Response
Hi, thanks for writing to HCM.

The initial management of a lumbar disc protrusion causing sciatic symptoms is always conservative by the following means -

- Maintain optimum body weight,if you are obese
- Avoid lifting heavy weights as it imparts more strain on your back
- Avoid excessive forward bending activities as it will worsen the disc protrusion. if you want to bend forwards, do it with your hips and knees flexed.
- Use a lumbosacral back support to stabilize your spinal muscles
- Intermittent pelvic traction might be helpful to cause a regression of the protruded disc
- Physiotherapy is needed to strengthen your back muscles. Physiotherapy has to be done only after the acute pain has subsided.
- Use analgesics like advil or aleve and muscle relaxants as needed. Vitamin B12 supplements & Pregabalin may be helpful.

If your fail to improve with the above measures, an Epidural steroid injection may provide good symptom relief for a few months.

If all these measures fail to provide you relief, then surgical decompression may be an option.

Hope this information is helpful. Good day
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Suffering From Sciatica Due To Slipped Disc, Terrible Pain. Permanent Nerve Damage?

Hi, thanks for writing to HCM. The initial management of a lumbar disc protrusion causing sciatic symptoms is always conservative by the following means - - Maintain optimum body weight,if you are obese - Avoid lifting heavy weights as it imparts more strain on your back - Avoid excessive forward bending activities as it will worsen the disc protrusion. if you want to bend forwards, do it with your hips and knees flexed. - Use a lumbosacral back support to stabilize your spinal muscles - Intermittent pelvic traction might be helpful to cause a regression of the protruded disc - Physiotherapy is needed to strengthen your back muscles. Physiotherapy has to be done only after the acute pain has subsided. - Use analgesics like advil or aleve and muscle relaxants as needed. Vitamin B12 supplements & Pregabalin may be helpful. If your fail to improve with the above measures, an Epidural steroid injection may provide good symptom relief for a few months. If all these measures fail to provide you relief, then surgical decompression may be an option. Hope this information is helpful. Good day