Question
i have been in a lot of pain for the last month with my sciatic nerve. i have had this twice before both times it went away with in a week. i have been taking ibuprofen and applying heat is there anything else i can do for this. i do not have insurance and don't have alot of faith in the local walk in. Thanks Bill

Answer
Hi Bill

Thanks for your question.

Sometimes the sciatic nerve can become irritated from pressure on it, such as sitting the wrong way, spending a lot of time in the car, having your billfold pressing against it, etc. That will usually dissipate fairly quickly once you take care of the cause.

If the pain has been going on for a month, then it's possible you have something else going on. It's not uncommon for the actual problem to be in the lower back, where the sciatic nerve comes out of the spine. A bulging disc or narrowing of the spinal canal can both put pressure on the nerve.

You may want to try a conservative stretching and conditioning approach to try to manage the situation. You're right about the doc in the box, they really don't have the time or background usually to feel comfortable actually prescribing treatment, so you'll probably pay to have them suggest going to see someone else.

As far as specifics, yoga is actually a good option, providing strengthening and flexibility. There are also some specific programs that provide exercises for sciatica, but I don't know what your financial situation is.

I usually don't send people to web sites, but if you go to the link below there is some additional information on sciatica; there is also a link at the bottom to the Healthy Back Institute; they sell some different home programs you may want to check out.

Best of luck to you

Barry Hughes

http://www.chronic-pain-alternatives.com/sciatica-pain-relief.html