FWIW most surgeons and literature i was reading suggest 6-8 wk type of timeline to wait and see if symptoms improve. Most people are waiting 6-8mths to see improvements which i would argue is too long.

I am 4 months into this. I am on my inversion table as I write this

---

Dave Campbell | Facebook | @DaveECampbell | h2ofun@h2ofun.net

Boom Nutrition code 19F4Y3 $5 off 24 pack box | Bionic Runner | PowerCranks | Velotron | Spruzzamist

Lions don't lose sleep worrying about the sheep

I had the epidural injections two or three times when I was still working. The first time the doctor told me "you should start feeling better about 18 hours". I could have set my watch. At the exact hour I felt the pain lifted right out of my body. You'll be good until you mess it up again.

Best of luck with it.

---

---------------------------
''Sweeney - you can both crush your AG *and* cruise in dead last!! 😂 '' Murphy's Law

I remember 5 years ago when I could barely walk, let alone got on the table to the shot. Once done, I got right off and felt great. I then slipped on my roof and back I was for a second shot. Been fine since so hoping to get the results again like you got, and not mess it up again, but, . :(

I have some big races coming up so just have to find a way to get some power back on the bike and in the aero bars, safely. Will see, still would rather not do, but, ... :(

---

Dave Campbell | Facebook | @DaveECampbell | h2ofun@h2ofun.net

Boom Nutrition code 19F4Y3 $5 off 24 pack box | Bionic Runner | PowerCranks | Velotron | Spruzzamist

Lions don't lose sleep worrying about the sheep

4 months is bugger all, my first run of physio was more than that.

With my herniated disc it took about a year before i sore improvements, but once it started to feel better the improvement was rapid. I went from being in agony and thinking the the rest of my life was going to be full of pain to being pretty much pain free in a matter of months.

I haven't read the whole thread so i don't know what has been recommended, but i used Lyrica for the nerve pain, i only used it at night to help me sleep.


tru.

I remember reading a while ago that if most people had a scan done they would come up with some abnormality like a bulged disc, but it's a poor predictor of pain experienced. I had buldged discs for ages with very little symptoms apart from some sciatica, the real pain started when one of them bulges herniated, i had a pain that went through to behind my belly button.

wow, you the man to put up with that long.

I keep thinking should I just try and wait it out, but then think back to how amazing the shots were. Any reason you did not get a shot?

---

Dave Campbell | Facebook | @DaveECampbell | h2ofun@h2ofun.net

Boom Nutrition code 19F4Y3 $5 off 24 pack box | Bionic Runner | PowerCranks | Velotron | Spruzzamist

Lions don't lose sleep worrying about the sheep

The main problem with the shot is that it allows you to carry on as if you don't have an injury, which in the long run can be bad. What kept me sane was swimming or mostly kickboarding when i first started, keeping on your feet is the best thing for a bad lower back and doing stretches, mostly aimed at hamstrings.

I did see multiple specialists, but because of my age (early 20s at the time) they didn't want to do anything other than physio. I'm now 29 and took up triathlon 2 years ago, the road bike still gives me a bit of grief but i find i ride the TT position for hours on end pain free.

Makes sense. At 59, who knows how many more years I have.

---

Dave Campbell | Facebook | @DaveECampbell | h2ofun@h2ofun.net

Boom Nutrition code 19F4Y3 $5 off 24 pack box | Bionic Runner | PowerCranks | Velotron | Spruzzamist

Lions don't lose sleep worrying about the sheep

Have you seen a couple specialists ? It maybe different due to your age.

I was kind of lucky that all of mine was covered by workcover as it was a workplace injury, the costs can unfortunately rack up pretty quickly and i think we have it cheaper in Australia than you would in the US.

After you clear up the inflamation, you have to find the stretching and strength exercises work for you. For me; one stretch that's like a Halloween cat and at is like a push up all the way up and pushing your crotch into the floor. For strength; planks, planks and more planks!

---

---------------------------
''Sweeney - you can both crush your AG *and* cruise in dead last!! 😂 '' Murphy's Law

Great points.

I have tried to do a bunch of core/back stuff 3 days a week for years. And yep, I do 4.5 minutes worth of planks each time.

---

Dave Campbell | Facebook | @DaveECampbell | h2ofun@h2ofun.net

Boom Nutrition code 19F4Y3 $5 off 24 pack box | Bionic Runner | PowerCranks | Velotron | Spruzzamist

Lions don't lose sleep worrying about the sheep

So a week later and after I've seen the magic fingers Chiro 2x I have a better idea of what is going on. He showed me where I am weak and he found some lateral hamstring tendonopathy. So now I know what to attack and have a plan for recovery. Stay tuned....

about 1 year ago I was diagnosed with a mild case nerve damage (not with a MRI) after having about 1 month of chronically tight hamstrings and hips to the extent I could barely run. Did PT for 6 weeks along with some chiro and condition got a lot better quickly and ultimately cleared up roughly a few months later all while training. Flash forward to this year and I am back in the same position and just tried the stretches that Brett (zenntri) suggested today and I can feel almost immediate relief almost like the area is just now getting blood flow. In any case I will keep at it and see if I improve as I don't have numbness yet or really pain per say just aggravated and low range of motion.

I think the core and strength training helped last time and I have already started that and likely will need to just continue to do that always.

So glad it worked for you! Yep, mine almost never acts up anymore. But the flight to Whistler was 6 hours and it started getting painful down there. I did a few of those stretches and poof, gone. :)

---

----------------------------------------------------------
Zen and the Art of Triathlon. Strava Workout Log
Interviews with Chris McCormack, Helle Frederikson, Angela Naeth, and many more.
http://www.zentriathlon.com

Anyone ever had a cortisone shot and had good results?

I think that it all depends on where the pain is originating. I went through numerous injections and weeks of PT with no relief. But my problem was a herniated disc that was rubbing on the the root nerves that fed into the sciatic. If your problem is originating in the SI joint or Piriformis related a well placed injection might help.

My friend was diagnosed with a herniated disk on his L3 and L4 last year and the doctor told him 3-6 months -- that was exaclty the timeline was. He made a video about hisjourney with some advice one year later now that he's fully recovered.
He just went on a two day bike trip of 250 kms which he says felt impossible last year

Sciatica Recovery: 8 things I wished I knew one year ago
https://www.youtube.com/...khh3DRxxxA&t=64s

Sciatic pain is rough. I'm sorry man, it just sucks and is scary.

I had a terrifying incidence of this at the end of college - actually ended my track career and was close to keeping me out of engineering because sitting at a desk was murder. I was doing standing desks when standing desks were what "the hippies" did. Several thousand $ and months later, still no relief. It was actually this goofy website called slowtwitch that turned me onto some basic things which helped, eventually cured. Getting with a competent endurance-sports oriented PT is critical. Not a chiropractor or a person who gets grandma walking again after she breaks her hip, but a real sports PT.
1) Dry needling
2) Sciatic Nerve "flossing" and tensioning
3) hip 4-way strengthening exercises
4) eccentric loading & strengthening of the HS. If you youtube "bird feeder lift" that will do it.

Hand in there man, it super sucks but with good care it does go away.

I keep seeing these threads pop up and the timing has been great for me. Started with really tight hamstrings late July, then felt some pain in the low back. Woke up the first weekend in August and it was horrible. Did a 5-mile run (bad idea) and it progressed to agonizing pain by Sunday. Did a tele-doc appointment, got 5 days of steroids, and sent on my way. Said do no stretching, movement, etc. if I could.

Went on about that way for another 2-3 weeks, not sleeping at night. Finally called another tele-doc in the middle of the night for some medication. Celebrex, and go see my regular doc.

Saw the regular doc...stay on the celebrex and start PT. Another week or two goes by with little improvement, ran into a friend who said I should talk to his family doc, which I did. Stopped the celebrex, two weeks of steroids with a step-down dose at day 7, and continued PT. And schedule an MRI.

Last three weeks I've been improving. I think I'm at week 8 at this point. Last dose of the steroids is Saturday. I feel much better than I did a month ago, and night and day from 6 weeks ago.

MRI is today (it takes forever to schedule one)....but almost seems like it is overkill now. Oh well, may as well go for it - 100% covered.

It's helpful to hear others inputs and the advice here has been good. Trying to be patient...

Since I’m new here, I apologize in advance if anyone has already written about it, but does anyone have any immediate solution for sciatica?
Any cream or something? I read about acuraflex products, cream .... At the moment I don't have time to go to a physiotherapist ... Any advice is welcome

Honestly, I would not put much merit on creams to be honest, they don't really impact the actual mechanism of your pain but you may see a small placebo effect benefit.

Oral pain relief likely to be better but also can be a bit like taking a sledge hammer to a nail in that you are not hitting the actual source.

Thank you for your reply. I can see that acuraflex also has a capsules, but I’m taking a lot of pills right now, and I didn’t want any more. I can try. although I hope the cream will help even if only in my head

What is your current analgesic regimen and what are your symptoms??

I have a sharp pain that goes from the shoulder blade all the way to the leg.
I am on levothyroxine for thyroid, naproxen for migrene and a few others...

And that is why the internet is so dangerous in terms of medical advice.
What you describe does not sound like sciatica at all (declaration: I am a medical practitioner and work in both acute and chronic pain areas).
Sciatica is an issue in your lumbar/sacral spine region, not higher up in your thoracic spine. You would often feel it as a pain in your buttock and down the back of your leg.
Pain in the shoulder blade region has numerous possible causes and importantly, some serious causes that should not be assessed online.