4 ms·

Naproxen sodium is also a lot better, and is slightly safer than ibuprofen to take for extended periods. I had severe sciatica for the better part of a year, an

Naproxen sodium is also a lot better, and is slightly safer than ibuprofen to take for extended periods. I had severe sciatica for the better part of a year, and the only thing that kept me somewhat functional was ~1000mg/day of naproxen, which isn’t great for you but would’ve been a lot worse if it had been ibuprofen (never mind opiates or something).

propter_hoc 1y ago
That's fair, but naproxen is OTC or prescription-only in many jurisdictions.
__alexs 1y ago
I have an emergency Naproxen stash for the occasional gout flare-up and it's so much more effective than Ibuprofen it's amazing.
init2null 1y ago
It's also even worse at gastrointestinal problems, for those affected. That's why it's less commonly used.
opan 1y ago
Did your sciatica go away on its own or did you introduce some new exercises to your routine? I've had some pain in my left leg for a few months now that is likely sciatica. I did go to the doctor, but it wasn't a particularly helpful visit.
- Analemma_ 1y ago
  I did physical therapy which mostly involved strengthening core muscles - if the cause is a herniated disc, which it usually is, this can slightly speed up the recovery process because a stronger core can push the disc back into place. But this is a speedup in the sense of "8-10 months instead of 10-12". Welcome, certainly, but not a silver bullet. The other thing the PT taught me was nerve glides (also called nerve flosses). These don't seem to make recovery any faster, but help a decent amount with pain and tightness . Sadly, that plus loading up on NSAIDs appears to be about all you can do for most cases of sciatica. I got a consult with a back surgeon who basically said, "I can operate if you want, but it probably won't help much, you just have to wait". Good luck: it can be a pretty miserable time, but the good news is that most cases of sciatica do in fact clear up on their own even without PT. It can just take a while and you'll be hurting in the meantime.

propter_hoc 1y ago

That's fair, but naproxen is OTC or prescription-only in many jurisdictions.

__alexs 1y ago

I have an emergency Naproxen stash for the occasional gout flare-up and it's so much more effective than Ibuprofen it's amazing.

init2null 1y ago

It's also even worse at gastrointestinal problems, for those affected. That's why it's less commonly used.

opan 1y ago

Did your sciatica go away on its own or did you introduce some new exercises to your routine? I've had some pain in my left leg for a few months now that is likely sciatica. I did go to the doctor, but it wasn't a particularly helpful visit.

Analemma_ 1y ago
I did physical therapy which mostly involved strengthening core muscles - if the cause is a herniated disc, which it usually is, this can slightly speed up the recovery process because a stronger core can push the disc back into place. But this is a speedup in the sense of "8-10 months instead of 10-12". Welcome, certainly, but not a silver bullet. The other thing the PT taught me was nerve glides (also called nerve flosses). These don't seem to make recovery any faster, but help a decent amount with pain and tightness . Sadly, that plus loading up on NSAIDs appears to be about all you can do for most cases of sciatica. I got a consult with a back surgeon who basically said, "I can operate if you want, but it probably won't help much, you just have to wait". Good luck: it can be a pretty miserable time, but the good news is that most cases of sciatica do in fact clear up on their own even without PT. It can just take a while and you'll be hurting in the meantime.