I’ve never had any back problems or suffered from pulled muscles, slipped disks etc however last night after going for a pizza I got an excruciating pain down the bottom right hand area of my back then it shooting down my leg.
I went to bed on it thinking it may be better this morning however it’s still the same and I struggled to get in and out of the car to go to work. I went to pick my truck up from Volvo Rotherham and I couldv done with a stairlift to get me in and out of the truck 
I got back to the yard and said I’m going to have a few days off and rest up.
I checked on Google and the symptoms ive got are those present with Sciatica, my girlfriend has had it twice once for a week and the other time was 3 week and she was told by the doctor that once you get it then you’ll suffer from it on and off for the rest of your life which I hope ain’t true 
I’ve read that if it persists for other a week then you may have to have a steroid injection in the nerve or as a last resort surgery.
Has anyone on here suffered from Sciatica if so how long did you have it for, is it true what the doctor said to her about once having it you’ll have it regular, have you had the injection or even operations and has it affected doing your job in anyway? I’m ■■■■■■ off with having time off as in 8 and half year the only time I’ve had off was 6 month with my eyes and I do hope that in the future it isn’t going to affect me doing my job.
Yep. Had it 3 times with ruptured L5S1 disc. First was about 4 years ago, had microdiscoctomy to attempt to sort it. That was the kick up the backside to get my class 2 done once I was repaired.
Then about 2 years ago. Was off for 7.5 months because of taking Morphine for pain. Was put on a short term licence too. Had the steroid injection to correct it, which seems to have worked better than the op. And now seem to be back to normal.
Hope that makes sense.
Good luck anyway. I wouldn’t wish the pain I was in on anybody!!
Yes.
Got the mother of all flu’s one Christmas in the 90’s, which lasted about three weeks and it left me with sciatica, awful shooting pains down my right leg which was great cos everytime i sneezed or coughed, about every 20 seconds, it felt like someone stabbing me down that leg.
That left me with dreadful backache too and i was near enough doubled over for about 6 months, didn’t stop work but then our family doesn’t unless we’re dead, call it stupid pride or whatever you want it’s just how it is.
Get the sciatic attacks still once in a blue moon, but the backaches are more or less permanent and they wake me up most mornings around 4 to 5am.
Choiropractor (speeling, not the ones that feature in operation savile) helped a bit with the backaches but i haven’t been back to him for years.
Keeping weight under control and generally keeping fit helps no end, when i’m lardy and its a problem for many drivers, i’m in much more pain than when trimmer.
My partner had Sciatica four years ago. It stopped her working for weeks, fortunately to date it has not returned.
I think I’ll rest up all this week and hopefully it’ll have gone by next week. I dread to think I could be off for a few week/month hate being stuck at home but if I would’ve gone down the road today climbing on and off trailers, chucking straps over loads and strapping down Sod’s law is by Friday is probably not be able to walk and have to have longer off than needed.
Sciatica, another trucker’s ailment alongside ulcers bad knees and farmer Giles.
I’ve had Sciatica on and off for about 20 years.
I take Ibuprofen for it, which relaxes the muscles, but when it’s particularly bad I have to take a prescription drug called Diclophlenac
. Excercise like walking helps, Simple stretches also help, eg. I put my leg on front bumper and press down on my thigh, which can hurt but it does relieve it while driving.
Sorry mate but if any thing like me it will be an on/off thing for years.
I had it after my leg was broken. It was on the other side to the broken leg and probably because I was favouring it. Resting up is not good and will prolong the problem. Walking is good and any other gentle exercise like swimming. Sitting or lying around is bad.
Go and see your GP for a proper diagnosis and a prescription for a painkiller.
Try acupuncture, the doc gave me some treatment and I was cured before I got home.
Its never returned either, give it a try.
I feel your pain and I would wish it on anyone…
My other half slipped a disc years go that put her out of action for about 12months, when she finally got back to work the sciatica comes and goes, last real flare up was 5 or so years ago but even when she was pregnant it didn’t bother her…She gets the tingles now and again but nothing major
My back hasn’t been right since I injured it at work back in 2011… me trying to be He-Man and lifting beyond my capacity i.e 225kg which busted discs in my back leaving me in continuous pain in lower back, both ■■■■ cheeks and pains radiating down both legs. Along with loss of feeling in par of my right foot…
Had most treatment known to science, medication that send you round the twist, high as a kite…etc. etc… safer for me not to be at work…
Well long story short is been getting better, but its been slow and a long road…
End of the day everyone’s different how they deal with back issues… whereas the norm is to keep mobile, for me laying flat on my back works wonders…
As for your issue the key is anti inflammatorys, heat treatment and keeping as mobile as possible… injections are way down the road mate as its not been a continuous issue…
The only advice I can offer is when you get back in the saddle, ensure you have access to anti inflammatorys and deep heat /voltarol gel, get ya arse out the cab on breaks and walk around…
Suffering as we speak…right hand side, ■■■■■■■ agony! Been like this for 2 weeks now, struggle to sit/stand, can’t bend me leg to put a sock on, struggle to put me cecks on etc etc, agony sneezing, everything is agony. Multi drop knackered me up, all the lifting without the ‘bend me knees/back straight’ malarkey that wasn’t around back in the day! Those were the days of regular time off but nowadays (after my back popping twice in the last 9 years, the last time I was pushing a red line in ) I just ■■■■ it up and carry on as normal as I can but have had a stiffness for about a month now, blaming the crap seat/driving position in the Merc!
Actually thinking about this more, it might be a shorter list of what isn’t falling off/aching/hurting/seizing up with new additions every day to the list of aches and pains… 
Each new ache/pain takes what’s left of your mind off the rest.
Getting old is great…
Juddian:
Actually thinking about this more, it might be a shorter list of what isn’t falling off/aching/hurting/seizing up with new additions every day to the list of aches and pains…
Each new ache/pain takes what’s left of your mind off the rest.Getting old is great…
I’m only 35 
I’m going to rest up in bed today and try and have a steady walk tomorrow. I started using my resistance bands over the weekend that I bought I wonder if using them may have caused it as I haven’t done any weight training in about 8 year.
SteveBarnsleytrucker:
I hope ain’t true
Has anyone on here suffered from Sciatica if so how long did you have it for, is it true what the doctor said to her about once having it you’ll have it regular, have you had the injection or even operations and has it affected doing your job in anyway? I’m ■■■■■■ off with having time off as in 8 and half year the only time I’ve had off was 6 month with my eyes and I do hope that in the future it isn’t going to affect me doing my job.
I had to have surgery on two discs at the age of 21 because of it. I did it lifting a car body onto stands when I was removing the running gear out of a classic car I was restoring. Didn’t realise at the time, got the odd twinge, got worse and every time I stepped off a kerb it felt like I’d twisted my leg. It got to the point I couldn’t move, even turning over in bed, and by the time I finally got round to going to the doctor and seeing the specialist 2 years later I was 6 months off being in a wheelchair. I was given a 50/50 chance of success or waking up a paraplegic but the pain was that bad I didn’t care. The op worked but I had it on and off after but only to a low extent. In 2001 I did the disc above those two. Eventually stopped working when it got to the point I couldn’t walk from the truck to the goods in office at a drop at Leyland and had to take a year out of work. It got better and I went back but its always been there and I had to work agency because I couldn’t guarantee from one week to the next if I was fit. Stopped taking pain killers a decade ago because they didn’t work. I was on the strongest possible which still left you functional and they didn’t even touch it but the side effects were quite bad. In 2008 bang it went again. Back to the specialist who said it was inoperable because of the previous surgery. 5 years before I got back in a truck and it affects me now. I’m still doing agency and I do no longer than two days in a row because if I do a full week I suffer like hell so I do Mon, Tue, Thu, Fri. I suffer all the time now but after 4 days in a row it gets quite bad. I can only work at Howdens on nights doing trunk runs with trailer swaps. I can’t strap a load down. I had to stop doing pallet network jobs with double deckers because riving the curtains back knackered my back up and with the new XL load bearing ones I’ve got no hope.
Once you’ve had it you’ll have it regularly even with the op but the op will reduce that almost all of the time down to maybe a few episodes a year unless you’re stupid like I was. If you continue truck driving it will affect your ability to do the job and as happened with me, may cause more damage. If you do choose to continue truck driving it needs to be in a very limited capacity where basically you don’t touch the load and spend the majority of the driving on motorways and major A roads. Pulling pallets and cages out will knacker your back. Sheeting loads will knacker your back. Heaving open doors on fridge trailers and containers will knacker your back. Jumping on and off trailers will knacker your back. Driving down bumpy roads with the drivers seat going up and down will knacker your back. Off road driving such as quarries will knacker your back. If you’re really bad, even strapping down loads will knacker your back. Driving Scanias for me is out. Renault Premiums and the new MAN are problematic but I can cope. Ivecos and the new DAF CFs we have seem to be OK. Its literally got that bad.
This is going to affect your life and all of it. Its going to affect the bed you sleep in. In my case it affects the car, settees and chairs I can buy and use. Scatterback cushion jobs are out - its firm backed ones with decent lumbar support. Even the chairs at the doctors surgery cause me grief.
Personally I’d start considering options other than truck driving. Sitting for long periods is one of the worst things for it. If you can stand the pain you will find that moving around alleviates it a lot more than being sat on your sofa. Although I’m not condoning it I can confirm that cannabis will completely alleviate the pain for 4 or 5 hours, far better than any pain killers you get on prescription - fully understand why people call for legalisation of medical cannabis.
You will always here a lot of horror stories concerning backs I’ve suffered on and off for years,I’ve tried physio,chiropractors,acupuncture,I’ve had epidural injections,sacroiliac I njections and a micro discectomy and I still suffer now,albeit on a tolerable level.No two people are ever the same what might help one will do nothing for another,I agree with conor sitting for long periods is the worst thing ever,for me keeping as active as possible is best,as for an injection after a week you haven’t got a chance,this can only be done with a consultants consent and it will be a few weeks before you see one,unless you go private.On the positive side most people do get better it just takes some longer than others,best of luck to you,stay positive.
I’m thinking of getting one of those Lumbros biofeedback back support belts I saw advertised in The Sun yesterday. Should be £69.99 but on offer at £29.99. I also looked on Amazon to see if they were any good and they have got great reviews. Has anyone on here ever used one?
Not got the pains shooting down my leg now but my back still has some pain in the lower right region so I don’t know if I may have turned/ got up too quick and done something. Going to have this week off. Went on a walk yesterday and going on one today and still using hot water bottle which is helping and my dads cocodamol is sorting the pain out. Thanks for the advice on here lads.
Had it about four years ago, the nearest level of pain to childbirth so I’ve been told, and I quite believe it!
From the base of my spine to the end of my big toe, My doctor was worse than useless, in the end rang an on line Physio who sent me some info on exercises, and the address of a local walk in physio.
Physio is one method of treatment, took me 18 months to get over it but struggled back to work after a couple of weeks off.
Tip: Always have the lumbar support on your seat blown right up to arch your spine, gives no end of relief.
For instant relief, lie face down on the floor propped up on your elbows, arching one’s back is what it’s all about, to open up the vertebrae to ease the pressure off the trapped sciatic nerve.
Four years after I still have continual pins and needles in my big toe, a visit to a chiropodist told me it is probably nerve damage caused by the sciatica.
Tobyjug:
Its never returned either, give it a try.
This did the trick for me too,10 months off with the pain,3 sessions of accupuncture,sorted the prob.