How does the visit work?
The doctor reads your answers. If this visit fits, you get a plan. We do not send a prescription. Keep moving. Do your normal things as much as the pain allows. Take short walks. Do not stay in bed. Moving may hurt, but it is not harmful, and it can help you get better faster. Heat can help. Change position often. Stop any exercise that makes the pain spread further down your leg. A physical therapist can show you exercises that help. Your plan says how to find one.
Which medicines do you not prescribe?
We do not prescribe steroid pills, gabapentin, pregabalin, benzodiazepines, or muscle relaxers for sciatica. UK medical experts (NICE) advise against steroid pills, gabapentin, and pregabalin for sciatica. In one study, steroid pills helped people move a little better, but did not ease the pain, and they caused more side effects. In studies, gabapentin and pregabalin did not improve sciatica. Muscle relaxers have not been shown to help it. We never prescribe opioids.
Can I take ibuprofen or naproxen?
If your plan says it is OK for you, you may take ibuprofen or naproxen from the store. Follow the label, and take it with food. Use it for 10 days or less. Stop it and see your own doctor if your pain gets worse or lasts more than 10 days. It is not clear how much these medicines help sciatica, and they can harm your stomach, kidneys, or heart. The warning signs for these medicines are in the lists on this page. If one starts, stop the medicine and get care as shown there.
How long does sciatica last?
Most people get better in a few weeks to a few months. For about 9 in 10 people with a slipped disc, the pain starts to ease within 6 weeks and is gone by 12 weeks. For some people it lasts longer or comes back.
Will I need a check-in?
No. This is one visit, with no check-ins. You can message us with questions. See your own doctor in person if your leg pain is not better at all after 2 to 3 weeks of following this plan, is not clearly better 6 weeks after it started, is getting worse, or stops you from doing your normal things.
When do I need care right away?
Read the lists from the top. If more than one fits, follow the first one. Do not wait for our reply. Call 911 or go to the ER now if you have any of these. Numbness around your genitals or bottom (anus). New trouble starting to pee, you cannot pee, or you cannot control your pee. You cannot control your poo, or you do not feel when you need to go. New loss of feeling during sex, or new trouble getting or keeping an erection or having an orgasm. Pain, tingling, weakness, or numbness in both legs. Lost feeling in one or both legs (part of a leg does not feel touch at all). A leg or foot that is newly weak, or weakness that is getting worse. For example, your foot drops or slaps, you trip, or you cannot stand on your heel or toes. Along with the leg pain, chest pain, severe belly pain, a pulsing feeling in your belly, or fainting. A foot or leg that is cold, pale, or blue. A swollen, painful calf together with chest pain or trouble breathing. Pain that started after a serious accident, like a car crash. Pain so bad that you cannot walk or stand. Any of these after you take ibuprofen or naproxen: trouble breathing or wheezing, hives, swelling of your face, lips, tongue, or throat, bloody, black, or tarry poo, vomiting blood, feeling faint, chest pain, weakness on one side of your body, or slurred speech. Stop the medicine. Do not drive yourself. Call 911 or ask someone to drive you. Some of these can be signs that the nerves at the base of your spine are badly squeezed. This is an emergency. Go to the ER today if you have any of these. A fever or chills, or you feel very unwell. Cancer now, or you are being treated for cancer. You inject drugs, or you have a weak immune system (HIV, a transplant, medicine that lowers your immune system, or steroid pills for 3 months or more). A serious infection lately, like an infection in the blood. Back surgery or a spine shot in the last 3 months. Go to the ER or urgent care today if you have any of these. The pain started after a smaller fall or blow. The pain is severe and started suddenly, or it is getting worse quickly. The numbness is spreading. One calf is swollen, warm, or red. Any of these after you take ibuprofen or naproxen: belly pain that does not get better, swelling in your legs, or much less pee. Stop the medicine.
When should I see my own doctor?
See your own doctor in person within a few days if you had cancer in the past, you lost weight without trying, the pain does not get better when you rest or it is worse at night, or you have weak bones (osteoporosis). Also go if your back symptoms began before age 45, and your back is stiff for more than 30 minutes every morning and gets better as you move, or the pain wakes you in the second half of the night. See your own doctor if the pain started more than 6 weeks ago, or you had back surgery more than 3 months ago. See your own doctor if you take an opioid, gabapentin, pregabalin, or a benzodiazepine for this pain now. The doctor who prescribes it is the one to see. See your own doctor if you are under 18, or 65 or older. If you are pregnant, might be, or are trying to get pregnant, please see your pregnancy doctor or midwife.
Could another visit fit better?
If you only have back pain, our back pain visit is the better choice.
What does the visit cost?
This is one visit. The price is shown before you pay.