hi my mother is suffering from sciatica(57 yrs old).during day time when she does small kitchen works,she feels fine but during night specially 12 to 2am the pain gets unbearable.she is taking pregabalin and painkillers but no relief.what should we do
I always suggest my patients treat the cause of pain not the pain. Here are the tablets which she is taking is actually for symptomatic relief for pain, but the underlying problem is as it is. She will have back spine disc problem with one or multiple level. For conformation MRI can be done. However based on result she has to see an or tho and physio here or tho will suggest for medication with suggestion on injection in spine for minor to moderate problem and along with physiotherapy she will have some more pain relief by relaxing the soft tissue treatment. For major case orthopedic will suggest direct surgery too. In both the cases she is supposed to do back strengthening exercise to improve strength and stamina of spine. Also, she can use a hot pack or cold pack regularly to have some more relief. Hope this was useful. Take care.