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My experience: by Barney68

Back trouble for years due to dumb things I did in my youth. For a couple or three decades, a chiropractor was able to keep it at bay.

Back in '19, if memory serves, my chiropractor could no longer fix it. He suggested a surgeon.

MRI, and all that later, the surgeon recommended steroid injections immediately adjacent to the offending nerve rather than surgery. That has worked well, but getting the injection is not a pleasant experience. It also has the downside that such treatments are not available everywhere.

FWIW, I'm now dealing with "and" a problem due to the piriformis muscle on the same side. That also causes pain, but it's a dull pain over a notable area rather than the sharp, stabbing, highly localized pain of sciatica.

All the advice below is good as well. Core strength is your friend. There are a lot of exercises that will help you there.

Feel free to email me if you'd like more detail.