<s>[INST] I ve been having pain in my lower left back caused by what I believe is a pinched nerve/sciatica??? The pain shoots down from the lower back to the hip to my thigh to the knee. It started Saturday afternoon and at that time I took four Tylenol (two in the afternoon and two at night) and applied Ben Gay. Getting in and out of bed is awful and my sister has to assist me. Yesterday morning I took one Advil and my sister put her back brace on me - to no avail. The pain continued and I took two Motrin around 3pm following a shower and applied a heating pad to the area. Again to no avail. Last night took two more Motrins and applied a patch and this morning got up feeling no better. Is there an anti-inflammatory over-the-counter or prescription that I can take other than Motrin or Advil and is there anything out there more potent than BenGay that I can apply to the affected area (lower left back, hip and thigh). HELP! Thank you in advance for your advice and assistance. [/INST] hi Simply popping pills without advice could be dangerous. i advice you to visit a spine surgeon or orthopedic surgeon and also get the MRI done to know the exact pathology  in the spine . accordingly management can be planned </s>