If you've got sciatica, something is compressing the nerves in your lower back. It's almost certainly a bulging or herniated disc and not directly the result of the seat. See your doctor and demand an MRI which is the only thing that can really show what's going on with soft tissue like discs. After 4 months of pain, that should be routine.

I've been down this road about 3 years ago. What I was told is that most people get through it in 3 months with nothing more than rest and stretching / physical therapy. In some cases it may take up to 6 months of conservative treatment. After 6, you'll almost certainly require surgery if you want to fix it. In my case, I waited 9 long and incredibly painful months before going under the knife because I read too many horror stories on the internet. Getting surgery turned out to be the best decision I ever made (although much too late). Read "A Consultation with the Back Doctor" by Hamilton Hall. Heed his advice to only have surgery if your MRI can defnitively be correlated to the pain you are having.

I'm now pain free, drive an A5 S-line with sport seats (purchased shortly after I recovered to reward myself for enduring all that pain) and have never looked back. I went with the automatic transmission only because I was concerned that my left leg sciatica might some day come back (which it hasn't). I find the sport seats to be by far the most comfortable car seat I've ever sat in.

Of course your mileage may vary. Good luck.

 

fourcircle, j3500 and swwhiteinla,
Thanks for your responses. I am going to see my regular doc tomorrow to schedule an MRI to see what is going on and if it’s something that needs further attention than stretching. Its comforting to hear that you’ve overcome the same pain I’m currently experiencing.

Thanks for clarifying the seats for me. It’s good to know that I have the standard seats. Since you have the sports seats, can you tell me if you feel anything in the lower back area after turning the lumbar support all the way off. With the standard seats, even when its turned all the way off, you still feel it pushing on your lower back.

Semper Fidelis,
-Ricardo

 

I wanted to let you all know that I spoke to Audi of America and I have a person assigned to my case. They took lots of notes of my issue and they are currently looking into a solution for me. They did request notes from my doctor and specialist visits which I will have for them soon. If a seat exchange is possible, they will also see if it can be a shared expense. It's awesome to see that Audi is on it. I just hope a solution can be found. I'll keep you posted.

Semper Fidelis,
-Ricardo

 

If I turn my lumbar all the way off, I don't feel it on the middle region of my lower back. But the side bolsters on the sport seats are so thick(or the seats are too narrow) that I feel them on the sides of the lower back(near the kidney region). So it feels like my lower back is supported on the sides but not in the middle(with lumbar off). Haven't found the sweet spot with lumbar just yet. I tend to slouch into the seat with the lumbar off. It was a bit weird at first.

My car is in for service today so i have a loaner q5 with the sport seats and they feel a lot more comfier in the q5 than my A5. I think its because the seating position is higher in the q5. the A5 kind of feels like I'm sitting in a foxhole.

 

Hi Ricardo
i hope you are feeling better by now
would you please let me know what has been the end result , were the seat or a back issue responsible , i seems to have the same issue since i brough a used 2010 Audi A4 about 5 months ago , any input will be appreciated , thanks in advance

 

I also owned an '09 A5 S-Line with Alcantara seats and had severe lower back pain... so severe it was tough to get out of the car. I'm not sure if it just coincided with the ownership of the car and now my back is better, or if the seats contributed to it. I would think the structure is very similar to the sport seats in the S5 (they look the same). I've since owned '10 and '11 S5 Cabs and now own a '15 S5 Coupe (8 months now), all with sport seats. I've experienced no back pain at all with the S5s.

 

sabaseen,
For me it ended up being a back injury, herniated disc pressing against the root nerve. It was really a coincidence that it happened right around the same time I got my A5. But I'm glad it was a process of elimination so I knew for sure it wasn't the vehicle. I ended up getting some injections in my back and it has been 1000% better and have no discomfort while I drive.

-Rick

 

Same here...I found out I have severe arthritis/bone on bone in my right hip. Hip injection helped and glad it wasn't the car being the issue.