Before I finally had surgery, I had reached the point where pills did not work any more. The legs would do their own kind of writhing and squirming and I had lost some bladder control. The sciatica was only a symptom of a bigger problem. I had caused some actual damage to the spinal nerve tissues ( for which there is some residual effect). It took a year, post-op, to regain most of the feeling back in my feet.
No amount of chiro, massage or ointments will help when there are more serious problems. You need the doctor to rule out the more serious possibilities.