Sciatica advice- how to ease the pain, am in agony?

[speedysoprano]

Second the tennis ball trick - works for me. I find my plug-in heat pad invaluable when I'm suffering. I place it right at the bottom of my back when I'm sitting down and it seems to loosen things up.

I also have the issue that the day after I've done a lot of stretching, I feel worse and more sensitive, but the day after that I feel much better.

Also agree that walking is good - my sciatica bothers me less when I'm doing regular power walks.

Hope you feel better soon. Sciatica is an unpleasant thing.

[Willy Nilly]

Pilates and or Yoga are your friends.

[Nimby]

CheesyFootballs said:

One thing I found to relieve some of the pain was to lie on the floor with my legs bent onto a chair.
That is, a normal sitting position but with your back flat on the floor and chair to support the legs.

Known as the "psoas position" - lots of info on the web.

[Art0ir]

McKenzie stretches.

[assadahmed]

I suffered from this around 7 to 8 years ago now. Whilst it was not as bad as what you seem be going through, I still found it hard to walk at times. I was recommended a Chienese traditional doctor and underwent a twice weekly course of acupuncture. After 3 months the pain and any associated symptoms completely vanished and I have never had any issues since.

I don't know if you have looked into acupuncture but if you do, make sure you go to someone who is well established.

[torqueofthedevil]

I don't get it anywhere near as bad as u have described but YouTube "pigeon pose" it has worked wonders for me.

Hold it for at least 30 seconds and just feel your body drop as all the muscles / tendons / nerves stretch out. There's a full ache at first but then it stretches off and feels great.

I hold for 30s each side about 3 times and repeat that throughout the day as necessary

[anonymous-user]

Art0ir said:

McKenzie stretches.

Beat me to it.

Get this book: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Treat-Your-Back-Robin-McKe... By download if it's urgent. Try the stretches.

Also google what painkillers you can and can't mix. And then get as many down you as you safely can.

During the worst episode I had, I spent entire evenings in a Mackenzie stretch, jammed up against a pile of cushions, rammed full of drugs. If you're unlucky it will clear very slowly over time, with no quick fix. But the good news is that usually bulging discs will calm down by themselves. Eventually.

[anonymous-user]

Vealie said:

If it is Sciatic pain then this one my Chiropractor gave me is good.

Take a belt or any type of binding and wrap it TIGHTLY around your lower hips. It stops the pelvis flexing and rubbing the nerve which is the source of the pain.

If it is not sciatica then it won't do a damn thing for you!

Good luck!

Also known as an SIJ belt or Serola belt. Can help (did with me), but the OP's condition sounds a bit too acute for it to work just yet.

[Art0ir]

I'm sceptical beyond the point of sensibility, but after hurting my back dead lifting a few months back and nothing alleviating the pain, these had me back in the gym after two days. I could barely put my leg in front of me without catching the sciatic nerve beforehand.

[seadragon]

Thanks all so far. Will take all things into consideration. For now pain far too acute, can still barely walk or stand up striaight. Had to drive my gf to the hospital yesterday and walk her to the appt. you would have thought i was the patient but she cant drive and would have gotten lost.

Drugs arent really working but will stick with them. Am sleeping a bit better but usually wake up early am in total agony. Still cant walk for far so I guess justnhave to be patient.

When i feel better will have to do my stretches etc. Have been researching and Yin Yoga sounds about the right long term solution for me, will see how it goes

[Art0ir]

You need to do the stretches now. Sitting around will not help and could delay recovery further

[anonymous-user]

Art0ir said:

You need to do the stretches now. Sitting around will not help and could delay recovery further

Nail. Head.

ETA: this thread has dredged a few suppressed memories. Also during the "worst episode" mentioned above, I couldn't remain in any position save for a propped McKenzie stretch for any period of time without exquisite pain. When I did try to walk, I found I was dragging my left foot on the ground (this got a chiro or an oesteo - can't remember which - massively stted up, and he basically refused to treat me after I mentioned this).

You need to get anti-inflams into you to try to help reduce the swelling of and around the disc. Plus you need some very strong painkillers to try to do something about the pain (although TBH I found few of them really did much. I think big doses of Solpadeine worked best).

Edited by anonymous-user on Tuesday 3rd February 18:37

[DUMBO100]

I took a lot of Co-codomol and I actually found that deep heat cream and heat patches worked enough to let me sleep. I had it for about 5 days and then it was gone as quickly as it started. Hope you're better soon, it's a bugger of a thing to deal with.

[seadragon]

Thanks

I am stretching as much as I can, just too painful to do for long and I am super sensitive for hours after. I am determined to keep stretching and taking the pills. Its been a week now but will keep on and plan to get fit again. I walk a lot with the dogs but nothing intensive.

[Carlique]

As mentioned, Belts are very good. Have you tried a Sacroiliac Belt? They're very good at relieving pain by supporting the ligaments and compressing the pelvis.

[Sticks.]

Have you tried getting in the pool at all? Not swimming, just relaxing. I have found that to just hang (vertically) at the edge from my fintertips, feet off the bottom, helps a lot. Not so much floating laterally as this can bring about inadvertant movement, which might aggrevate it. The pool is also a useful place to do core exercises later.

I've also used an osteopath, though def not the forceful kind. One that looks at your whole posture, looking for the root cause of your problem. And for me, after stretching, lying on my front on my elbows making a small very gentle arch was beneficial. Very gentle, note.

I also find a tight belt helps, though I was thinking it supports the transversus abdominus (sp) (TVA) which is a hard one to isolate via exercise.

What works for one can be completely wrong for another though and advice from a qualified person is much better than the Web. Worth seeking out and paying for.

Hope it's soon better.

[seadragon]

Well have been still in total agony, almost 3 weeks later. Havent gotten a sciatic belt or anything else but I went for an acupuncture appt yesterday and 24 hrs later I think the pain has dissipated by about 50%. I have another appt on wed. Am still doing some stretches but up until now I have had almost no flex due to the acute pain.

Based on my own experience thus far acupunture has been a winner. I have always been a sceptic but no longer. My acupunturist says he specifically moved to Herts because it is quite damp and as a result plenty of potential clients with issues to be treated. He has told me when out walking the dogs etc I need to be wearing windproof clothing, in my case trousers, or thermal underwear etc.

Will update again, thanks for all the tips/advice.

[tonyvid]

Good luck with it all, I had the same about 13years ago and it was pure agony for weeks. I still have a slightly odd right leg as a result so you do need to get treatment to prevent long term problems. When you can get back on your feet it's worth trying Pilates classes - they helped the best overall and I tried a lot! As for painkillers, you can ask for Tramadol, you'll be away with the fairies but it works well - at my very worst even that didn't do enough though. Grim.

[dandarez]

tonyvid said:

Good luck with it all, I had the same about 13years ago and it was pure agony for weeks. I still have a slightly odd right leg as a result so you do need to get treatment to prevent long term problems. When you can get back on your feet it's worth trying Pilates classes - they helped the best overall and I tried a lot! As for painkillers, you can ask for Tramadol, you'll be away with the fairies but it works well - at my very worst even that didn't do enough though. Grim.

F..k Tramadol! Although disc/sciatica pain is like the end of the world, Tramadol is the end. MAD mind altering drug is exactly that. I had no idea of anything, and to think I went outside the house while on these. Nothing really works on the pain, Tram just makes you think there is no pain, but also no world, no anything. F that! Agonising pain is preferable. In the end I went on max dose of aspirin (didn't seem to upset my system, despite what they say) but it did take the edge off for an hour in four.
I went through a long period of unable to sleep, my missus putting my socks on, not able to drive, sheer bloody agony. I remember once saying if I could have the bottom half of my body shot off, I'd be fine. It is that bad. As those who suffer will know.

To OP get the book, I mention this time and again, but it really is a godsend: 'The Back Sufferer's Bible' (blue cover). Learn about how your back and spine works, you'll be much happier. Best tenner i have ever spent. The one thing it won't mention though is to try and 'relax'. If you have a bad spasm, the first thing the body/you do is 'tense' up. Vicious circle. I had a flare up last week, bloody sciatica down both legs which is unusual, normally one leg. I immediately did roll ups, touch toes (eventually! - just keep those hands/arms going downwards, if it's too painful keep arms against body and eventually you'll get lower, lower, nearing your feet. Yeah, the back hurts even more, but it's what I call good pain. I 'know' I'll be in it for a few days. Get out and 'walk'. I convince myself I'll be fine in a few days and hey presto I am. That's why I'm on here now to see if I can give some advice having been there. And I've been there where you feel you're bloody crippled. 2005 and hobbling dragging foot along with that fear of some pedestrian just 'nudging' you will set it all off again. Even avoided the surgeon's scalpel, he was that pleased with my progress. Mind you, I'm talking a long time of agony, many would give in - I met lots of those who did and had the scalpel.
Now 'Bum bouncing'... bloody brilliant. Grab hold of something (bath side, or if out the sill of the car). Sod the embarrassment, I just did it, go down so your bum almost or does touch the floor, knees drop/spread as wide as you can go, and gently bump/bounce you bottom on the floor for a minute or two. Opens up the vital spinal parts. I could go on, but I'm off out for a walk. Got tingling down the left leg (sat here too long) but compared to last week... nothing!

Oh yeah, if you're sat at the computer, get a kneeling chair (mine's almost worn out now). Another good buy for a bad back.

[planetsurfer]

Had very bad sciatica for 30 years. Couldn't stand for more than 5 minutes without lots of pain.

Got one of these, all pain gone within 30 minutes. I can stand up for hours now. I've even started running again at 54.

http://www.keshefoundation.org/webshop/products/pr...

Used it on many people now. Just makes the pain go away. It also seems to help speed up repair any injury.