My Experience With Sciatica

a reply to: Benevolent Heretic

Thanks, BH. I'm glad to hear you were able to resolve your issues. I think there are solutions out there ... it's just so hard sometimes to find that one that's going to work for you.

I hope those links you provided can be of service to the folks who are sending me U2Us.

Chronic pain is a negative life-altering experience. Ending it, is one of the many reasons I go to work in the morning.

a reply to: intrptr

I can understand the principles behind that, but would tend to go with relief rather than cure.

As I said, the treatment I was taught was up and down the inside and against the shin bone.


Jane

a reply to: angelchemuel

I can vouch for your post. My daughter is a massage therapist, and has great success in treating sciatic nerve issues. Something as simple as the healing touch of another human is sadly overlooked by most of society.

I've been struggling for years now with this also. Shots, Therepy ,Chiropractor ,ect. I've tried nopal cactus juice and many other things. I know just why mine hurts and I found out I have a very degenerative disc due to so many years of abuse from all of my crashes from skateboarding atv's mountain biking and many other things. I have a very physical job and have trouble making it through a day. I stretch and use electro therapy and take Ibuprophen these days. As long as I'm careful and keep a strong core I make it through the weeks. if I slack at all or drive far or twist wrong or even sit up or walk wrong and it's like a knife in my back. It runs right through my pelvis and feels like I've been kicked in the groin sometimes. I need to look up this grapefruit oil. Thanks for that tip.

originally posted by: Schwallyjdog
I've been struggling for years now with this also. Shots, Therepy ,Chiropractor ,ect. I've tried nopal cactus juice and many other things. I know just why mine hurts and I found out I have a very degenerative disc due to so many years of abuse from all of my crashes from skateboarding atv's mountain biking and many other things. I have a very physical job and have trouble making it through a day. I stretch and use electro therapy and take Ibuprophen these days. As long as I'm careful and keep a strong core I make it through the weeks. if I slack at all or drive far or twist wrong or even sit up or walk wrong and it's like a knife in my back. It runs right through my pelvis and feels like I've been kicked in the groin sometimes. I need to look up this grapefruit oil. Thanks for that tip.

They discovered this ability of grapefruit oil to repair the melanin sheath when it was used on patients with Motor Neurone.
It has never been given the clinical trials it should have.....simply because it would mitigate the big pharma's 'medicines'.

Thank you to witness2008..........( )


Jane

a reply to: Schwallyjdog

"The flame that burns twice as bright, burns half as long."
Lao Tzu

You need to match your activity with as much relaxation. Have you given a good massage therapist a try?

I used to make a very long drive on a regular basis. After that drive my sciatic nerve would be sending pain through my leg and back. Massage and pressure point treatment alleviated the pain immediately. Not all massage therapist are created equally. I have had some pretty bad massages, but when you find that really good therapist, your life will change.

a reply to: angelchemuel

Thank you.

I was hoping to see someone like minded in this thread....and there you were.

Late in 1999 I tried yanking a piece of metal from a little tree's root system...3rd yank put me on my knees, out of commission. Thank god boss had a hot-tub...reason to get out of bed and go to work?

Not in a financial situation that allotted me lots of rest...or afforded any insurance to treat--->long story short with a side of beef against LLC concept...medical debt too unappealing, would hurt me worse than the physical pain.

I never had, because I never wanted a cure so bad- an actual cure available to me, until I got this chair.

Sure it hurt like 'normal-to-hellacious', at first, but doing stuff like leg lifts and just things to pull the spine- I figured mine was due to compressed discs...maybe that's correct, I don't know. But I do know that exercising my legs/lower back while sitting in this chair has me where I can walk my dogs for a good long open gait, and then some.

This is 2014, I've had the chair for 1 year. If I had known this sooner...

But, not all back injuries are the same nor treated the same.

These chairs are easy enough to build just by looking at a picture?

I watched a video on utube where there's this "Chiropractor" giving advice on 'proper' exercise for the sciatica nerve. I'd wring that guys neck if I could for the exasperation of 'normal' to 'chronic-and acute' pain his advice inflicted upon me. But, it's my own fault for following someone else's advice.

I'm just posting what works for me in the hopes in helping someone else who suffers similar injury.

Here is the story of my husband's sciatica problems and it doesn't end well. ;(

My husband was once an extremely active man. Like some of you,
he was a military man and for 20 years he scored a perfect 300 on
every PT test. He ran 8 miles a day, he worked out an hour or more
everyday, and he gave PT to his soldiers. He was one of those that
most dreaded to give PT because usually someone ended up puking
before it was over.

He stayed in shape even after retiring from the military at age 38.
He kept his vigorous exercise regime going until that one day. That
day when he decided to walk home after dropping his car off to be
worked on. On his way home, his leg began cramping, getting
worse with every step until he was in severe pain. It lasted a few
day, then went away.

But it came back within a weeks time with pains shooting from his
calf, his hip and to his butt. For a few months, it was a constant pain.
His high tolerance for pain, his stubbornness, and not wanting to take
a day away from work kept him from seeing a dr. until the pain
was so severe he thought he would pass out.

Someone recommended a chiropractor to us. He went a few times,
but nothing stopped the pain and he was in dire need to relieve himself
of the pain. We made an appointment with a back dr. who
examined him and told him he needed sciatica surgery. He scheduled
him for surgery and gave him a script for pain pills.

He had the surgery done and noticed right away that he had no
feeling from the back of his calf down to his foot. This was NOT
present before the surgery. He asked the Dr. about it and his
response was, " You waited too long to have the surgery" and
that it shouldn't be permanent.

It is permanent!

A once extremely athletic and active 42 yr. old man, a man who
ran marathons and did triathlons, had permanent nerve damage
called FOOT DROP. He did not have this before the surgery,
but it was present immediately afterwards. He must wear a brace
now in order to keep from tripping over his own foot. He can't run
anymore, he has trouble just walking. His leg muscles have atrophied
and his whole life has changed. It was 8 months from the initial pain
while walking home to the time he had surgery. Little did he know
that one day when he was walking home and felt pain would
be the first day of a life changing event.

This is his story.

a reply to: Snarl
I suffer really bad with Arthritis on my lower spine which gives me symptoms of severe sciatica and at times I go into muscle spasms (very,very painful) and the ONLY way to treat this is with powerful downers. I believe these are what you were given ie . Tamazepam or Diazepam they knock you out so therefore relax muscles and give your spine a chance to recover, not cure only recover. I've tried injections, tens, exercise, acupuncture and physio, I've tried to persuade my GP to get me an operation but all I got was"they wont touch you with a knife as the operation is too dangerous", but the only thing that helps is pills. But I don't like taking too many pills (painkillers and anti inflammatory) because of the side effects and I can see of no other alternative. Also agreeing with Benevolent, my having seen a specialist most sciatic pain is ghost pain from the nerves where they leave the spine(not in your legs or groin) though you feel the pain there its root cause is the part where the nerves leave the spine.

a reply to: Snarl

Sciatica is a bitch, huh? Sneaks in with a little ache here and there and, before you know it, it's sequestered your life and occupied your every movement. SoB!!

It's like one day, you're fit and healthy and the next is like being replaced with the body of an old guy. I was limping, losing sleep and eventually sucking on nitrous in the back of an ambulance. After that, a physio said I'd lost 30% muscle mass in the right leg and ass.

The ambulance was a wake-up call so I started swimming every morning in the old-folk's lane. Breast-stroke redeveloped the muscle mass and balance in my legs and got rid of sciatica. That led to running, gym work-outs, boot-camps and boxing.

Sciatica turned out to be a life-saver.

I have injured myself many times at work doing construction and Oil industry work , The chemicals i was exposed to in the oil industry could be one factor , ladies nail varnish remover is number 7 in strength , i thought nothing of sticking my hands into number 19 out of 20 and cleaning them with a wire brush and using de-greasers without gloves or masks .


I had to pack in my job 5 years ago as the pills were not working for me when i told the doctor how many i was taking a day they instantly stopped them on me , Junkies were bowing down in respect at the number off tablets i was going through a day while at work .


I have given up driving /cycling /swimming keeping a garden and other hobbies /love life , i have been told by medical professionals to keep moving but i find that very hard , i thought nothing of doing 20 miles most days at 40 i could walk my dog 30 miles in a day if i was bored .

I received a massage chair as a present and would recommend it over most pain killers ,it is cost effective and available 24/7 at £ 140 200 $ usd while i was working i was using a box of pills a day which were £ 300 + $ 480
a cash cow for the government .


Excellent ideas from the members here but with the state of the health service in my area it is better not to hold you're breath waiting for a appointment for anything , i made a appointment for a pain clinic 5 weeks ago and got a date on Saturday for the 19th of November a 3.5 month wait , and do not be 2 minutes wait for that appointment or they will cancel .

I have been begging the doctors for 4 years for injections in my back & shoulder / x-rays / blood tests , i have been told i cannot receive any medication from a doctor until i have a exam in November . even though i have had all the tests years ago to conform sciatica .


Moving medical practices so many times over the years and going to so many different doctors will not help you and in times of austerity you end up feeling like a drain on society my standard of living has dropped from £ 50.000 $ 75.000 pa to less than £ 5000 in the last 3 years , you can ask for help but expect to jump through hoops and miles of red tape , i have been refused any sickness benefits from the doctor because of cut backs and i am not alone most people i talk to are treated the same as me .


When i am able to work for a few hours a day i do , But i stick a big finger at the government and do work for people who need it and for nothing just to keep myself mobile . i try and walk 20 or so miles a week , help out at the church soup kitchen one night a week , but i have no life with sciatica as you cannot plan ahead as you all will know .


I will try snarls treatment first if i can find the correct tablets , i am to scared to lie on my floor with the freaky large spiders i have come across lately

But thank you everyone here for some great advice as i was very nearly giving in stars all round

I have moderate scoliosis as well as disc degeneration. The past few years I have developed nasty sciatica symptoms. I have been researching these things called "back mice". Technical term is "lumbar fascial fat herniation". I have two golf ball sized hard lumps on either side of my spine that move freely. I noticed when I got a massage last year by a therapist that was not familiar with these things that he made the pain much worse. He said it was lactic acid build-up and he would massage them out. While he was massaging them, it was painful, and the next day it was even worse. Needless to say, there is no way you can "massage" them out.

There are those out there that believe these things become inflamed and cause root nerve irritation. There is some information out there that removing them has helped some people with the pain, and for some it disappeared. Of course my MD would not entertain this idea as it is not a well know treatment. He does, however, have no problem referring me to someone who will do spinal surgery. It is ridiculous, the back mice surgery isn't nearly as invasive. I really want these things removed, all you have to do is press on them and move them around and the pain radiates down my leg.

I used to work for a Chiropractor who treated patients who ended up much worse off after spinal surgery. He told me people should avoid it all together if they can. So my question is; is anyone familiar with the "back mice"?

a reply to: douglas5
You're the same as me though I was just about at the end of my career. Now you've hit the big wall!! You may have worked all your life like me and paid all your taxes but because you can't work full time you're a SCROUNGER a LAYABOUT. Though that on our part is sarcasm the majority of people believe it. If, like me, you ask for an operation they will tell you that they will not do it until you are about to be wheel chair bound as it's a 50 50 chance of complete paralysis. Unless absolutely necessary do not have spinal fusion.

a reply to: crayzeed

I know people who have been told at 60 they are to young to get new hips , and think my right hip is gone or gong to go soon , i do not fancy spinal fusion at all and have been quoted £ 750 per month to get the injections privately done

when i said £ 5000 in my last post that was what i have lived on in 3 years total , while i was working i paid £ 1400 a month in tax $ 2000 usd

It is embarrassing how long i take to do a task now what i could do in 1 day takes 3-4 now , i feel like 90 years old most days but try to soldier on

Tomorrow i hope to get a bit more done on the church exterior 3-4 days work has taken me weeks , i got a box of pain killers of a friend and hope to get it done by the weekend , it is not unusual for me to come home after some work -sit down and not move or be able to until the next morning ,unable to get up for a cup of tea or go to bed , just assume the position and stay there till morning

a reply to: Snarl

My heart breaks for everyone here that is suffering.

I had sciatica for five years. I'll keep my story short - had sciatic pain, told to lose weight, told to exercise more. Did that. Pain got worse. Kept going to doctor and she kept giving me pain meds and then without any kind of x-ray was told I had a slipped disc and that this was my life from now on. I suspect she didn't know what else to do with me but it was her job to rule all out. At the same time a work doctor (back in the good old days) assessed me one day when I had a breakdown at work and said he'd get me to see his friend, a neurologist. Neurologist looked me over and said that I was going to have to learn to live with the pain. At this time I would lay on the couch propped up by all sorts of pillows in order to find just that one position that didn't have me screaming with pain and I would be able to sleep. I slept with pain but at least it wasn't the knife slicing pain of nerve intensity. But the neurologist decided to have an MRI taken just to rule anything out. It was a spinal tumour inside my spinal column. I was told if I were to have an unexpected blow on my back that I could end up paralyzed for life and I was booked for surgery within the week. Everything turned out fine. They had to snip one of the nerves that ran down to the bottom of my left foot but over time that nerve has regenerated. I can still shovel, move furniture, etc.

Please, please make sure you have, if you at all can, had x-rays taken/MRI. Don't ever take a doctor's advice for being the end result. They are only as good as their passion for their job.

Aside from stretches which do help but if you are in so much pain you can't even get in the position to them I went online to see what I could find that may be of help.

I have heard of this method for back injuries but it has to be given within a certain time frame - at least this is going back years now when I first heard of it. But check this out - this might help someone on this forum. It sounds amazing and not only for backs but for alzheimers and stroke victims.

www.youtube.com...
www.painbreakthrough.com...

Good luck to you all. I feel your pain and wish I could just snap my fingers and have it go away. No one should suffer this way and have it destroy your life.

a reply to: Benevolent Heretic
a reply to: angelchemuel
a reply to: Bone75

Thanks guys for taking the time to reply. I don't have much experience with this. My moms problem is just beginning to be diagnosed and I am grateful for the information by you and others in this thread. It was timely…

Thanks for starting the thread Snar!l

I guess I was very fortunate in my case. I returned from a week-long ski trip several years ago to fly immediately to a trade show convention the following week. I spent plenty of time walking the concrete floors of the convention hall and standing for hours on end - in really bad shoes. I was also prone to keeping my wallet in my back pocket.

I should preface that I was in my early forties and not in the best shape. Yes, 50 pounds over weight, and outside of the week of skiing, maybe going to the gym twice a week... if that.

By the time I flew home from the convention I started to feel pain in my back. Three days later it was more severe and started to move from lower back down through my butt and down my leg. By the following week, I couldn't get out of bed and it was VERY painful to walk.

After seeing the doctor, he wrote a prescription for pain killers and told me it would take awhile before I would start feeling better and to give it time. He identified it as sciatica and said I should expect to have some form of it for the rest of my life. He did offer physical therapy but I declined.

I opted not to take the pain killers...

(DIGRESSION - with the exception of that one time - well after I got better - I popped one and mixed with alcohol ***LA LA LAND****)

...and instead decided to force myself to work through it. I started by walking back and forth as long as I could bare it in my back yard. Then ventured out around the block. By the second week I was able to walk a mile. Then two. By the end of the second month I was able to run laps.

When I was discussing this with somebody in casual conversation, they responded "don't you stretch?" For some reason that stuck with me. Anytime I experienced even slight discomfort from that point forward, I would get on my back and pull my knees towards me one at a time. Then I would sit up, put one leg outstretched, with the other one back and reach for my toes. At first, I found it near impossible to lean forward to touch my toes as the pain was so bad. However, I could feel the muscles in my back and down through my legs loosen up. I would then switch legs and repeat. This eventually seemed to do the trick.

The following ski season I experienced the same thing after only two days of skiing. I somehow did not practice what I learned the previous year and went through the week with the pain. It got so bad I started to sleep on the floor. When I got home it was too much to bear. I literally spent the first 5 hours back home stretching on the floor. I incorporated a few more stretches... pelvic thrusts, crunches and such that work the core. The second day back I did the same but only for 2-3 hours. By the third day, I got out of bed with no problems and the pain was minimal. I continued the stretches in the morning for a week but got it down to less than 30 minutes. By week two, pain was gone.

Now, when I start to feel even a little discomfort, I will resort to a short regimen of stretches. It has kept me relatively pain free since and has allowed me to manage my pain completely. I can't emphasize enough what a difference it has made in eliminating the severe pain I had previously experienced.

I realize that there are varying degrees and I was fortunate in discovering what worked for me.

Hope this helps someone in a similar situation.

I started to get sciatica a few years ago, but went to the doctor right away. He said it was in the early stage, so we could try treatment with anti- inflammatories. That helped, and when ever it starts to happen again, this treatment puts a stop to it.

But the doc told me that if I had waited longer before seeking treatment, I'd have been beyond any reliable treatment.

But in talking with others who suffer from this, I observed a pattern! Almost everyone I talked to had this start at a time in their life in which they had suddenly stopped working, or somehow been able to slow down their efforts.

They were almost always people who tend to "burn the candle from both ends". I suspect it accompanies a deep seated belief that working really hard is NECESSARY for survival, and there might be some guilt involved with not feeling you are making enough effort. It could be repressed guilt, that you are in denial of on some level... but my own self analysis and questioning of others repeatedly comes up with criticism of "slackers" or people who don't "get up off their a$& and move".

I don't mean to suggest that it would be as simple as changing your opinion on that- these ideas are deep seated (haha...). Sometimes it is necessary to give in to it to some extent (exercise a bit for example) but also give yourself permission to rest too. Come up with a compromise .

I had two weeks of vacation from work recently, and ended up doing nothing but sleep for the first week! I was aware of the deeper guilt about that, but eased it a bit with the promise that I would get lots done the second week (which I did).

I like to try to find the psychological influences in my malfunctions as soon as possible, before they get too bad. This has saved me, I think, from a potential of terrible suffering.

a reply to: Snarl

I developed sciatica 26 and a half years ago, the standard meds at the time were high strength codine based.

My experience has been that it comes and goes, painful though it is, so far it has had little impact over all on the quality of my life.

Back in febuary i started to have unusual pains and aches in my legs,which are getting worse all the time. so far Ive been tested for thyroid, liver, kidney and bone function, vitamin deficencies, vascular problems, etc etc.

I have recently discovered that if sciatica is left untreated, it can eventually cause periphial neuropathy, which would explain the symptoms i am suffering now.

Pain relief for sciatica is only pain relief, it still leaves the under lying issue, which needs treating rather than relieving.