Lower Back Pain and Sciatica - Self-Treatment!

Well, I think I may have sciatic pain. I've read the entry on wikipedia about it and it seems exactly like what I feel. I have pain on my lower back sometimes but I feel it only on the right side. My right leg also gets tingly when I stand up but there's really no pain. And it's only always on my right leg, never on my left. It's just annoying. The only problem with this is that I'm only 16. Am I too young to be having this? I don't remember having any accidents or anything that could've "triggered" sciatica. Oh, and thanks for the tips!

My hubby used to be very very athletic, competed in running marathons, ran 8 miles every night, weight lifted, etc. He developed a sciatica problem during a 5 mile walk home and within a few months was in such severe pain, needed surgery. After a month or so of trying alternatives, he had the surgery. Now, the dr. says because he waited so long ( six months tops from first pain to surgery) he has a drop foot, or a dead foot. He can no longer run. He has trouble walking and trips and falls constantly. His leg has atrophied, even after working the muscle daily, and is half the size of his other leg. He will never be the same again. I hope none of you have this happen. It has devastated him.

This is a great thread. FurryTexan, I am 57 and also a fat, old football player. I didn't play in college because of multiple ligament tears to my right knee. I've needed a total knee for 15 years, my shoulders, neck and lumbar spine are shot, and as much as I loved and still love football, I wish I'd have taken up golf in jr. high school instead of football. I am a wreck. I know exactly how you feel.

I have a lot of experience in this particular field, having helped do Surgery for 32 years, including working privately as a first assistant for ortho and spine surgeons for 20 years. This kind of massage really works. It doesn't, however, work equally well for everyone. Back pain without radiation into the buttocks, upper, and lower leg(s) is called mechanical back pain. The spine settles as we age, and this puts increased pressure on the posterior elements of the spine. It's almost like the front end wearing out on a car. You can nurse it along, but you cannot get the chicken back into the egg. Low back pain with significant leg pain is a whole different ballgame. The configuration of a herniated disc will show where the pain should be, confirming the symptoms. If the herniation (or buldge) is in the middle of the disc, you will likely have more midline back and buttocks pain, unless it is a gigantic herniation which pushes soft tissue to both sides, when you would have symptoms in both legs. Generally, a herniated disc on the right side would cause right leg pain, and one on the left will cause left leg pain. The individual nerve roots come out of the spine on both sides like your arm comes out the sleeves of your shirt. With spinal stenosis, an overgrowth of bone narrows these exit canals causes pressure on the spinal nerves and pain, numbness, tingling, and sometimes loss of motor function. Like the poster above said who waited too long to get something done, the footdrop was permanent. It takes a while for a nerve to get really pissed off and a long time for a nerve to get un-pissed off when you remove the pressure from it. If the pain goes below the knee and into the lower leg or foot, you need to get it checked out. As long as pressure point massage works for you, keep doing it, but if you do sense a motor or power loss, please get checked out. Whatever you do, if you lose your bladder on yourself and don't know it and pee on yourself and don't know it until you feel it with your hands, go to the ER. This is an emergency, and if the pressure isn't removed within 24-48 hours, you could end up wearing up Depends the rest of your life. Sorry for the length, folks.

My cousin had sciatica so bad he almost shot himself. He was in the worst pain imaginable for 6 straight months. I'd visit him and he would lay on his floor with a heating pad on his right leg with the electric cord wrapped around it super-tight. He was eating pain pills like candy and drinking whiskey to try and dull the pain....to no avail. He was contorted into an 'S' shape and he had super high blood pressure from the pain. I helped him as much as i could.
He had no insurance but finally made it through the system to get welfare surgery. The doctor said he had so much blown out disc tissue pressing on nerves that nothing would've helped his pain. The doctor said it was the most tissue he had ever pulled out and he couldn't even imagine the pain due to so much pressure on the nerves.

Anyway, this account just goes to show that sometimes only surgery can fix a problem like that.

I would also add that a strong core helps alot. Lift properly with your legs and even do exercises to strengthen your core as a young person to help avoid problems as an older adult.

I started having lower back pain every time i stopped working out. As long as i stayed on a regular schedule of squats, deadlifts and pull-ups, i was fine...

Of course you have to use good technique and start out slow. Always warm-up before exercise.....that is VITAL.

reply to post by TXRabbit


Hey, so I just got back my MRI results and took a peek at what I had. It said I had spinal stenosis and some other hard words I couldn't comprehend. I was wondering what you did to get rid of this condition. I hope it wasn't surgery. Can it get fixed through physical therapy? Well, thanks in advance.

Chiropractic care in general is safe when employed skillfully and appropriately. Manipulation is regarded as relatively safe,Many people believe that rest is best for a painful back, but actually, what your back really needs when it’s hurt is exercise. Regular exercise relieves back pain by strengthening and stretching the muscles that support the spine and helps to prevent future injury Studies have shown that yoga is the number one most effective exercise for relieving back pain.
It is best to do these exercises under the supervision of a certified yoga instructor, and if you encounter any problems with these poses, you should consult an expert.


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It has been seen that people who are very much active in gym and does regress exercise especially weight lifting, they sometimes gets back ache or muscle pain problem. These problems are common and it has been seen mostly, in people doing lots of gym. [ will help you get rid from back pain problem.

If I may, the way I deal with my back pain is like cracking knuckles! That's right! I'd have to "stretch out" my spine and as soon as I hear a single pop and other crunching sound, I'm good to go. Plus, the basic tummy exercises help to keep the back strong.

The best thing for sciatic and lower back pain is very simple. 1) drink plenty of water. 2) eat jello regularly. The problem is mostly caused by nerves pinched between the disks in your back and water will help keep them hydrated and jello will give the body what it needs to rebuild them. This has worked for me and for a friend that also tried it.

I want to find the right sciatica exercises. Where can I find them? If you know home remedies, please do share. I hope many people will get benefit from your answers.

At first, How you find you had sciatica?

Many people not visit doctor. When they feel pain, just say as they have sciatica.

Took MRI?

Reason may:

Aged?

Or

Herinated disc?

Or
bulging disc?

After you find the right reason for your sciatica pain, you can start treatment/exercise process.

So what I recommend is, Analyze well and consult doctor.

If you still need to find some home remedies, look to this post. There are many home remedies articles you can find when you Google it or on YouTube.

Note: Again..Before you start any remedies/exercise, consult correct doctor.

Hope this helps

a reply to: Benevolent Heretic

I have a place in my lower back that goes "out' every so often.

I used to pay to get a back bender to fix it. Then I began to use a bag of frozen peas whic worked by lying on them on the floor.

Now I use a tennis ball which I lay on, in bed for 10-15 minutes. So far its, worked like a charm.