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Sciatica remedies?
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If anyone can offer a glimmer of hope or advice I'd really appreciate it.
Putting my undies on on Sunday I felt a twang in my lower back right buttock area.
....went to the gym and did the normal round of weights etc and felt perfectly fine.
Later that morning went fishing with my son and started having problems standing upright.
By the end of the day I coud not walk more than 100m without having to rest.
Since then and for the past 4 days I've been almost incapacitated. Sitting is fine, but standing, walking or any movement causes excrutiating pain in my lower back, right buttock area.
Have visited a physio, who massaged the area and diagnosed Sciatica. Felt no better afterwards. Visited the doctor yesterday who also diagnosed Sciatica and prescribed dichlofenac anti inflammatories and Diazepam (pain killer and muscle relaxant)
....tried daily floor stretching routines (no problem in doing most things other than stretching backwards). Also tried hanging from my loft hatch by my hands. Warm baths, wife massages etc etc.
...all to no avail.
I'm going to pool today to see if I can do any exercise there that may help.
After 5 days I'm still at square one. Painful as ever and no sign of improvement. Cant even walk to the toilet and wee standing up.
As an almost daily runner, doing mixed hills/roads/tracks...anything from 45 mins up to about 2 hours. At 45 and 86Kg I'm no super athlete, but the pain from this and the fact that I cant get out is driving me loopy.
any suggestions?
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Comments
Ouch Dave
Sciatica is a general term for lower back pain, not a proper diagnosis. You need to determine what's caused the pain on the nerves in your back. Often the damage to the back occurs before the actual incident and the simplist of movements, in your case, getting dressed, triggers a spasm of the already damaged area.
People can go for years with their backs 'out', with muscle imbalances building up over time. Think of the muscles of the spine as a series of guy ropes, if some are taut and other lax this is where problems occur, especially with overuse. This is why the importance of hamstring and lower back stretching is essential for runners.
Most cases of sciatica I see are down to the lumbar spine being misaligned, and this can be easily rectified by a practicioner experienced in vertebral mobilisation. I'd be surprised that your physio hasn't spotted this. I would try a different physio or a chiropractor - ask at your docs if they refer people to back specialists too.
thanks Guys,
I'll take account of what you are saying here, and give these things a shot.
Obviously I'd like to be on the fells tomorrow, but the way it looks I'll be lucky if its this time next week....
Hi Dave,
A good chiropractor should be able to sort this out pretty quickly. I had sciatica a couple of years ago (not quite as bad as yours by the sound of it) - got it sorted at chiropractor & have had no probs since. I also do lots of core & lower back exercises now so this helps too.
good luck cm
If none of these suggestions work, I have found acupuncture to help! My nerve pain was caused by a pro-lapsed disc so possibly slightly diff from yours but acupuncture helps a lot with nerve pain.
Good luck!
thanks for the advice everyone.
Just completed a pool session. Absolutely amazed at the range of motion, flexibility and array of exercises that are possible when suspended in water up to your chest.
I came out confidently thinking the problem was sorted. Until I walked 50yds down the road to get my lottery tickets.....
..lot to be said for pool therapy, but I think a few more visits are necessary before I'm running again...
thanks for all the help, Dave
Did Physio check to see if your pelvis was aligned properly?
Pelvic problems and Sacro-illiac joint problems can create very similar symptoms, in causing muscle imbalance which can put extra pressure on the sciatic nerve.
If you're still in pain, i'd get a second opinion.
Hope you get sorted, as i know what the pain is like, and not being able to run/walk or even stand, is very debilitating.
WTF does Null mean, I didn't write null!!
GRRRR
I wrote"
I had a similar problem to which a lovely handsome physio called Dave pummeled my bum cheaks with his elbow. It was slightly painful but nontheless thoroughly enjoyable."
However I notice you are a Dave also, you may not find it quite as enjoyable!
I had a blind physio who worked on me on day 1. He isolated the sciatic nerve with ease and rubbed it so much I dont know whether it made the problem better or worse.
...his name was Roger.
The pain killers dont kill the pain, and the muscle relaxants dont relax my muscles.
The pool felt great, and I was splashing around like a baby, but walking afterwards was still painful.
I'll give the stretching exercises a go again over the weekend, and then maybe a chiropractor next week if its not cured.
...lesson learned, never put your undies on standing up on one leg.....
Especially if you lose your balance in the bathroom and burn your head on the heated towel rail