Sciatic nerve damn you!!!

[Bear00]

Anyone here ever have there sciatic nerve act up once in a while? it normally is the worst in my thigh. Anyone have any home remedies or exercises that help?

[canadiantdi]

Sometimes if I sit too long I get a deep dull pain in my left butt cheek. It goes away when I walk around.

This pain only started after I began jogging. I traded in jogging for biking two years ago but it still bothers me once in a while.

[Bear00]

Originally Posted by canadiantdi

Sometimes if I sit too long I get a deep dull pain in my left butt cheek. It goes away when I walk around.

This pain only started after I began jogging. I traded in jogging for biking two years ago but it still bothers me once in a while.

Quite often I have to take breaks on long trips when driving as I get the same pain in my butt/leg

[Morbius131]

Hey bear00

The wife suffered from critics for years and then she found a physiotherapist that also did acupuncture. At one point it affected her so bad that she had a hard time walking. After three or four treatments of both therapy and acupuncture she is what I would call cured. She goes back every 6 to 9 months for one treatment to maintain it.

Might be something to consider.

Morb

[catnthehat]

Originally Posted by Bear00

Anyone here ever have there sciatic nerve act up once in a while? it normally is the worst in my thigh. Anyone have any home remedies or exercises that help?

I have a series of stretching exercises I do every day that were given to me by my chiropractor for my sciatic nerve problems - they work wonders.
Cat

[Bear00]

Originally Posted by Morbius131

Hey bear00

The wife suffered from critics for years and then she found a physiotherapist that also did acupuncture. At one point it affected her so bad that she had a hard time walking. After three or four treatments of both therapy and acupuncture she is what I would call cured. She goes back every 6 to 9 months for one treatment to maintain it.

Might be something to consider.

Morb

Thanks for sharing that!!, I will definitely look into it. Last year out of no where it hit me so bad I couldn't walk and ended up in the hospital.

[silverdoctor]

I found out the hard way that i've had 2 forms of sciatica, neither is fun to deal with. Broke my back when I was 15, stupid kid on downhill skiis feeling immortal.

Do you know the reason for your sciatica?

in the early days, my sciatica stemmed from slippage of L4 over L5 pinching nerves as it moved, makes for some wild and wonderful pain and sensations. A good chiro can do wonders for it.

Last year, my sciatica started acting up again while camping in Banff. Off to see a chiro again, but this time it was an inflamed sciatic nerve deep in my left arse cheek. Not much can be done about it, i'll roll around on a golf ball believe it or not, just to get some deep massage to it.

Stretching will help - and if you have a wallet in your ass pocket, get it out of there and leave it out. I've had chiro's give me a slap for that.

[calgarygringo]

Mine is up and down and has been that way for years. Goes for a long time like lately with only a small twinge here and there to so bad I can hardly stand up sit or sleep. No magic answer to cure it but as mentioned there are a few things that help. certain stretches, accupuncture, and lots of Aleve and Robx Platinum do the trick when I am in agony.Lucky for me it has been a while but I know my turn will come again.

[Bear00]

Originally Posted by silverdoctor

I found out the hard way that i've had 2 forms of sciatica, neither is fun to deal with. Broke my back when I was 15, stupid kid on downhill skiis feeling immortal.

Do you know the reason for your sciatica?

in the early days, my sciatica stemmed from slippage of L4 over L5 pinching nerves as it moved, makes for some wild and wonderful pain and sensations. A good chiro can do wonders for it.

Last year, my sciatica started acting up again while camping in Banff. Off to see a chiro again, but this time it was an inflamed sciatic nerve deep in my left arse cheek. Not much can be done about it, i'll roll around on a golf ball believe it or not, just to get some deep massage to it.

Stretching will help - and if you have a wallet in your ass pocket, get it out of there and leave it out. I've had chiro's give me a slap for that.

My chiro helps but neither of us can find an answer as to what irritates it and causes it to act up. I have gone months with no issues then it will start acting up out of no where. Just looking to see what others do when that happens

[New Hunter Okotoks]

I know a little about Sciatica. I have 2 pinched discs in my lower lumbar region.

I tried a few pain meds and the ones I am on now are Gabapentin and Tramacet. If I don't take them, I can't walk. With them, I can function pretty much at a normal level physically for my age.

If things get bad all of a sudden, I go into my "Rescue" position. Basically I squat down like a catcher and it relieves about 90% of the pain. Going for a long walk in a field or any other soft ground helps as well.

I am not kidding here; the worst thing on my back is not heavy lifting it is doing dishes. I have lost about 1.5 inches in height over the years but I am still about 5'10 or so. Standing at the sink for an extended time is just hell on my lower back; pain pills or not.

Sciatica and back pain in general can be a very individual thing. Try different excercises and meds if it gets bad enough.

Good Luck.

[New Hunter Okotoks]

[QUOTE=calgarygringo;1469071] and lots of Aleve and Robx Platinum do the trick when I am in agony.QUOTE]

If Rabaxacet (or whatever it's called now) helps, Costco sells the EXACT same thing under their Kirkland label for 1/10 the cost. The Pharmacist told me that the stuff comes right off the same assembly line. 100 pills for $3.99.

[silverdoctor]

i'm not one for taking meds of any sort but when i really need pain management from a pill, i'll go for a drug called "Mersyndol".

It's an over the counter med, have to ask the pharmacist for them and you probably have to sign for them.

Robaxacet and others did nothing for me at all...

[decker]

I have a ruptured disc in my lower back that was causing my sciatic to act up 10 years ago. I was on 85mg of morphine a day to ease the pain, I couldn't stand for very long and walking was sometimes very difficult. I tried accupuncture and nothing, went to the specialist and told him to fuse the vertibrae together and they wouldn't. My best advice is stay away from chiropracters, take your wallet out of your back pocket, get into a stretching routine where it stretches your hamstrings. Do some physio and strengthen your core muscles. I have been good for 10 years.

Good luck

[Gust]

Find some sand or a beach or make a long sandbox and walk barefoot about an hor a day. If you wear a belt change to a soft canvas type. Use a lombar pillow when you sit. Do 6 inch leg lifts in bed before you get out of bed. Dont sympathise and walk as normal as possible, no limping or cane walking. Get very good walkinh shoes boots or get the insoles that come with that dr scholls machine at london drugs. Get a doctor to figure out which heel needs a lifter insole. If you wear heavy soled workbootd get a soft insole to take the shock off your leg. Dont use painkillers, walk an hour a day on grass only.
Painkillers mimic that you are better and you can do more damage.
Take my suggestions seriously.

[Rosco300WM]

I have Spondylolisthesis on L5 S1 and I ended up getting surgery after 2.5 years of hell. I find now that when the weather is changing I get a bit of pain in the butt cheek. Stretching the glutes and hamstrings help as well as taking an Aleeve as it has an anti inflamatory in it (naproxen). I feel your pain, not fun at all. The other thing I was told is to not have your wallet in your back pocket as it causes you to sit funny.

[silverdoctor]

Originally Posted by GustavMahler

Find some sand or a beach or make a long sandbox and walk barefoot about an hor a day.

Interesting idea...

Originally Posted by GustavMahler

If you wear a belt change to a soft canvas type.

i've noticed that too, my back tend to act up flaring everything else up when I have the leather belt on too tight.

[Bear00]

I definitely do not keep my wallet in my back pocket, my chiro would beat me if I did LOL

[Gust]

Do not sit low, like on a rock while fishing. I know you fish so if wading, long johns even in summer, double socks. Dont cross your legs and try sleeping on your back. Get a firm mattress and try not to nap on your side on the couch. Sitting is bad.
But an investment in expensive footwear is crucial. If you get that heavier work chances are you are on concrete, so take the shock away, good footwear.
Eat bran, keep regular,, long story. More later

[silverdoctor]

you're going to laugh, but something else that really helped is getting rid of my bed. I have been sleeping on a full height queen air bed for over a year, and i don't get nearly as many aches and pains anymore.

Started off with an intex, damn thing kept leaking. Now I have a roots airbed, much better.

[2fast4uRuss]

I have same thing happening to me. I find if I wear Sanucks there kind of a sandal styled shoe it seems to help verses my normal styled dr martin styled work shoes. I have tried multiple shoe inserts as well but have had to limit my activities and how far I walk especially on concrete.
I have fought with it since febuary and tried Chiropracter, massage, physio and Bowen and nothing seemed to help. I usually avoid medication as I have a high pain tolerance but on occasions used advil to help with pain and inflamation when it was bad but was at the Dr's today as was suffering very badly trying to get him to send me to a specialist and he prescribed me with tramadol/acet 37.5g and I can not believe how much better I felt and it lasted most of the day. I went from pain driving and being hunched over walking and limping to full movement again. I plan to only take it when I have to as a person can become addicted but for the real bad days it will be an option. I am awaiting an mri to try and find a cure to the problem but atleast a person can cope until then.

[thunder_sticks]

Mersyndol is just 325mg Acetaminophen, 5mg Doxylamine Succinate & 8mg Codeine. An analgesic, a sleep helper and an opiate in a very small dose. If that works for you that is great.

I lay on my stomach over my Swiss ball to stretch out and decompress a bit every day at the end of the day. A regular stretching and strengthening routine in the mornings will work wonders as well.

Save the $$$ on the chiropractor, you can no more "slip or adjust a disc" than you can remove and reinstall your teeth at will....barring false ones I suppose!

They will tell you to come back for 6-9 treatments, most back or neck flare-ups subside in 6-8 weeks. Coincidence?

[rwm1273]

Originally Posted by silverdoctor

I found out the hard way that i've had 2 forms of sciatica, neither is fun to deal with. Broke my back when I was 15, stupid kid on downhill skiis feeling immortal.

Do you know the reason for your sciatica?

in the early days, my sciatica stemmed from slippage of L4 over L5 pinching nerves as it moved, makes for some wild and wonderful pain and sensations. A good chiro can do wonders for it.

Last year, my sciatica started acting up again while camping in Banff. Off to see a chiro again, but this time it was an inflamed sciatic nerve deep in my left arse cheek. Not much can be done about it, i'll roll around on a golf ball believe it or not, just to get some deep massage to it.

Stretching will help - and if you have a wallet in your ass pocket, get it out of there and leave it out. I've had chiro's give me a slap for that.

Good advice.

I hurt my back when I was 18 playing hockey against the military police. Rule one. Don't play hockey drunk. Rule two don't bring a bunch of friends to cheer you on if they want to sing "I smell bacon, I smell pork, run piggy piggy, I got a fork!"

[duffy4]

I had it bad one fall. I could only limp a 100 yards or so from my truck to hunt. One afternoon a medium white-tail buck walked out and I wss sitting in my chair with a good rest. I had the cross-hairs on him but I figured if I shot him I was going to have a heck of a time getting to him, dressing him out and I'd need help getting him to and in my truck. I let him pass.

After chiro and medication and MRI, I started doing some stretching and exercise. It cleared up.

Every morning before I get out of bed I lay straight and try to make myself taller. I force my feet down wards while forcing my head upwards. And I tighten up my stomach muscles and hold them tight.

Haven't had the problem in many years now.

[Spidey]

Originally Posted by duffy4

I had it bad one fall. I could only limp a 100 yards or so from my truck to hunt. One afternoon a medium white-tail buck walked out and I wss sitting in my chair with a good rest. I had the cross-hairs on him but I figured if I shot him I was going to have a heck of a time getting to him, dressing him out and I'd need help getting him to and in my truck. I let him pass.

After chiro and medication and MRI, I started doing some stretching and exercise. It cleared up.

Every morning before I get out of bed I lay straight and try to make myself taller. I force my feet down wards while forcing my head upwards. And I tighten up my stomach muscles and hold them tight.

Haven't had the problem in many years now.

Had back surgury that entailed shaving back some herniated disc on my L5 about 18 years ago. Been fine ever since (with the exception that I can no longer touch my toes... there went my career in Circ De Soleil).

From what I remember those home inverters provided relief (those tables you strap your ankles in and flip yourself upside down), as well as physio when they put those sponges on my back and ran electricl charges through them. I also found that lumbar support while driving is crucial - if you vehicle doesn't have it built in, a rolled up sweater works great.

I was on the road to recovery until I tried to impress some girls while on water skis, then that was it...under the knife I went.

Oh, and I remember the doc saying "If you don't want to end up back on my operating table do yourself one favor - do NOT develop a beer gut!"

[Gorram]

Herniated L4-L5 here.

Warm up - stretch - core ex's - stretch.

Build up slowly, never stop.

[artie]

I started with sciatica and then about 15 years ago I developed a numb foot. The doc did a scan and said I have disc problems which is causing the numb foot and I was put on low priority list for a back operation. I never did hear from anyone about an operation. One physio I saw told me to suck it up as lots of people would like to trade their back pain for my numb foot. So I have been sucking it up for fifteen years but it stops me from doing things that I like to do. Then last year my brother was on a long waiting list for an operation in Alberta. He walks around like he is touching his toes. So he went to VAncouver and had one of their top docs do an operation on his back which cost him about 12 grand. It did little good as he still walks around like he is touching his toes. So the way I figure it the Docs do not know that much about helping us with back problems. So I will suck it up and not do very many hunting trips.

[kinwahkly]

5 years of pain for me, 2 herniated discs, spinal stenosis , and a horse back accident on top, I've got numbness in both feet and sciatica in both legs, anyways done it all , physio seems the best remedy and stretches and daily exercises .

[helluvahunter]

I got 3 bulged disc's in my back and sciatica is pretty regular for me. I have a permanent numb spot in the back of my right leg. It gets pretty bad. I still have some percocet from when my back locked up and they help a lot when I have to get some tough jobs done. Chiropractor helps a bit but it also helps when u bend over and touch your toes to stretch your back. When it gets bad and inflated I take a flexerall and it loosens it up so the chiropractor can adjust my back or it won't go in.

[Faststeel]

I have a bunch of things happening with my back and hips ect. I find that the foam roller on both gluts and on the outsides of both thighs IT bands I think is what they are called really helps when a long airplane flight or a long drive is about to take place. FS