Freaking Sciatica

[Loonman]

Piss me off......

:mad:

[ScreamingMeemie]

1. Hug.

Not fun, not fun at all. Go take a warm bath Loon..

Laura

[Loonman]

2. Wish I could

More irritating than anything else.

[ScreamingMeemie]

3. Oh bummer. This always worked for me when I had it when I was

pregnant. I would lay on my side in as warm of water as I could stand. Hope you are better soon!

Laura

[Shanty Oilish]

4. Some remedies

Stretch more often, first of all. Get someone to pull gently on your legs while you're lying down. One leg at a time, grabbed at calf. Also good: get on hands and knees like a quadruped and stretch one side, from left hand all the way to left foot...then the right side. If you have a place to hang from, like to do chin-ups, do some (or just hang and stretch out your back).
And get a soft kickball, say about 10" diameter, and roll around on it. That's good for all back problems.
Sit less & walk more. :thumbsup:

[Loonman]

9. Thanks

I stretch, but I haven't tried pull-ups, yet.

[dweller]

5. i don't remember if you

posted about this before, there are many back pain sufferers here.

What's your doctor doing for you about this?

dp

[Loonman]

6. Doctor?

I'm uninsured. Only saw a free doc to get diagnosed.

I just do stretching exercises and hot baths.

[dweller]

12. sorry to hear that

esp. since you mention numbly tingling, etc in the posts below.

I had the same, resulting from herniated disk. Left me with loss of nerve in left leg and foot.
2 operations, which helped enormously for my back, but the nerve damage couldn't be undone.

I wish i knew some way to help you get adequate med care. Left untreated, it can get much worse.

I also want to add, i was advised against all heat applications for my back. Cold shrinks tissue, heat aggravates it. I admit heat feels better, but i used ice packs, bagged frozen peas,etc for most help.

good luck.
dp

[OneBlueSky]

13. I too suffered permanent nerve damage . . .

from a herniated disc that was impinging on nerves and went undiagnosed way too long . . . I feel I have an obligation to caution anyone with these kinds of symptoms to be very careful and to get help immediately if you start getting numb, or have bowel or bladder problems, or experience bilateral sciatic pain . . . I don't want to be an alarmist, but when I was experiencing similar problems, no one ever told me that there might be an underlying condition that could leave me seriously disabled for life . . . please check out this website for further info, and be careful . . .

http://www.caudaequina.org/

[Maddy McCall]

14. Noooo....don't take hot baths!

Take naproxen-based otc pills for inflammation. Aleve is the best OTC naprosyn based pill available.

I have four herniated disks in my back--to avoid surgery, I treat my condition medicinally with flexoril and naproxen. If it gets unbearable, I take pain meds.

See if you can get your doctor to prescibe at least flexoril and naproxen.

Hope you feel better soon :-)

[Kathy in Cambridge]

DUPE

[Kathy in Cambridge]

7. Heating Pad

I used to have it pretty bad (especially once a month). Yoga has helped a lot, but I still get a flare up occasionally. It tends to be worse in the winter.

Hot baths, hot water bottle, heating pad, stretching, and ibuprofen usually help me. I hope you feel better.

[Loonman]

8. Thanks

It's more of an irritation that makes me cranky, more than anything else.

Not like I enjoy tingly numbness, but it's better than excruciating pain.

[junker]

10. a small yoga for sciatica

REMEMBER THE FIRST RULE

DO NO HARM. IF IT HURTS, THEN DON'T DO IT.. other wise proceed as indicated below.

put a folded blanket on a hard floor (no carpet). Have another blanket handy for putting over you.

determine how 'thick' your body is (distance between small of back and gut). Take one third that measurement and find some large books that when stacked together will equal that distance. Say you were 8 inches thick from spine to stomach, then get about 2 or 3 inches thick of books. If width is much over 12 inches DO NOT USE more than 5 inches of books. THese should be very wide books, like coffee table books, not paperbacks. Your ass has to rest on these comfortably. SO a single big dictionary is better than a stack of magazines...

put books on floor.

Carefully lay back-down on blanket on floor.

have books within easy reach.

Gently put books under the opposite hip from the sciatic one. Place books such that the buttock on that side is raised from floor and only rests on books. Cover your self with blanket. Try to lay as flat as possible inspite of the books, BUT DO NO HARM. IF IT HURTS. STOP NOW.

Relax into the stretch that the distance in height between buttock cheeks will cause. Slowly breathe with eyes closed. Stay there in this position until either 1/2 hour has elapsed OR until you can feel the 'release' of the tension in the spine/pelvic girdle across the small of the back.

Or do trinagle with upward thumb pointing on opposite side of sciatic pain.

[NicoleM]

11. My sympathies.

Sciatica sucks.

[Maddy McCall]

15. Please don't do heat...

If the problem is inflammation, heat will worsen it.

Instead, take NAPROSYN based pills--Aleve is the best on the market--it's an anti-inflammatory--which is exactly what your condition needs.

Later, if you have the funds to do it, get your doctor to prescibe prescription flexoril (there is a generic--cyclobenzaprene) and Naproxen. This combination works wonders for me. I have four herniated disks in my lower back--I am treating it medicinally instead of surgically until I can't take it any more. I take Flexoril, Naproxen, and a pain pill when it is unbearable.

If you can get some rest and take Aleve, you will feel better soon.

Ibuprofen does not work as well as Naprosyn-based Aleve.

Good luck :-)

[Loonman]

17. I took a muscle relaxant about an hour ago

Worked like a charm.

[Nikia]

18. My doctor perscribed me Naproxen

Aleve is Naproxen. Naproxen tablets are higher dose than Aleve. You could just take more Aleve. The main side effect is stomach problems so if you have a sensitive stomach, this might not be the best idea.

[pagerbear]

16. Antonin Sciatica?

[kmla]

19. Sounds like the name of a '80's punk band...

Piss me off? Probably their first single.
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