The pain of Sciatica

[mojo]

Hi all,
Talk about pain. The first time I have gotten this issue and now 4 days in a row, a 9 on the pain index scale I would not wish this on anyone. I was hoping for it to heal and still do, but my Dad had this problem and only surgery helped him. He has been pain free for 7 years now. He took the wind out of my sail when he said it doesnt go away...

[Losus4]

Start swimming and doing yoga (backbends in particular) also see a chiropractor and accupuncturist, and consider sleeping without a pillow, or on the floor or other hard surface.

[Blacklight43]

Been there and done that friend. I lifted a 3 gallon jug of water into the dispenser and felt a "pop" in my back. It took a few days before the pain started. It got bad enough that I had to stop my daily walk. Finally got to see my Neurosurgeon in 6 weeks.

In the mean time I did all the PT I could find on the subject on YT plus inversion therapy. Was getting a little better but not much. MRI showed degenerated disc had slipped off to one side pressing against the nerve and bone on bone on the other side between L4 and 5. Finally got surgery date 4-19-23. It was outpatient surgery. I walked in with a cane and a few hours later walked out with NO pain. It was a new procedure called "CO-FLEX" where a titanium U shape is inserted between the vertebrae but leaves it flexible, so no fusion. I got my life back with no regrets!
Good luck to you friend.

[mojo]

Thanks Blacklight for sharing. My Dad told me a similar story about him. He went in to surgery and as soon as he got out the pain was gone. That sounds amazing. Another person I met in the Pharmacy yesterday with the same problem mentioned a new procedure about burning the nerve, which sounds crazy but if it works who knows. Take care...

[Ernie Nemeth]

Try chiropractor.

Your back has gone out of alignment. There are hundreds of little muscles in the back between vertebrae. They can get easily misaligned.

If yoga used back bends counter indicated. Try twisting poses. Lying on back, lift one leg up, pointing skyward. Turn leg over body, resisting as leg moves across body. Touch toes to floor. Lift leg straight back up, lower to floor beside other leg. Same for other side. Rest. Repeat three times both sides.

There are two more of these exercises, one sitting, one standing. But if you are in pain, the laying down one is for you.

Hope it helps. If it does help you will definitely hear or feel a pop as the muscles and bones realign.


edit to add: when my back goes out, rarely, I use a technique I developed, based on yoga.
Lay on back on thin mat. Bring knees to chest, wrap arms around legs at knees. Rock body back and forth, increasing rocking motion, by pushing knees against locked arms.
In this position it is possible to massage entire back along spine and on each side. If one is advanced enough it is possible to freeze the rocking at any point to put pressure on particularly troublesome spots.
Excellent for sore, tired back and for realignment of minor spinal dislocations.

[Nimita]

Hi there,

My partner has sciatica and opted not to get surgery. Her background led her to taking proteolytic enzymes (on an empty stomach) and she no longer suffers from it.

Of course, YMMV.

[Patient]

Hey Mojo - I feel for you. Having something like this hit you out of nowhere is an awful thing to go through.

I have scoliosis which has caused me to deal with sciatica and other low back pain so I know what you are feeling.

Everyone's injury is a bit different so it is really hard to say what will work for what injury. For me, it has been some simple leg exercises that helped.

I am really interested in the surgery option that Blacklight43 mentioned, but at this stage in my back pain battle I know that exercise is my best option.

Again though, Mojo I feel for you. If you ever need to vent about your pain you can always PM me to talk to someone that can relate. I wish I could do more to help, so if there is anything that I can help you with through PM or right here, please do not hesitate.

[Sadieblue]

I hate that you are dealing with this Mojo, I suffer with bouts of it, too. Hope you get relief soon.

[Harmony]

There are many reasons you can get sciatic pain. That reason would guide you to what treatment you might need. When you have the sciatic nerve inflamed and swollen it is important to take the pressure off it until it returns to normal.

I had this happen to me a few times in my life and found it was usually just one set of muscles on one side of the body was weak and the other side was strong, so it would pull and cause the pinched nerve. Have you studied Kinesiology, (sometimes called Touch For Health). If you can find a good recommended practitioner it can be a god send, or you can do a lot your self if you have a Kinesiology hand book.

As we get a bit older, sometimes just sitting in a bad position for too long a time can bring it on if certain meridians are weak on one side, perhaps caused by a different problem all together. For instance, you might have had a digestive issue that weakened the meridian, then the sciatica nerve gets pinched until the weakened muscle returns to full strength (with massage along the points of the meridian) once more. Some Chiropractors also use Applied Kinesiology as well.


This article (https://briandorfman.com/sciatic-solutions/)explains about the sciatic nerve and how it works.


If you have a long narrow pillow, not too thick, you can put that under the hollow in your back when you lie down, and if you have another pillow you can put that under your knees. That often takes the pressure off the sciatica nerve to bring relief when resting. If your on your side you still put the narrow pillow under your waist and one to keep the upper leg higher, you can use a full size pillow for the leg. I cut a latex pillow in half lengthwise, makes two perfect pillows then for under the back and knees, for when ever I feel I need that support. I use them for relief until the problem that caused the imbalance is solved.

If you know you slipped or hurt yourself, you may need to have a scan to make sure you haven't dislocated something.


Sending love and prayers and healing your way Mojo.:rose:

[thepainterdoug]

Moji really sorry to hear this. Playing ice hockey for many years, i have been blessed with little injury. But when I have been hurt, I have done really well with visualization, seeing it heal, meditating on the issue.

found this link also/ https://www.verywellhealth.com/sciatica-natural-remedies-89308

I know this sounds and is soft core, Im sure the pain is terrible. Have you in my thoughts and prayers

[Delight]

Moji really sorry to hear this. Playing ice hockey for many years, i have been blessed with little injury. But when I have been hurt, I have done really well with visualization, seeing it heal, meditating on the issue.

I know this sounds and is soft core, Im sure the pain is terrible. Have you in my thoughts and prayers

Absolutely according to a doctor John Sarno long long ago, low back pain has such a strong emotional component that it is almost 100% of us. I love what you suggested.

As a masseuse, I know that receiving massage is wonderful to help the muscles relax. RELAXATION is about the most basic and most vital skill we can master.


Dr. John Sarno (https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/unlearn-your-pain/201707/john-sarno-md-american-hero)understood that the majority of physical symptoms are caused by changes in the body’s physiology. We have all experienced them. When you are stressed, your heart races, your muscles tighten, you breathe rapidly, you sweat, and basically get ready to defend yourself or flee. Data now shows that nerve conduction in animals under stress also increases, which causes them to feel more pain. Yet when chronic pain persists, most physicians look for a structural cause. They don’t realize the root cause is the patient’s emotional state, and requires no further investigation. Sarno called this Tension Myositis Syndrome (TMS), which includes over 30 symptoms. Dr. Schubiner’s term for TMS is Mind Body Syndrome (MBS). Both describe the same mind-body connection.

Sarno used the word “rage” when describing the state of mind that patients are in when they are trapped by pain. The title of a recent documentary of his life is All the Rage. The latest neuroscience research validates this. In patients with chronic pain, the body’s stress chemicals remain elevated, causing every organ system to respond in its unique way to the adrenaline and cortisol assault. (2) Those of us who have used or suggested variations of Dr. Sarno’s principles have witnessed hundreds of patients become free of pain. It turns out that chronic pain is curable using strategies that calm down the nervous system and stimulate the formation of alternative neurological pathways. Instead mainstream medicine throws random, simplistic solutions to the complex problem of chronic pain, which is simply wrong.

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[Bruce G Charlton]

@Mojo

I had sciatica exceptionally badly from a slipped disc six years ago, so (even lying down) I could not even more my arm to turn the page of a book without a stab of agony (because any movement entailed "bracing" my back muscles).

For me, the nerve pain was not the only cause - the worst pain came from secondary muscle spasm (triggered by the nerve pain) that was causing the agony. This can be very difficult to stop. And a bad habit of tenseness can develop.

Short term answer for relief is probably diazepam (valium) - which is an excellent muscle relaxant, works within a couple of hours, and much the safest of such drugs. This is usually only needed in a low dose, and for a few days.

Once the acute and crippling muscle spasm pain has been eased, then you can embark on other "physiotherapy" type, and longer term, strategies - manipulation, exercises etc.

But sometimes the back is permanently damaged - mine apparently is; and then you just have to be careful not to set it off again, for the rest of your life.

Surgery is a dice roll - and things would need to be bad for a long while before I would contemplate it; because surgery can make things worse, everybody's anatomy and injury is slightly different - and the skill of the specific surgeon on the day is also very important.

[ExomatrixTV]

So sad to read about that @mojo (https://projectavalon.net/forum4/member.php?4164-mojo) ... it's horrible, and it can deprive you to have an inspiring life to live. Which can makes things worse :(

I had similar pains years ago, and pain vanished after using CBD oil (https://rumble.com/search/all?q=cbd%20oil) pills (with no THC in it) and a desert-spoon Turmeric/Curcumin (https://rumble.com/search/all?q=Turmeric) with some black pepper in a big glass of mineral source-water** on an empty stomach when I just get out of bed every day! >>> and going more outside >>> if you stay too long at the same place you are not only get a weaker immune system, you most likely get cumulatively radiated with certain EMFs (highs & lows) that can be neutralized if you do "earthing (https://rumble.com/search/all?q=earthing)" outside in nature ... Also avoid eating ANY processed foods!

When I started doing all that, I had no expectancy whatsoever ... was very skeptical, but within a week my lingering pain was completely gone! ... My pains lasted for couple months before it was gone only after I started to do the above.


I do not know if it will work for you, so there are no guarantees! >>> but you never know if you never tried!

** because I know Turmeric/Curcumin (https://rumble.com/search/all?q=Turmeric) tastes awful, I just tell myself (like a ritual) "I do this to detox my: lungs, stomach, kidneys, liver, bladder, the gut, intestines & blood" and FEEL that it is necessary to drink something that tastes terrible ... to more awful the more I focus on WHY I do it that helps me to overcome the really bad taste!


And I am doing it since 2017 onward now (except the CBD oil (https://rumble.com/search/all?q=cbd%20oil) because it is expensive) I may start using it again just for precautionary prevention reasons.

cheers,
John 🦜🦋🌳
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[raregem]

A nurse practitioner told me to do a specific exercise. For me, it worked. Haven't dealt with sciatica since then.
Sit on a hard chair, both feet flat on ground. The side that suffers...raise that foot and place on opposite leg/knee area. Gently press the raised, bent leg
-pressing at the knee- as you can handle and hold. Release, relax and repeat exercise as needed.

[mojo]

Thought to share an update. The radiology report came back and was surprised to find that I had arthritis on my hip and lower back. This is what is pinching off the sciatica nerve and causing so much pain. Three weeks and still feeling it and noticed the center lower lumbar region is also acting very painful. It feels like it's on the verge of spasm. The VA is moving very slow on this sadly. I cant sit very long without my left hip hurting. So far haven't taken any pain pills but now I wonder if that is being stupid?

[peace]

Long time sufferer of this, here. Feel for you. I work outside building, primarily, 10 hours in steel toes on my feet. I've found light stretching and muscle building exercises have helped on and off. IT WILL GET BETTER.
this guy saves lives
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[gord]

I've had sciatica since a bad bicycle accident in 1991, and made worse by several other accidents. About 8 months or so ago, I found the McKenzie Method of physical therapy to be more helpful than anything else I've tried.

WHAT IS THE MCKENZIE METHOD? (https://mckenzieinstitute.org/patients/what-is-the-mckenzie-method/)

[John Hilton]

I've had sciatica many times since my late teens. For me, the quick answer is always to visit an osteopath for manipulation. (I've tried physiotherapists and chiropracters but they have not been instantly successful.)

Currently, I have central back pain (L4-L5), which is NOT causing sciatic pain but is intermittently causing muscle spasm and referred pain in my front right thigh and hip. Unfortunately, I can't get an osteopath appointment for THREE months, here! So I'm dealing with it by doing the leg exercise (see Ernie Nemeth's post, above) and by walking a kilometre each day.** The spasms are gradually decreasing.

** If you are in America, there are no kilometres so walk 5/8 of a mile instead.
Initially, for me, this is excruciatingly painful but push through it. It gets better each day.

I did visit a physiotherapist four times but all he managed to do was to aggravate the lower back condition, although he did get rid of the muscle spasm in my upper back.

The first time I had backache, the doctor prescribed a week's worth of vallium. It was so good that I went back and begged for more. Thankfully, he refused! A week is OK but beware taking it for longer. It doesn't cure the backache - it just relieves the muscle spasms.

As for turmeric, I take it as follows:

Take a a couple tablespoons of coconut oil. It solidifies below 25°C so you might need to warm it first.
Add a tablespoon of turmeric and a tablespoon of cocoa powder.
Add black pepper. Stir well.
Pour the mix into a small, flexible plastic bowl or mould.
(You can add a sweetener such as honey if desired.)
Place this in the freezer for twenty minutes.
Break the resultant slab into small pieces and eat like chocolate.

Anything that helps you to relax is good: music, meditation, massage, beer, etc.

That's my 2 cents worth. Disclaimer: I'm not a medical practitioner; I'm an engineer.

[ZenBaller]

I rarely post about personal stuff but I have to share this, because I feel it's important for whoever has a similar physical issue.

When I was around 30 I could barely bend over and pick up something from the ground without holding onto something stable. My back was in great pain. I was too self-suppressed to see a doctor and tried to manage it on my own for a few years by wearing orthopedic belts and having a pillow for my back wherever I went.

Fortunately, I asked for guidance inside and very soon this video popped up in front of me. When I watched it, I broke down in tears and I started doing DDP Yoga the very next day. In a few weeks the improvement was tremendous. The pain decreased around 90% and all my muscles (specifically around the spine) strengthened a lot and I also lost around 40 pounds.

Now, around 10 years later I keep doing these series of workouts about 5 days per week and it has changed my whole life (around 30 min per day on average). It has become a way of living. I sound like a TV ad, but it's true. I'm more fit than I was in high school and most importantly the whole body structure has become normal. Things like posture, correct way to sit, walk, flexibility etc.

It's suitable for every level of fitness and age with hundreds of workouts (and series of workouts), updated weekly, all of them adjustable. It's for injured people who can barely walk to professional athletes. I strongly recommend it to anyone who either wants to heal or get to the next level.

It's not traditional yoga. It has nothing to do with spiritual, oriental stuff. It's a combination of callisthenics, orthopedic rehabilliation positions and simple classic yoga stances. The guy who created it was a wrestler so the whole culture behind this is very westernized and fun, easily approachable.

The app is quite cheap ($129 per year).

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