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[Misc] Sciatica









Questions

Habitual User
Oct 18, 2006
24,896
Worthing
I get the shooting pains and constant excruciating cramps from it and mine is caused by my spina bifida occult-a… Apparently between 5 to 10 per cent of the population have it (an abnormality from birth where the spine has an opening left in it) but do not feel pain…. I f***ing do.
 




Fungus

Well-known member
NSC Patron
May 21, 2004
7,046
Truro
Remember reading this thread last year, and thinking it surely can’t be as bad as all that. Oh, yes…

In October, I was playing Saturday morning football as usual, kicked the ball awkwardly and something went “ping”. I’ve pulled muscles before, but this felt like all the muscles in the top of my left leg. Soldiered on, but after sitting down for lunch, I could barely walk, it was excruciating.

We usually walk about six brisk miles every morning, but the next few days were a struggle - especially any uphill, which is everywhere in Cornwall. Walking helped me not to completely seize up, but the pain had spread to my lower back by now. Sitting in the car was absolute agony.

Eventually phoned our helpline, and talked through all the symptoms - the pain “down there” was difficult to pinpoint, and I would have been imagining all sorts of causes if it hadn’t started as it did. The doctor referred me to a local physiotherapist, and her knowledge of my body was reassuring - she was able to feel the exact points in my lower spine that had gone skew-whiff. She started with manipulation, and gave me stretching exercises as homework, which helped. She also told me my awful shooting wasn’t the cause, it was just the last straw for a dodgy back.

Second week, she decided acupuncture might help, so I spent the session with pins in my upper bottom. Later that evening, it suddenly struck me that I was moving completely freely - almost bouncing along, for the first time in over two months. Bliss!

Five sessions were enough to improve enough that I could start Pilates classes. That really helps - it’s not hard work, but an hour of correctly performed exercises really loosens all parts of my 65 year old body. The hard bit is having the discipline to exercise at home. Never want to go through that pain again.
 






Crawley Dingo

Political thread tourist.
Mar 31, 2022
596
Had it really bad about 20 years ago. By coincidence the Sunday Telegraph magazine I was reading had some theraputic yoga exercises that claimed to help cure it. 5 minutes flopping about on the floor releived it enough to leave my bed for the first time in a week and by the time I had walked 200 yards it was gone. Any twinge after and I did more exercises and now nothing for about 20 years.

PM me if interested and I'll rustle up the details.
 


maresfield seagull

Well-known member
May 23, 2006
2,246
Yeah, and according to the blurb in the leaflet it also helps neuropathic pain
Be careful if you need to drive next day until you acclimatise to them
They can you leave you drowsy next day But a least you should get some sleep at night (y)
Quite often it will settle down in 6 weeks or so I was told by specialists
No surgical intervention s necessary fingers crossed
 
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maresfield seagull

Well-known member
May 23, 2006
2,246
Remember reading this thread last year, and thinking it surely can’t be as bad as all that. Oh, yes…

In October, I was playing Saturday morning football as usual, kicked the ball awkwardly and something went “ping”. I’ve pulled muscles before, but this felt like all the muscles in the top of my left leg. Soldiered on, but after sitting down for lunch, I could barely walk, it was excruciating.

We usually walk about six brisk miles every morning, but the next few days were a struggle - especially any uphill, which is everywhere in Cornwall. Walking helped me not to completely seize up, but the pain had spread to my lower back by now. Sitting in the car was absolute agony.

Eventually phoned our helpline, and talked through all the symptoms - the pain “down there” was difficult to pinpoint, and I would have been imagining all sorts of causes if it hadn’t started as it did. The doctor referred me to a local physiotherapist, and her knowledge of my body was reassuring - she was able to feel the exact points in my lower spine that had gone skew-whiff. She started with manipulation, and gave me stretching exercises as homework, which helped. She also told me my awful shooting wasn’t the cause, it was just the last straw for a dodgy back.

Second week, she decided acupuncture might help, so I spent the session with pins in my upper bottom. Later that evening, it suddenly struck me that I was moving completely freely - almost bouncing along, for the first time in over two months. Bliss!

Five sessions were enough to improve enough that I could start Pilates classes. That really helps - it’s not hard work, but an hour of correctly performed exercises really loosens all parts of my 65 year old body. The hard bit is having the discipline to exercise at home. Never want to go through that pain again.
I’d echo the Pilates as a great option
sadly unable to get back from work to make the classes I used to attend in time
 


West Upper Seagull

Well-known member
Oct 31, 2003
1,513
Woodingdean
Right pain in the leg. Been intermittent for a few months now.

Any tips on relieving it?
This has done wonders to get rid of my lower back pain, and it is also recommended for sciatica
 


BrightonCottager

Well-known member
Sep 30, 2013
2,170
Brighton
I started getting sciatica down my left leg and under the ankle bone after twisting and lifting a tub of water and wetsuits. Could hardly walk for a while. Found out I'd prolapsed (slipped) a disk in my lower back that was pressing on my sciatic nerve. I get osteopathy from James Rickard at Tree of Life on Portland Road - excellent at diagnosis, manipulation and exercise recommendations.



As others have said, stretching, movement and core muscle strengthening are key. I add a bit of pain relief when it's bad. I went to my GP and eventually got an appointment with the MSK team and a scan (in a lorry trailer outside the Amex) and a cortisone injection into the disk that helped a bit. The pain is really just an ache now, 18 months later.



Good luck!
 






pasty

A different kind of pasty
Jul 5, 2003
30,296
West, West, West Sussex
After my last episode 5 months back, it’s flared up again

A friend has recommended shockwave therapy at a sports injury clinic which I’m booked in for on Saturday.

Anyone tried that? Did it work?
 






pasty

A different kind of pasty
Jul 5, 2003
30,296
West, West, West Sussex
Finally, after about 7 weeks of constant pain, I got a diagnosis today from a chiropractor. Prolapsed disc causing the sciatic pain. Saw my x-rays and my spine is less straight than the Leaning Tower of Pisa :eek:
 


BrightonCottager

Well-known member
Sep 30, 2013
2,170
Brighton
Finally, after about 7 weeks of constant pain, I got a diagnosis today from a chiropractor. Prolapsed disc causing the sciatic pain. Saw my x-rays and my spine is less straight than the Leaning Tower of Pisa :eek:
It's great that you've got a diagnosis. See my post #51. To give it some context, I was surfing solid 5' waves this morning in Brighton. I can only do that because of the stretching and core strenghthening exercises I've been doing. I hope your chiropractor won't solely rely on clicking your back.
 


Bob'n'weave

Well-known member
Nov 18, 2016
1,970
Nr Lewes
Thankfully I've only had mild cases in the past, but I've found piriformis stretches to be helpful. From what I understand the piriformis muscle can sometimes impinge on the sciatic nerve, causing problems. The vid shows the basic one I've used, but an internet search will show many other piriformis exercises.


This is good physio for sciatica. You can do this streach sitting down or standing up as well. Pelvic lifts and planking are also good for core strength. I ended up at an Osteopath who used Kinesiology to diagnose where the problem was and then apply the manipulation. I had this for over 12 years on and off, and it was terrible at times. I had all sorts of scans and tests only to be told they couldn't 'find' anything so it must be in my head. Glad I found a therapy that worked. Keep an open mind and try a few methods along with a physio routine. Good luck, and remember to sit down when you get undressed. (y)
 


PeterT

Well-known member
Apr 21, 2017
2,241
Hove
Finally, after about 7 weeks of constant pain, I got a diagnosis today from a chiropractor. Prolapsed disc causing the sciatic pain. Saw my x-rays and my spine is less straight than the Leaning Tower of Pisa :eek:
I had a prolapsed disc a few years ago. I’m not saying that yours will be as bad but my sciatic pain got worse and worse, so bad that I could hardly move. When I saw the scans you could see why with part of the disc having fractured away and pushing directly on the sciatic nerve.

It got so bad that we had to get the ambulance out one night just to get me off the floor with oxygen, and I couldn’t even get out of bed in the morning without a lot of help. We had to delay my Dad’s funeral just so I could have surgery and be in a fit state to attend. The surgery was pretty successful, they removed the fractured part of the disc and put a titanium spring in there and I did Pilates for a while, though stopped during Covid and haven’t gone back to it yet. I still get back ache and the last time I had it scanned it shows that it has relapsed a bit but nothing like the sciatic pain I did have, during which time the only words I could utter through clenched teeth were very short ones!
 




Harry Wilson's tackle

Harry Wilson's Tackle
NSC Patron
Oct 8, 2003
50,215
Faversham
Finally, after about 7 weeks of constant pain, I got a diagnosis today from a chiropractor. Prolapsed disc causing the sciatic pain. Saw my x-rays and my spine is less straight than the Leaning Tower of Pisa :eek:
I have a curved spine (left to right rather than back to front, although some say I am one of those). I was given an exercise to straighten it when I was 60. And after 50 yrars of intermittent pain (especially after lugging somethinh heavy, or being dragged around Western Road shops by my first wife), I am pain free. Not free of being a pain, but you get my drift.

A clever NHS physiotherapist was what it took.
 


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