[quasi]

Anyone ever get sciatica pain? I've been dealing with this for about 6 weeks, I've done lots of stretching and although at times it can give me temporary relief it hasn't fixed anything long term. I have pain in my lower left hip (backside) that travels all down my leg into my foot. I sit most the day for my job I've been trying to move around a lot more and work on my posture but again, not helping.

I'm trying to decide who would be best to see, Chiropractor, physiotherapist, massage therapist? If anyone's dealt with this and treated it I'd appreciate advice.

[subordinate]

Worth a shot to post this in the sports/fitness thread as well, there's some knowledgeable guys and maybe a couple with past sciatica pain.

You likely already read this article but interesting stuff, it sort of resembles exercises that you would do in Yoga. And just to be sure, you aren't slouching in your chair and have good form?

http://drjessechappus.com/two-exercises-everyone-with-sciatica-must-know/
http://www.moore-chiropractic.com/sciatica-stretches.html

[Hondaracer]

ive been dealing with sciatica like symptoms for the past like 2.5 years..

mine is essentially the same as yours lower left side of my back occasionally running down into my leg

i've done Chiro about a year ago and for the last 4 months been going to physio getting acupuncture, traction machine, massage etc.

if anything i may have had MAYBE a 15% improvement from 2 years ago? I'll be setting up an MRI with my doctor soon and taking a look at my back

my physio is convinced i have a herniated disk in my lower back. aggravation comes mostly from bending over. If you have a herniated disc you can continue to work on stretching, core strength, etc and it may improve, however if it's already bad surgery may be the only option for a full recovery, thats kinda where i'm sitting

but hell if surgery will make me not feel it anymore i'm open to anything

[Qmx323]

... I herniated a lower lumbar disc about almost 2 years ago, still stiff in the mornings now, but seems to have improved after losing weight and improving core strength.

I sometimes also suffer from pain back there, but only on one side and doesn't go down to my legs.

My GP told me to just keep losing weight to a healthy level, stretch before intense activities and keep working on core strength.

Good luck man, back pain is a pain in the ass lol.

[Jer3]

i experienced sciatica from a herniated disc. it took me about a total of 3-4 months to recover but even now, i'll never be 100% ever. i couldnt work for 3 months because of it.

the recovery path i did was physiotherapy 2-3 times a week along with acupuncture 2-3 times a week as well. after a month of this, i was finally able to leave my bed for longer than 5 minutes and regained feeling in my left leg below my knee. the key is to continue the stretches and exercises outlined by your physiotherapist and being consistent.

also, i hope you have good extended medical coverage otherwise treatment will be very expensive.

[Petelim]

Maybe try them all? I know that there's a muscle in the hip called the piriformis muscle and if that's really tight, it can push against the sciatic nerve causing sciatic like symptoms. And a knot in the piriformis muscle sometimes will cause pain that will travel down your leg, skip the knee joint and go down the calf to your foot. Good luck.

[originalhypa]

i experienced sciatica from a herniated disc. it took me about a total of 3-4 months to recover but even now

Same goes for me. I "slipped a disc" playing hockey back in December, and spent the next 3 months at physio, stretching, and a ton of core excercises.
I was in a car wreck back in the 90's and fractured my neck, along with a number of other things. Fast forward to 2012, and my body was feeling it. I thought I was in good shape, but getting out to the net that night, I wasn't. I was stiff, fat, and it caught up to me in the end.


I know you mentioned that you'll never be the same, but that's not necessarily true. It's going to take effort. I had a big hockey game in March that I was training for. Buddy from the Calgary Flames was playing against me, so I had to bring the a game. It took a lot, but I won that game, and have been playing at least 3 times a week since.

Funny thing, my symptoms start when I'm about 10lbs overweight. By 15-20 lbs, I'm one bad move away from back problems. But as long as I can keep my weight in check, and make sure those core muscles are strong, it's not a problem.

quasi, your best bet is to establish why your back is causing you issues. Then determine how to alleviate those issues through proper stretching and excercise.

here's a good place to start.

http://www.fitnessiguana.com/Portfolio/Abs%20Exercise%20Chart%201.jpg

http://www.fitnessiguana.com/Portfolio/Abs%20Exercise%20Chart%202.jpg

I have a bunch of these posters on my gym wall because they're just such an awesome foundation. I may not have time for the kettlebells, but these are so important that you find yourself making time for them.

[yray]

A bit off the track but is the pain in your thighs or legs similar to the pain of a broken bone?

Just wondering because I started to have lower back pain a few weeks ago with searing pain in my right thigh.

[Hondaracer]

from my experiance anything related to lower discs is a throbbing/radiating pain down into your leg, and its typically down the back of my leg/ass for me

wouldnt say its anything like a broken bone, sometimes when its mild i kind of relate it to having your gums scraped at the dentist, its a pain but its almost more like a tension

[quasi]

Ya, like Hondaracer said it's more like aching, numbness and irritating pain. It's not debilitating for me yet but it is very annoying. For me It's noticeable all the time it just depends on the degree of pain. It goes from the back of my hip all down my leg into my foot. I've never broke a bone but I'd imagine that would be much more painful.
If I had to compare it to anything it's an annoyance like having a headache all the time, yes you can function with it but you wish it would just go away.

I think I'm going to go see a physiotherapist, try that for a bit and see if they can help me get some relief combined with more stretching and exercise. Thank you for the chart Hypa.

[instantneedles]

Sciatica along with most nerve pains rooting from the spine are more likely than not, to do with lack of core stability.

Without a strong core, everything collapses, and your entire body develops a faulty biomechanical posture/movement pattern. Long story short, that adds a lot of stress onto your spinal nerves because the muscles keeping your spine in a neutral position are weakened. This places a heck of alotta stress on your connective tissues and vertebral column which will stress out the spine itself. This will trigger pains running down your legs. If you are not exercising on a regular basis, and start to pack on more fat mass, this will lead to ADDITIONAL stress on the back.

In this way, things get worse and you will find yourself enclosed in a vicious circle where you sit on your ass all day -> bad posture -> put stress on back -> pack on weight from not exercising -> put more stress on back -> etc etc.

I know some of you don't want to hear this, but playing certain types of sports does NOT always equate to adequate exercise. There are a lot of sports out there that let you sneak by without having worked your core AT ALL. The chart hypa posted is excellent, and is a great start to achieving that core strength.

Get your ass outta that circle and start exercising and stretching (15-20 minutes a day) to A) Lose weight B) correct your posture C)attain a healthy back

[SkinnyPupp]

Funny how this came up right after I noticed a sharp pain in my right hip joint, and later down in the heel of my foot...

Will have to look into this. I have been really inactive lately

[rsx]

I had this because of a slipped disc.

Went to physio and that was so bullshit. Did all the stretching and recommended exercises and no improvement for 3 months.

Went to see a Chiro, 1st session 90% better. I checked out a lot of chiro in richmond and vancouver, but wasn't really confident in any of them. I visited my family in Asia and as per their recommendation had the guy work on my back. 2 sessions and I was right as rain.

Beware of chiros that pitch "it'll probably be 5+ sessions with follow up, etc."

[Hondaracer]

Yea, once I setup my MRI I'm going to be focussing hard on losing weight in the mean time and see if that helps, I'm sure the majority of my pain relates to bad core strength as I've got a beer belly and haven't done much core strength for the last couple years due to being so busy
Posted via RS Mobile

[instantneedles]

I had this because of a slipped disc.

Went to physio and that was so bullshit. Did all the stretching and recommended exercises and no improvement for 3 months.

Went to see a Chiro, 1st session 90% better. I checked out a lot of chiro in richmond and vancouver, but wasn't really confident in any of them. I visited my family in Asia and as per their recommendation had the guy work on my back. 2 sessions and I was right as rain.

Beware of chiros that pitch "it'll probably be 5+ sessions with follow up, etc."

wouldn't be so quick to make judgments like that. how many years have you been in awkward sitting positions with an inactive core VS the measly 3 months that you have just begun to incorporate into your lifestyle (provided they are done properly)?

what im trying to say is, it's a lifelong process. Depending on how severely inhibited your musculature is, it could take a year, maybe 2 years, or even 5. It takes awhile to reverse postures that we engage in on a daily basis, and will be a lot harder for some than others depending on our lifestyle (career, hobby, etc)

who knows? maybe those 3 months of exercise rehab proved to be effective and might've been the reason it took you 1 spinal adjustment as opposed to 5+.

Stop exercising and stretching for another 3 months, and I can guarantee you, you will find yourself running the same process all over again.

[originalhypa]

I never had long term luck with a chiro.
The best place I've gone to was a CBI office (ugh) but my guy is a sports rehab specialist. He's awesome! Helped fix my ankle after I tore it up in early 2011, and again when I injured my back in December.

But again, it all comes down to actually doing the effort. Don't bullshit and lie saying "oh yeah, I totally did the excercises" because you're only lying to yourself.


instantneedles said it best.

what im trying to say is, it's a lifelong process

and

stop exercising and stretching for another 3 months, and I can guarantee you, you will find yourself running the same process all over again


The biggest shock to my system was when I hurt my ankle. I was 34 at the time, and in pretty good shape. But I lost so much of my fitness in the 3 month rehab, mostly due to depression, drinking, etc. I sat on the couch because walking with crutches hurt. After 5 weeks, my xbox score was high, but my life score was low. Funny how that happens...

Now at 36 I know what it takes to maintain the level of fitness I demand of myself. I hate going out on the ice and getting schooled. The only way around that is to be at my top form. It's tough to maintain, but the memories of the pain of injury are sometimes enough to get me doing some crunches.

[!Nhan]

i've had sciatica for the last 6 years or so. more recently i haven't been experiencing any pains. i believe it is attributed to me starting to go to the gym and becoming more active on a day to day basis. like you i sit down a lot at work and at school and the only time i'm really on my feet is when i walk to the bus.

personally speaking, i think it's something that never goes away, but the pain can subside enough that you forgot you ever had it. just keep becoming active and work on strengthening that core. i was a lazy fuck and with this pain it left me unmotivated to do anything. going through that, i realized that in order to become a better me it required me to get off my ass and actually like what i see when i looked in a mirror. (i'm overweight but not obese by any means)

just become more active and the pain will eventually go away. theres no excuses for not having enough time to be active in the day.

[rsx]

wouldn't be so quick to make judgments like that. how many years have you been in awkward sitting positions with an inactive core VS the measly 3 months that you have just begun to incorporate into your lifestyle (provided they are done properly)?

what im trying to say is, it's a lifelong process. Depending on how severely inhibited your musculature is, it could take a year, maybe 2 years, or even 5. It takes awhile to reverse postures that we engage in on a daily basis, and will be a lot harder for some than others depending on our lifestyle (career, hobby, etc)

who knows? maybe those 3 months of exercise rehab proved to be effective and might've been the reason it took you 1 spinal adjustment as opposed to 5+.

Stop exercising and stretching for another 3 months, and I can guarantee you, you will find yourself running the same process all over again.

I'll give some backstory:
Concussion from hockey - didn't do any sports, gym for around 6 months. Finally felt better and started lifting weights, clearly, didn't adjust for the 6 months of weakness. So I hurt my back (slipped disc).

(I worked, like most a 9-5 job in an office, very sedentary, but active after work and weekends.)

The reason why I said the rehab didn't work because the symptoms never alleviated or got better, not even by 1%, my feet would tingle, my range of motion was just as bad as ever. I couldn't even tie my shoes or get out of bed normally. This is just my personal experience. Not an expert by any means.

[!Nhan]

one of the worst things i experienced when sciatica was hitting me was trying to put my socks on, or getting out of bed. i would literally roll off my bed and use it as support to get to my feet. the absolute worst feeling. there were days i wanted to chop my leg off just to stop the pain

[quasi]

Since Acupressure and Acupuncture are covered 100% by my extended medical I'm going to give acupressure a try. I have an appointment booked next week, see how it goes.

[Ulic Qel-Droma]

https://www.google.ca/search?q=hangups+sciatica&rlz=1C1CHFX_enCA472CA472&um=1&ie=UTF-8&hl=en&tbm=isch&source=og&sa=N&tab=wi&authuser=0&ei=WunRUd_tOOTKigKlkYHoAg&biw=1600&bih=785&sei=X-nRUdGfN43VigKDvoGQBA#um=1&safe=off&rlz=1C1CHFX_enCA472CA472&hl=en&authuser=0&tbm=isch&sa=1&q=hangups&oq=hangups&gs_l=img.3..0i10j0j0i10l2j0l5j0i10.2111.2249.0.244 7.2.2.0.0.0.0.46.90.2.2.0.eqrwrth..0.0.0..1.1.17.i mg.ME9lF-PW79Y&bav=on.2,or.r_cp.r_qf.&bvm=bv.48705608,d.cGE&fp=48f03d692b51a265&biw=1600&bih=785

some people swear by this for all back related problems.

i've used it since it was in the household... i would say using it is better than doing nothing. in fact it probably does a lot more than one would expect.

if i had one at home personally i would use it everyday... but i don't lol.

[MG1]

For close to 60 years, no sign of sciatica. Didn't even know what it was, then boom, I had a bad case of it. Like !Nhan, putting on socks was painful. I started limping and couldn't sit down or get up without major pain. I thought this was like old age related, but I guess it happens to young people, too. I did do a lot of lifting at work before this happened. It went on for a couple of months, then went away. I've since had it two more times. Next time I have it, I'm gonna go accupuncture. My friend swears by it. He said two treatments and his sciatica was gone. Everyone's different - which muscle is affecting the sciatic nerve, but damn, the pain.

[dvdjels]

^sort of adding onto what instantneedles was saying.

Core is important in preventing a lot of acute injuries as well management of pain. However, something to be aware of as well is your passive posture. For many people, an anterior pelvic tilt (think donald duck and how he stands with his buttocks way out) and that tends to cause some compression in the lumbar discs. With even mild compression in the discs, the nerve glides tend to not be smooth and causes a lot of irritation especially in the hip, behind the leg region.

If possible, I would suggest looking into your posture and seeing if it is neutral as well as funcitonal.

Hope this helps!

[Matlock]

Back injury, any advice?

Hurt my back a while ago at work from all of the twisting motions I do pulling wire and stuff like that.

My chiropractor said I had "golfer's back" and was way too young for that kind of injury.

I can work perfectly OK, but my back gets a bit sore once in a while and I haven't squatted in the past couple of months.

Chiro said to just let it heal for a few months. A few months have passed, but I get sore once in a while and have to go in for tune ups. He knows chiropractic stuff, but I don't think he squats. He recommended sticking to leg press machine for now. I don't think I have the confidence to put a big load on my shoulders for quite a while when I have a weak spot in my left lower back.

Has anyone here injured their back, recovered, and became strong once again?

Should I see some sort of sport specialist to see when I'm ready? Or just wait wait wait until I feel a lot better?

I am not sure what to do.

you're loading your spine with too much weight. 9/10 times that is the case. Please refer to a thread called "sciatica" that i posted in the health section, it applies to you. Your hips and shoulders were designed to take most of the weight you carry and NOT the spine.

My advice would be to stay away from squats for now. I have a strong feeling your back won't allow you to engage in proper squat form - and loading your spine with more weight is going to destroy your back.

Definetly see a sports physio and don't wait if you want your back to last. If you don't take action it will only get worse - the only reason you have a back problem in the first place is because something caused it, and if you don't find out what it is that caused it, it will only spiral downhill


I originally posted in the workout/training thread and Instant pointed me to this thread.

Now I'm not exactly sure if I have sciatica or not because the pain does not go to my legs or anything like that, but I do get pain in my left side middle/lower spine at one point.

-Used to squat and deadlift once a week for the past 5 years. (currently not)
-I work as an electrician. (so I am pretty active on a daily basis.)
-Started having back pain maybe 4 months ago

-Started seeing chiropractor 3 months ago and he diagnosed me with "golfer's back"
-I felt vast improvement right away after each session and a couple of weeks ago he said I don't have to see him every week and can just call in if I need an adjustment.

-I was feeling OK until yesterday. Now I have pain in my left middle/lower spine.

-I want to squat and lift heavy weights again, but I won't until I get this back stuff all 99% figured out.

First of all can anyone recommend a good sports physio? Preferable one that deals with people who lift weights?

Meanwhile, I'll be going to my chiropractor next week and maybe ask him about sciatica and such. He diagnosed me by feel and questions, but I really want to know what exactly is going on in my back, how to heal it, and how to make it stronger so this doesn't happen again.

Thanks

[originalhypa]

My sciatica came back shortly after I posted the first time in this thread. I was being lazy, and went away from my workout. It's not a crazy workout, just a lot of core and leg exercises, but it's the difference between being in pain, and not. A lot of my pain (which may not be the same as others) is caused by bad posture due to a lack of core strength. It's funny because I took the last 4 days off while on vacation, and the pain came back. The bottom line is that it's a constant battle between being in good shape, and being on pain killers, and the difference is doing the recommended exercises for your back, abs, and to a lesser extent, the glutes.

Working out is the path to pain free living. I'm not talking about hard core weight lifting, or mad cardio triathalon. That's all good for the hardcore. I'm talking about doing what it takes to keep you going. Don't worry right now about lifting heavy. Stretching, lots of reps, and low impact will help you more than you think. Hell, just doing some level of exercise helps overall.

:cool:

[dvdjels]

^I agree with you there. I wake up every morning feeling 100 years old since I am so stiff and in pain. However, after some running around and being on my feet, it definitely helps.

[Spidey]

^sort of adding onto what instantneedles was saying.

Core is important in preventing a lot of acute injuries as well management of pain. However, something to be aware of as well is your passive posture. For many people, an anterior pelvic tilt (think donald duck and how he stands with his buttocks way out) and that tends to cause some compression in the lumbar discs. With even mild compression in the discs, the nerve glides tend to not be smooth and causes a lot of irritation especially in the hip, behind the leg region.

If possible, I would suggest looking into your posture and seeing if it is neutral as well as funcitonal.

Hope this helps!

girls with donald duck posture = ohhh yeaaaaaaaaaaaaaa. lol






I originally posted in the workout/training thread and Instant pointed me to this thread.

Now I'm not exactly sure if I have sciatica or not because the pain does not go to my legs or anything like that, but I do get pain in my left side middle/lower spine at one point.

-Used to squat and deadlift once a week for the past 5 years. (currently not)
-I work as an electrician. (so I am pretty active on a daily basis.)
-Started having back pain maybe 4 months ago

-Started seeing chiropractor 3 months ago and he diagnosed me with "golfer's back"
-I felt vast improvement right away after each session and a couple of weeks ago he said I don't have to see him every week and can just call in if I need an adjustment.

-I was feeling OK until yesterday. Now I have pain in my left middle/lower spine.

-I want to squat and lift heavy weights again, but I won't until I get this back stuff all 99% figured out.

First of all can anyone recommend a good sports physio? Preferable one that deals with people who lift weights?

Meanwhile, I'll be going to my chiropractor next week and maybe ask him about sciatica and such. He diagnosed me by feel and questions, but I really want to know what exactly is going on in my back, how to heal it, and how to make it stronger so this doesn't happen again.

Thanks

Allan McGavin sports medicine. They have locations at UBC and downtown. very experienced physios there that work with both varsity and pro athletes.


My sciatica came back shortly after I posted the first time in this thread. I was being lazy, and went away from my workout. It's not a crazy workout, just a lot of core and leg exercises, but it's the difference between being in pain, and not. A lot of my pain (which may not be the same as others) is caused by bad posture due to a lack of core strength. It's funny because I took the last 4 days off while on vacation, and the pain came back. The bottom line is that it's a constant battle between being in good shape, and being on pain killers, and the difference is doing the recommended exercises for your back, abs, and to a lesser extent, the glutes.

Working out is the path to pain free living. I'm not talking about hard core weight lifting, or mad cardio triathalon. That's all good for the hardcore. I'm talking about doing what it takes to keep you going. Don't worry right now about lifting heavy. Stretching, lots of reps, and low impact will help you more than you think. Hell, just doing some level of exercise helps overall.

:cool:

do you have a foam roller.. sciatica, as you already know, is a general term regarding the sciatic nerve causing pain. could be from the vertebral level, or muscular. I know a good number of people have solved their sciatica issue by using a foam roller/stretching their Piriformis muscle.. aka Piriformis syndrome Piriformis syndrome - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

if you keep your wallet or stuff in your rear pant pockets, make sure they are empty when you are sitting... i noticed i can get mild sciatica/piriformis issues when i tilt/sit with stuff in my back pocket

[Matlock]

^Any idea on how much it costs?

I have blue cross and manulife health plans... But will have to look into they cover.

[Spidey]

^Any idea on how much it costs?

I have blue cross and manulife health plans... But will have to look into they cover.

allan mcgavin or the foam roller lol

[Matlock]

LOL allan mcgavin...

I have a foam roller.

[Spidey]

I don't remember. At that time I was under premium assistance with MSP so I only had to pay for 20 or 25 dollars. I think they are about 60 a session or something like that. If you have extended health coverage from your Employer, it should be covered as well, with or without a Dr's note. Technically, a good Chiropractor should be able to diagnose it properly.

The thing I liked about Allan McGavin is that the physio I worked with, also did manual manipulation for subluxations of the spine etc.. It was like a 2 in 1 :)

[Matlock]

I not has sciatica.
Locked up my SI joint

Differences between Sacroiliac Joint Dysfunction and Sciatica

Inflammation of the sacroiliac joint is believed to be caused by a disruption in the normal movement of the joint, despite the fact that the sacroiliac joint (also called the SI joint) naturally has a very limited range of motion. If the sacroiliac joint becomes inflamed, the portion of the sciatic nerve that runs directly in front of the joint can be irritated.

Sacroiliac joint dysfunction affects the sciatic nerve and has similar symptoms to sciatica. However, pain along the sciatic nerve caused by sacroiliac joint dysfunction is not caused by a compressed nerve root as it exits the spine as occurs with true sciatica.

[Spidey]

I not has sciatica.
Locked up my SI joint

Where did you end up going to get diagnosed?

[quasi]

So I'm still having issues. It's gotten better and then flared up again. The chiropractor combined with anti-inflammatory's helped but once I stopped it came right back. I'm going back and I'm going to try it again possibly with some physio. Acupressure did nothing for me, I'm not sure if acupuncture would be more of the same but it is covered under my extended medical so I might try it.

All I can say is this sucks so bad, it goes from the pain being an annoyance to it causing me to hobble instead of walk. The good news is it only hurts when I sit, stand or walk which means laying flat is totally pain free........

I couldn't even think of doing something like jogging, I can't even walk without pain.

[originalhypa]

if you keep your wallet or stuff in your rear pant pockets, make sure they are empty when you are sitting... i noticed i can get mild sciatica/piriformis issues when i tilt/sit with stuff in my back pocket

This is a good call.
I fired up my sciatic nerve doing dh biking at Whistler. A couple of killer moto-whips, and suddenly my back was sore. Fast forward a week, and I'm fighting through it.

there are certain shorts I can't wear anymore because the only secure pockets are in the back. I found that even a skinny wallet or small cel phone will cause issues if they're in the back pocket. That sucks.

[originalhypa]

This is a good call.
I fired up my sciatic nerve doing dh biking at Whistler. A couple of killer moto-whips, and suddenly my back was sore. Fast forward a week, and I'm fighting through it.


Holy shit, a year later and I did the same damn thing. Biking at Whistler, tail whipping, and bam! Now I'm high on Robaxicet (which doesn't even work) and missing the final 3 games of my hockey season.

Fuck you Sciatica. Fuck you and your family.

[Spidey]

Holy shit, a year later and I did the same damn thing. Biking at Whistler, tail whipping, and bam! Now I'm high on Robaxicet (which doesn't even work) and missing the final 3 games of my hockey season.

Fuck you Sciatica. Fuck you and your family.
lol tsk tsk

[Ulic Qel-Droma]

https://www.google.ca/search?q=hangups+sciatica&rlz=1C1CHFX_enCA472CA472&um=1&ie=UTF-8&hl=en&tbm=isch&source=og&sa=N&tab=wi&authuser=0&ei=WunRUd_tOOTKigKlkYHoAg&biw=1600&bih=785&sei=X-nRUdGfN43VigKDvoGQBA#um=1&safe=off&rlz=1C1CHFX_enCA472CA472&hl=en&authuser=0&tbm=isch&sa=1&q=hangups&oq=hangups&gs_l=img.3..0i10j0j0i10l2j0l5j0i10.2111.2249.0.244 7.2.2.0.0.0.0.46.90.2.2.0.eqrwrth..0.0.0..1.1.17.i mg.ME9lF-PW79Y&bav=on.2,or.r_cp.r_qf.&bvm=bv.48705608,d.cGE&fp=48f03d692b51a265&biw=1600&bih=785

some people swear by this for all back related problems.

i've used it since it was in the household... i would say using it is better than doing nothing. in fact it probably does a lot more than one would expect.

if i had one at home personally i would use it everyday... but i don't lol.

you guys, just save your money on the doctors and all that crap.

seriously this works.

my brother had a friend with really bad sciatica. was a doubter like you guys.

and we just made a bet with him. buy this stupid hangups thing, and if it doesnt help, we'll pay u back whatever u paid for it.

he uses it 10min everyday now and his back is completely fixed after a few months. he swears by it. he cannot live without it lol.

it's like 100-300 bux to get rid of your problems in a natural and safe way. it's totally worth it.

5-10min a day, that's all it takes, hang on a decline or completely upside down. your backs will be way better. trust me.

just dont use it after u eat a meal LOL.

[Cassijon]

i had really bad sciatica right after my car accident 9 years ago and it didnt start getting better until about 3 years ago.

i tried everything short of having back surgery.

what i found helped the most, was weight loss. after that, a combination of the drugs flexiril + naproxen was way better than taking robax.

also, the traction machine at my chiro did wonders for my back. relieved a lot of stress and realigned my spine properly. just dont overdo it on that, otherwise you'll end up a gimp

[quasi]

Old thread, I'm still having issues but now mine is only aggravated by standing and walking. At work during the day I'm pretty good for the most part, standing in the kitchen prepping a meal, walking for more then 20 minutes will have me bent over in pain.

I tried acupuncture and acupressure again for a while, did nothing for me. I'm going to go back to the Doctor and see if he has any recommendations but I know weight loss sure as hell would not hurt.

[Spidey]

Old thread, I'm still having issues but now mine is only aggravated by standing and walking. At work during the day I'm pretty good for the most part, standing in the kitchen prepping a meal, walking for more then 20 minutes will have me bent over in pain.

I tried acupuncture and acupressure again for a while, did nothing for me. I'm going to go back to the Doctor and see if he has any recommendations but I know weight loss sure as hell would not hurt.

acupuncture really does nothing for muscle imbalance. It is probably better for strains and sprains where the injury is localized. sciatica is usually due to a number of things, such as hip imbalance. I would see a physio or chiro, rather than acupuncture and acupressure. I am assuming you went to those Chinese therapists?

[quasi]

^

Yes, it did nothing but it was covered so I figured nothing to lose.

[ZN6]

Old thread, I'm still having issues but now mine is only aggravated by standing and walking. At work during the day I'm pretty good for the most part, standing in the kitchen prepping a meal, walking for more then 20 minutes will have me bent over in pain.

I tried acupuncture and acupressure again for a while, did nothing for me. I'm going to go back to the Doctor and see if he has any recommendations but I know weight loss sure as hell would not hurt.

I had a herniated disc that impinged on the sciatic nerve that runs down my leg. Painful when you're stationary for a bit and it sets in, I know the feeling of backpain and sciatic pain intimately.

Not sure what your situation is but if it is similar to mine, then what helped me was getting one of those pilate balls and sitting on it and bouncing up and down. Looked hard-gay but what it does is that it pumps the disc gently to get the blood flowing to it. I read somewhere that it helps the disc heal. My doctor said it's worth a shot, just no sudden jolts.

For me it was helpful for others it might not be helpful but I thought it'd be worth a try.

I had recovered 90% and then some lady rear ended me a few years ago which brought be to my knees a couple of months after the accident. The pain was so bad that I was sweating trying to hold myself up over a counter to have the pain subside a bit and could not sleep for more than 15 minute periods before the pain returned. Apparently my L4 & L5 lumbar was knocked out of place again after I had recovered. Doing my peeps and poops (no joke) was very painful for my leg when you have to sit on the can or look down while peeing. Went to see a chiropractor that helped temporarily.

I also had a corticosteroid injection (a nerve block essentially) into the nerve and let me tell you, it was extremely painful when they have to dig to find the nerve in the back. It was also exceedingly eerie to have the monitor in front and above my face for me to see where the needle was going. They shoved a 6" needle into my back and I couldn't drive for a day or two. This helped the healing process as well.

Losing weight is definitely helpful in my steps to recovery. In fact, I think it's the most important step in my recovery. Muscle asymetry is horrible for your body so see a physiotherapist to get tested for muscle balance and they can help you bring it back to neutral or close to it. Currently, I'm at 175lbs and 5'10" down from 206lbs from 2 years ago and kept it off. Even with the weightloss and toning, I am now working to get my muscles on one side of my body to strengthen. Because I was nursing the left side of my body for years, the right side muscles had contracted and are much stronger. So physio really helps target where you should be working your efforts.

My regular exercise now is biking to and from work almost every day as well as a lot of recreational riding. Riding has very little impact on joints and soft tissue unless you ride on a bumpy road or mash the pedals.

Good luck in your road to recovery. Let me know if you need any more info, I have gone through pains like this and would never wish this on even my worst enemy.

[hchang]

^Check out the excercise video in the link

I do them 3 times a week and helps out a lot.

Lower Back Stretches for Sciatica Pain - Fitness Blender (http://www.fitnessblender.com/v/workout-detail/Lower-Back-Stretches-for-Sciatica-Pain/88/)

[SFU.Kin]

Yup, get exercise and proper nutrition can most likely help