Sciatica?

[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]

Originally Posted by 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!

girls with donald duck posture = ohhh yeaaaaaaaaaaaaaa. lol

Originally Posted by Matlock

Spoiler!

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.

Originally Posted by 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.

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 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Piriformis_syndrome
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]

Originally Posted by Matlock

^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]

Originally Posted by Matlock

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]

Originally Posted by Spidey

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]

Originally Posted by 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]

Originally Posted by originalhypa

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]

Originally Posted by Ulic Qel-Droma

https://www.google.ca/search?q=hangu...w=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]

Originally Posted by 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.

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]

Originally Posted by 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.

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

[SFU.Kin]

Yup, get exercise and proper nutrition can most likely help