Sciatica - any tips?

[HeyWayne]

I think it's safe to say, try as many things as you can - see what works for you. We're all different after all.

[piskieinboots]

...We're all different after all.

we are that lad.....
.....you are 6' and a million, I am 5' and a nothing, you are youngish, I am oldish, you are a boy, I am a girl - and yet we have common ground in gardening and beer - isn't life grand

[Flummery]

T'ai Chi can really help. I don't suffer from it myself but fellow T'ai Chi group members have had great relief from the gently exercises. Like Madasafish's yoga, it can do wonders. If there's a class near you - get on to it!

[piskieinboots]

I've heard the same Flummery - I'm currently trying to decide which to try - yoga, T'ai Chi
*toses coin

[HeyWayne]

I've heard the same Flummery - I'm currently trying to decide which to try - yoga, T'ai Chi
*toses coin

I've tried both and found T'ai Chi easier to cope with when in pain. I also tried pilates, but the class I attended was a little further progressed than I was at the time, so I didn't have the core strength required and felt uncomfortable at times as a result.

[piskieinboots]

thanks Wayne, I am gravitating more towards TC, it may also calm me now a little!

[willowstar]

hello

I have been in a similar situation to Sarah. when the disk bulged and went into spasm I needed morphine based drugs, anti spasmodics, anti-inflammatories just to be able to move and inch etc...was totally high and splept for days. that happened four times over the course of about 10 years. I had to give up nursing cos of it and had/have lots of residual probs. anyway, lots of little things worked for me. I paid to go to a really good physio in Cambridge who really knew what she was talking about. She gave me exercises based on stretching and building core strength, very similar to pilates. Cos i have had it so long I now know whether the chiropractor can help. Sometimes I know that my spine has moved, I go there and he clicks it back into place, sometimes it lasts, sometimes it doesn't.


Anyway, the biggest thing that has made all the difference in the world to me, and this sounds a bit out there, is acceptance. I no longer try to fight it. when the pain is bad is it is bad but I just get on with it and accept oh my back is sore today but I don't stress about it. I obviously don't try to aggravate it when it is bad but for me the main thing is that I KNOW now that it will pass again. whereas before it kind of dominated my life because of the all the changes I had to make to my life, now I really have just accepted it as part of who I am. I used to be SO fit before but after almost a decade of trying to exercise and having to give up again because I hurt my back I have been exercising reg. for about a year now with very few probs. doing circuits, step and spinning classes. the only thing I really can't do is running. gardening is a prob. so my whole patch is raised about 2ft off the ground so no digging.

I guess my advice (after this long cathartic ramble!) is to listen to your body, try everything, find what works for you and try not to get down about it. so much easier said than done, but stress will prob make it worse. just keep telling yourself it will pass because it will. its just life innit?

[piskieinboots]

cathartic rambling is good as was your post, your words will help many on here with the dreaded S word, it helped me

[mapcr77]

Only to add a few comments to the good advice given by other grapes. A proper diagnosis is utterly necessary, and do seek second opinions. I had the most awful back pain. My GP kept on saying 'it may go in a couple of weeks, come back if it doesn't'. After several visits he finally put me in a waiting list to see the physio. No good as I was in agony and went to see a private chiropractor and she was great! 40 quid a go, but well worth it. Over an hour each visit, she found that I've an extra vertebra in my lower back causing a sort of RSI, gave me massage and ultrasound therapy, excersises to do and eventually I got better. By the time I finally saw the physio, she was rubbish! Less than 15 mins. consultation, she never laid hands on my back, I guess she just assumed I was a lazy couch potato and pain was a result for that (when indeed I was a very active gym goer at the time -with the muscles to prove it-!). I then started doing pilates and got a pair of mbt's, and it hasn't flared up badly since, although of course I do get the occasional stiffness and soreness after a hard day at the lottie. I recommend the book The Backsmart Fitness Plan, by Adam Weiss, very helpful advice there.
Good luck and hope you get better.

[HeyWayne]

When you do find what works for you it's a fantastic moment and you want to share it with the world.

Over the years (since I was 14) I have tried the following:

Physiotherapy
Hydrotherapy
Chiropractor
Osteopath
Ultrasound (damned annoying resonance in your ear)
Traction
Painkillers (ingested and otherwise)
Pilates
T'ai Chi
Yoga
Massage
Manipulation
Chinese herbal medicine
Inversion
Rest
Support belt
Operation
Exercise
Stretching

The last three have been the most successful for me, but I'd try them all again if it meant getting where I am now.

Good luck, and I hope you find something that works for you soon.

[piskieinboots]

..... although of course I do get the occasional stiffness and soreness after a hard day at the lottie.....

and that is good stiffness and soreness

....Traction...

ah ha so that's why you are up there - will it give me a few extra inches

[HeyWayne]

ah ha so that's why you are up there - will it give me a few extra inches

He he, I was 5ft 6 when I started.

[Two_Sheds]

the yoga position of Cobra is brilliant for lower back pain. Yoga Exercise - Cobra Pose (Bhujangasana)
My lower back pain is worse when I am bent forwards (digging, weeding etc). The Cobra makes you bend backwards instead, strengthening your muscles and correcting your posture.
Try it, but gently to start with! It will hurt, but it's a good hurt.

[piskieinboots]

my physio has me doing that - it works very well for me too

[willowstar]

thanks piskie :-) and just one final thought...I found the book 'the back sufferers bible' a real help. by Sarah Keys. It has a foreword by prince charles no less! seriously, when I was really stuggling it gave me hope which is just what I needed. I follow her advice about making sure I move my spine and not being afraid of pain.