sciatica

Started by GJL, April 19, 2017, 06:12:14 PM

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GJL

Completely buckled with pain down one leg coming from a lower back injury. Any advise would be greatly appreciated.

bennydorano

#1
Pay for private physio asap, don't wait on NHS they might send you home with a list of exercises,  load of balls if you're in agony, you need the manipulation asap. I still go to a Chinese Doctor for sessions when required.

Aerlik

 I first started getting sciatica when I was about 14.  It was so bad I couldn't sleep on a mattress in bed and had to lie on a rug on the floor.  That went on for years but as I got stronger and developed better core strength, the pain lessened. 

Fast forward to 2006 and the pain got so bad I used to be bent double in the morning after getting out of bed (which was an achievement in itself).  I went to my GP who referred me to an orthopedic surgeon and then came the Eureka moment after an MRI.  The cause of the condition was diagnosed as spondylolisthesis.  Basically I was born without the disc between L4 and L5.  This has caused the spine at L4 to "slip" out of line by 14mm and crush down on L5 which in turn has been pressuring S1. And right there in the middle of it all are the sciatic nerves.

Because of the slippage I have had to give up running and it has actually worked.  I would take the advise of Benny and go to a private physio and get checked out.  Or go to your GP first and ask about spondylolisthesis. 

You will find that rest does actually help so there goes the football and/or hurling for the year.
To find his equal an Irishman is forced to talk to God!

GJL

Thanks lads. The football is well behind me now but I like the old 5/10k run so want to get this cleared up asap. I have private insurance so will get a scan in the next week or so to find out what is going on. It is the third time in as many years so I want to get to the bottom of it.

Esmarelda

I have it to. Didn't get the MRI but twice daily stretches of my lower back keeps it to a manageable level.

omagh_gael

I got bad sciatica about 7 years ago and got a very quick referral through to NHS physio in Omagh. Ended up getting a physio who practiced a technique involving her (thankfully it was a she!) manipulating my lower spine with her bare feet as she walked up and down my back. She held onto a bed to take the majority of her weight. Looked like something from a low rate dominatrix flick. Kinky but effective, haven't had it since.

Btw, nearly certain I caused it by running with bad footwear that wasn't cushioning the impact of running on tarmac.

Main Street

#6
I woke up totally 'locked' in bed one morning, it took me about 2 agonising hours to get out of bed, get to the computer and get onto You Tube (the home of every fixit imaginable)  This 2nd exercise in this video,
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jrp1b7FnSqs starting at 3mins 8 secs helped me enormously.
You just keep doing it , 15 or 20 times every 5 minutes until you can walk without pain,  and keep doing it regular until you have full leg movement.

Also if you think the sciatica is going to come on after you did something dubious,  then this exercise acts as a prophylaxis in that no mans land time between the physical strain and the sudden onset of the lock down.

However you need to do other exercises to lessen the overall susceptibility for sciatica developing

Jell 0 Biafra

A couple of sessions with a good chiropractor  sorted me out when it happened to me years ago.  Couldn't walk without serious pain.  After the first session, I could do so with only a little pain, after the second one, I was grand.