Sciatica

[wavesofTORRES]

Know how you feel. 20yrs ago I spent 28 days in traction in hospital with 2 prolapsed discs. The traction did dam all to help me apart from forcing me 2 stay in bed. The pain was unreal, I have to say it was the one and only time I cried like a baby. Obviously I developed sciatica as a result and when I finally got out of hospital the discomfort particularly in my achilles made me want to rip them out. The good news is it can be got over but only by you managing it properly. The first thing I did was get rid of the painkillers, they will make you think the problem is easing and con you into thinking you can do more than you really can. When the effects of them wear off you may find you have over stretched it and made things worse. Try and do with out them and slowly but surely you will conquer it. Sit up straight is the best advice I can give you and stretch stretch stretch every morning even if its only mm's each day.Whatever feels comfortable for you thats what you do, its gonna be slow but you'll get there. I can now lift items as heavy if not heavier than I could back before this happened- the difference is I now lift them properly, you must listen to your body, feel the pain and thats when you adjust. I still get an odd dart of it but nothing (touch wood) like I had 20yrs ago.
Avril Gibson in Newcastle helped me along a great deal but its what you do yourself that counts.
P.S. I dont mean to be crude but one way I really found good for relieving the pain was going for a good crap. Honestly, what I did sitting on the loo was to stretch my arms out in front and stretch my spine, while literally pushing my arse down into the bowl the whole process did i swear work for me. I was willing to try anything. Goodluck. Stay away from Doctors not their field.

[Cde]

there is a woman in Ardee that has the cure for it. She is supposed to be very good.

[delboy]

Yeah iv straightened up my car seat recently as the pain was always worst when driving, seems to have made a bit of a difference.

Car seats are a killer, any position that has your knees higher than your pelvis puts a lot of pressure on your lower discs, you'll notice truck drivers etc have a completely different seat than the type we have in a car their pelvis sits about level with their knees.
Short of changing car or car sear not much i guess you can do except avoid long jouneys when it flares up.

[Hardy]

there is a woman in Ardee that has the cure for it. She is supposed to be very good.

She's hardly still alive, is she? She was about in the sixties. Maybe she passed it on to a new woman.

"The woman in Ardee" was revered in my house. My mother and three uncles at different times had the sort of pain described by wavesofTORRES. They each visited her and claimed they were cured. Of course I'm a sceptic about cures and stuff, but I have to say they seemed to be cured as well. I have no idea whether it was something physical she did or some other treatment or so-called faith healing. I assume it must have been some physical manipulation (as far as I remember there were a number of visits involved) or else it was one hell of a placebo effect. Part of the deal was that you could never tell anybody what she did. That used to exercise my childish imagination no end.

[Alco Pup]

My MMA coach suffered from Sciatica, and he went to see yer man Raymond Knox in Moira - the one with the bionic hand device.
It took a few sessions, and he admitted that it was painful, but it sorted him out.  He said afterwards that he felt better than he had in at least 10 years (he is in his late 40's), was able to train better and for longer. 
Hasn't had any bother since, and that was 3 years ago that he went for the treatment!

http://www.tamars.co.uk/newspaper/WebIrishNews.pdf

[tyronefan]

there is a woman in Ardee that has the cure for it. She is supposed to be very good.

She's hardly still alive, is she? She was about in the sixties. Maybe she passed it on to a new woman.

"The woman in Ardee" was revered in my house. My mother and three uncles at different times had the sort of pain described by wavesofTORRES. They each visited her and claimed they were cured. Of course I'm a sceptic about cures and stuff, but I have to say they seemed to be cured as well. I have no idea whether it was something physical she did or some other treatment or so-called faith healing. I assume it must have been some physical manipulation (as far as I remember there were a number of visits involved) or else it was one hell of a placebo effect. Part of the deal was that you could never tell anybody what she did. That used to exercise my childish imagination no end.

her daughter is doing it now

Heard some great reports about her

[omagh_gael]

The driving really is a killer. The dull pulsing pain would drive you round the bend (literally).

I wouldn't be a wild man for 'cures' but those reports sound positive. If anyone has a number or contact details could they drop me a PM?

[AbbeySider]

The driving really is a killer. The dull pulsing pain would drive you round the bend (literally).

I wouldn't be a wild man for 'cures' but those reports sound positive. If anyone has a number or contact details could they drop me a PM?

I do an 80 mile round trip to training a few times a week and my Sciatica gets really bad after it.
Just sitting here I have pain in my hip/arse from it. Im seeing physios and doctors lately as I said because it has flared up worse than ever lately.

[bennydorano]

The driving really is a killer. The dull pulsing pain would drive you round the bend (literally).

I wouldn't be a wild man for 'cures' but those reports sound positive. If anyone has a number or contact details could they drop me a PM?

Each to his own, but cures are balls   Get the dough out and get to a physio - you'll end up there after the 'cure' anyway - I did, same way I ended up in the dentist after i got the cure for the 'ache.

[Cde]

if the pain is bad enough you will try everything.
some people swear by them and some think they are a con but they cost nothing and are worth a try

[gawa316]

Any recommendations for pain relief whilst driving? I get a dull pain in my lower back and pins and needles down my leg.

Driving to Lancaster via Scotland next wk and not looking forward to it...

[Tyrones own]

Any recommendations for pain relief whilst driving? I get a dull pain in my lower back and pins and needles down my leg.

Driving to Lancaster via Scotland next wk and not looking forward to it...

One of them Lumbar support type pillows for the seat is about all you can do..that and stop periodically to stretch yourself.

[Mike Sheehy]

I always understood sciatica was caused by disc pressure on the nerves in the back and that unless that's sorted out, everything else is just treating the pain.

yup. He should get an mri to check the discs. If its a disc and he stresses to the point where it herniates then the pain he feels now will be nothing compared to how bad it can get.