Does anyone else have problems with sciatica and back pain? I am, once again, in a lot of discomfort with sciatica and it's making me bloody miserable... constant pain in my lower back and frequent shooting pain down my leg. Had it all through Christmas and it's returned. If anyone has any good hints/tips on dealing with this, I'd love to hear them.
Firstly, *big hugs*. Sciatica is hideous and incredibly debilitating, you have my full sympathy. I know I am very young, but I have Sciatica due to Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, and my mum has it due to a broken spine (what a pair - I know.) Trying to keep your weight of that side of your leg, lie on your other side or on your back, with a pillow supporting your hips really helps. Flexing your toes on the bad leg up (as if to touch the ceiling) will help stretch out the muscles. Deep breathing can help when it becomes overwhelming to manage the pain. Make sure you aren't restricting that area (your lower back, think jeans waist bands) with anything tough like a belt, soft pants are the best option. Muscle relaxants in medication form may be an option, because of all the pain you tense up, and therfore cause more problems. Depending on how much it effecting your mobility, getting a crutch may help so you don't have to weight bare on the painful leg (or if you are take unlucky you have it in both and then you are kinda screwed). I hope this has helped and the pain eases a bit soon.
Thank you for taking the time to reply. A few good hints and tips there and I will certainly give them a try... even if it helps a little, it's got to be better than this.
Sorry to hear about this! I suffered with Sciatica for 18 months as a result of a slipped disc that trapped a nerve (moped accident). In the end, I had to have surgery to fix it. The one thing that helped me massively (and I only realised it due to the MRI scan) was having a triangular shaped cushion/pillows directly under my knees. That hour in the MRI machine was the most comfortable I had been for months! Other than that, I adopted a weird lean when it came to walk, sitting and laying down to make me feel a bit more comfortable, but surgery was the only thing that actually fixed me. I hope you feel better soon
I'd try Traditional Chinese Medicine. It can help relieve pain really well. Lincolnshire, is that near Lincoln? I think there's a TCM programme at the University of Lincoln, if so I think they have a clinic open to public.
Hahaha yeah, I must say I've considered how painful it would be in comparison to just cut my leg off. Good luck!
It depends on the cause, what's pressing on the sciatic nerve. It could be the piriformis muscle, which surrounds it. There are specific piriformis stretches that can give a lot of relief (see below). A chiropractor could be helpful. I also find acupuncture helpful for a variety of problems, but this sort of thing may be resolved with something more structural (exercise, chiropractor). This link shows a few variations of a piriformis stretch, with the one I use at the top of the page and in the video. I should clarify that it's the one I use because it's the only one my chiropractor showed me. Stretching Exercises: The Piriformis Stretch
I'm only young but have burning in my leg which was described to me as sciatica. If you are sat all day it tends to cause the muscles at the back of the leg and buttocks to be overstretched and weak and the muscles at the front (the quads) to be extremely tight and shortened. This creates an imbalance and can lead to nerves being trapped. I find working to stretch out the quads and strengthen the glutes really helps to open the hips up. It also improves posture slightly which may help the back. I'd definitely recommend seeing a physio.
