Sciatica

Do any sufferers have any tips for me?

zyzygy said:

Do any sufferers have any tips for me?

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Is it constant? I've finally got mine to calm down by paying attention to the way I sit. I don't sit with one leg tucked up anymore, leaning off to the side, crossed leg on the floor, etc. Now it only flares when I do too much bending and lifting. If you can tolerate Ibuprophin (sp) that helped dull it a little.

holbritter said:

Is it constant? I've finally got mine to calm down by paying attention to the way I sit. I don't sit with one leg tucked up anymore, leaning off to the side, crossed leg on the floor, etc. Now it only flares when I do too much bending and lifting. If you can tolerate Ibuprophin (sp) that helped dull it a little.

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It is constant. It started three days ago. I've never had it before. It's at its worst when I wake up in the morning. You are right about the sitting. Keeping on the move seem to help. I've been taking paracetamol and using Algipan cream. A visit to the doctor is called for.

Some simple daily yoga stretches lying on my back with my knees bent and legs crossed (gentlemen-style) helps keep flare ups to a minimum.

I put one arm through my legs, the other arm around the knee on the same side (for instance: left arm/left knee), then grasp my hands together.

I gently rock left to right, back and forth to a count of 30, then finish by squeezing the held knee toward my body for a count of 20.

I do the procedure twice, first with one knee, then the other.

Lots of B12 ( I supplement daily, because I am prone to sciatica) and a chiropractor.

Trippy Trekker said:

Some simple daily yoga stretches lying on my back with my knees bent and legs crossed (gentlemen-style) helps keep flare ups to a minimum.

I put one arm through my legs, the other arm around the knee on the same side (for instance: left arm/left knee), then grasp my hands together.

I gently rock left to right, back and forth to a count of 30, then finish by squeezing the held knee toward my body for a count of 20.

I do the procedure twice, first with one knee, then the other.

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I tried that and it helped. Thank you.

Lovebug said:

Lots of B12 ( I supplement daily, because I am prone to sciatica) and a chiropractor.

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I take B12 every day as part of my CML treatment.

zyzygy said:

Do any sufferers have any tips for me?

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core strengthening that concentrates on the TVAs & the obliques

https://www.google.com/search?hl=en...0i67k1j0i46k1j0i131i67k1j0i10k1.0.OeKPFPBBOeg

my low back can get aggravated by twisting motions at my waist level so, I try & limit twisting at the L4/L5 level

walking will help too & also using a low seated exercise bike; when doing these concentrate on keeping the TVA group activated

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Transverse_abdominal_muscle


been there ................. good luck .............

zyzygy said:

Do any sufferers have any tips for me?

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Here is my expert opinion based on not much....

My mother has very bad sciatica if she moves wrongly after smashing up a concrete stairway through the garden when she was in her 20's.

She will be careful when bending down at all. Every time she does so she treats it as a deliberate manoever. Head up back straight and bend the knees. When she is kneeling she will get back up and change position if the thing she is after is to the side of her. She does loads of gardening and is not troubled with her back even though I have seen her faint after lying on a beach due to the sand keeping her in the wrong position.

I also have a reasonable back even after 25 years of plumbing. I also kneel down carefully.

To train your head into how to pick up a piece of paper from the floor; Stand with your back to a post or door way or outside corner so that your spine is against the corner. Now go down to the floor keeping your back against the corner. pick up the paper. If the paper is not in easy reach go back up and sort out where you will have to be to have an easy, frontal, reach for the paper.

This is exagerated but the idea will be with you each time you bend over. But don't bend over, lower yourself in a planned way.

It becomes second nature after a couple of weeks of thinking about it.

Tim the plumber said:

Here is my expert opinion based on not much....

My mother has very bad sciatica if she moves wrongly after smashing up a concrete stairway through the garden when she was in her 20's.

She will be careful when bending down at all. Every time she does so she treats it as a deliberate manoever. Head up back straight and bend the knees. When she is kneeling she will get back up and change position if the thing she is after is to the side of her. She does loads of gardening and is not troubled with her back even though I have seen her faint after lying on a beach due to the sand keeping her in the wrong position.

I also have a reasonable back even after 25 years of plumbing. I also kneel down carefully.

To train your head into how to pick up a piece of paper from the floor; Stand with your back to a post or door way or outside corner so that your spine is against the corner. Now go down to the floor keeping your back against the corner. pick up the paper. If the paper is not in easy reach go back up and sort out where you will have to be to have an easy, frontal, reach for the paper.

This is exagerated but the idea will be with you each time you bend over. But don't bend over, lower yourself in a planned way.

It becomes second nature after a couple of weeks of thinking about it.

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agreed; I have to pretty much 'think' about every move I make if it's a certain movement. It does become second nature but then that is when it can bite you, if you are actually not 'thinking' about it. Simple movements that previously were taken for granted at one point have become a way of life, similar to a philosophy ...........

zyzygy said:

I take B12 every day as part of my CML treatment.

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B12 seemed to help mine (as a side effect), I take it because I'm vegan, but my doctor had me switch from the kind I was buying in the grocery to Methylcobalamin, which is a superior form of B12 that's easier to absorb. I haven't had any sciatica flareups for a few years now and I take between 5,000-15,000 mcg. daily. It varies by week.

My sciatica is the result of a gym injury 15 years ago, but it's mainly under control except for sometimes struggling to find a comfortable sleep position. (My pain mainly refers down one leg, and the tingling used to have me hugging the wall). I still am sometimes tempted to lift something over 20 pounds "just this once," but I mainly don't lift anymore. Not worth it. This lesson took, oh, "only" 50 repetitions?

I managed in separated-by-a-year incidents to break a foot, and while one of those injuries was healing, I blew out a knee. The recovery took nearly forever, but I still had to work and walk a lot.

I guess I limped for about a year and half, and this was time enough to not only be able to know exactly how many steps were between the parking lot and my office and etc., but also to be grateful every day that I don't have to think about how I'm going to exit my car or step up or down a curb.

The time comes for all when you pop down to the floor to pick something up and go "Uh-oh" when you realize that getting back up is going to present a challenge. You do learn to think it through. I'm going to be going up and down a ladder today for the first time in months, and this time I'm going to be smart.

Rotating with heat and then ice helps, too...