Sciatica?

[Linda0818]

Well, here we go, let's add yet another ailment to my dilapidated body and put me in even more daily pain than I'm already dealing with. I mean, why not?!?! What's one more???? Couldn't hurt, right?!?! (no pun intended)

Yes, as the title states, I believe I now have Sciatica. Just started within the month of June. Woke up one day and went to get out of bed and literally screamed and doubled over in pain, feeling like a very hot, sharp sword was jabbed down into my backside. Some days are worse than others, but yesterday and today are really bad. I can barely walk.

The pain starts in my lower back and goes down my right 'butt cheek' and sometimes into my leg. Sometimes it's very sharp and intense and catches me off guard if I move a certain way. So you can literally hear me crying out every now and then. I freaked my boss out more than once yesterday when getting up from my desk.

I did a search on Sciatica here in DC cooking and noticed that some of you also suffer from this. I also looked at some Youtube vids about ways to try and relieve the pain. Tried one of the exercises last night and will do it again later on, as I have to get myself out the door to work.

But I was wondering, for those of you who live with this excruciating pain, what are you doing (or have done) for it and has anything worked? My cousin had it and had to have surgery because a disk or something was pressing on the nerve and surgery was the only thing that could fix it. But has anyone here had epidural steroid injections and did they work?

I've also read that, in some cases, Sciatica can eventually vanish on its own. Is this true?

Thanks, everyone.

 

[blissful]

Posture and exercises.
My husband and I were both suffering from shoulder pain or hip pain, back pain, stiffness in the morning so bad we'd limp and struggle for the first 5 minutes trying to move in the mornings. He was turning 70 soon and I was turning 60. After we adopted a diet that avoided foods that gave us inflammation, in about a month the pains and stiffness completely disappeared. It's like having a new life. 5 years and neither of us have the system wide inflammation problem anymore. Here is a link to information on inflammatory foods and what to eat instead. https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/wellness-and-prevention/anti-inflammatory-diet
I hope you can find some relief.

 

[Andy M.]

I'v had it for several years. Pain running from my lower back all the way down to my foot. I couldn't get comfortable in my recliner or my bed.

My PCP recommended physical therapy. I've learned to listen to his recommendations.

I went to PT about a half dozen times and I am cured. No pain. I do PT exercises for less than 15 minutes a day and I have been pain-free for years. I do have a minor flare-up on rare occasions but i just do the exercises twice a day for a couple of days and I'm OK again.

 

[HeyItsSara]

DH has had acupuncture done with some success. He has a whole regiment of stretching and exercises to strengthen the area which also helps.

 

[pictonguy]

Well, here we go, let's add yet another ailment to my dilapidated body and put me in even more daily pain than I'm already dealing with. I mean, why not?!?! What's one more???? Couldn't hurt, right?!?! (no pun intended)

Yes, as the title states, I believe I now have Sciatica. Just started within the month of June. Woke up one day and went to get out of bed and literally screamed and doubled over in pain, feeling like a very hot, sharp sword was jabbed down into my backside. Some days are worse than others, but yesterday and today are really bad. I can barely walk.

The pain starts in my lower back and goes down my right 'butt cheek' and sometimes into my leg. Sometimes it's very sharp and intense and catches me off guard if I move a certain way. So you can literally hear me crying out every now and then. I freaked my boss out more than once yesterday when getting up from my desk.

I did a search on Sciatica here in DC cooking and noticed that some of you also suffer from this. I also looked at some Youtube vids about ways to try and relieve the pain. Tried one of the exercises last night and will do it again later on, as I have to get myself out the door to work.

But I was wondering, for those of you who live with this excruciating pain, what are you doing (or have done) for it and has anything worked? My cousin had it and had to have surgery because a disk or something was pressing on the nerve and surgery was the only thing that could fix it. But has anyone here had epidural steroid injections and did they work?

I've also read that, in some cases, Sciatica can eventually vanish on its own. Is this true?

Thanks, everyone.

I've had it twice in my life. Once leaving the house and slipped on a piece of ice and in catching my balance I mucked something up in my back which put pressure on the sciatic nerve, lasted 2 months but eventually went away, so yeah, it does go away. I stretched for a good 15 minutes every morning and took it pretty easy.

I play hockey twice a week and have all my life, even now but in my 30's I was crushed going into a corner which did it, and effected my sciatic nerve. It was pretty bad, the pain I mean, the hit was not uncommon. this time I was given medication to reduce the inflammation and it was a few weeks, but it again, went away on it's own.

I've not had another event in 35 years and I could probably say because I have a decent amount of muscle mass for someone 6' and 185 and not only do I play hockey I also go to the gym 3 times a week and have been doing that forever as well and I think having enough muscles mass holding up our frames helps a lot, well at least it's apparently true in the literature.

Also chronic inflammation is not the same as acute inflammation and people confuse this repeatedly. If you've been diagnosed with chronic inflammation then you should definitely address that issue with diet and lifestyle and a dietitian is probably a good person to be in touch with.

Chronic inflammation is basically lifestyle and diet where too many refined and sugary carbs have mucked with our metabolism, increasing or trigs and increasing our C-reactive Protein in the body, which are the markers for inflammation, which then plays havoc on all sorts of dysfunction from joint pain like rheumatoid arthritis, psoriasis, muscle weakness, gastrointestinal issues etc. Oh, and the popular belief that meat causes inflammation is not true, it doesn't, but is often guilty by association, just thought I'd mention that.

Sciatica is caused generally by acute inflammation and the most common is a herniated disc that puts pressure on the nerve roots that leads to the sciatica. Could be a vertebra that sliped or it could be a muscle in the buttocks that surrounds the sciatica with a contraction that can aggravate the sciatica nerve. I would talk to a PT or your Dr. just to be pro active, things always don't go to plan as we age.

 

[Linda0818]

Great suggestions so far. Thanks much.

I will look into the anti-inflammatory diet and the exercises. And PT might be suggested by my doctor. I have yet to talk to her about it. I don't see her again until sometime in July. But I will discuss it with her and see what her recommendations are.

pictonguy, no, things definitely don't go as planned. Since having all this pain over the years (and now my new addition) I haven't been able to do the things I want or need to do. It's difficult to even clean the house. It's really pathetic having to sit down every 5 minutes. Even running the vacuum or cleaning the toilet takes it out of me.

 

[pictonguy]

Great suggestions so far. Thanks much.

I will look into the anti-inflammatory diet and the exercises. And PT might be suggested by my doctor. I have yet to talk to her about it. I don't see her again until sometime in July. But I will discuss it with her and see what her recommendations are.

pictonguy, no, things definitely don't go as planned. Since having all this pain over the years (and now my new addition) I haven't been able to do the things I want or need to do. It's difficult to even clean the house. It's really pathetic having to sit down every 5 minutes. Even running the vacuum or cleaning the toilet takes it out of me.

Yeah, I know. Our fitness in our later years is the key to our health span which has nothing to do with our life span, these are confused a lot. Drugs especially as we get older extends our life span but because we haven't addressed the root caused of why these drugs are implemented our health span keeps declining and we're just prescribed more drugs to compensate.

Is it too late, not at all, we can improve our daily lives. I believe just walking 3 times a week for 30 minutes is a good start and in 6 months you'll have a lot more capacity for oxygen and your muscle mass will have been tweaked to encounter daily life better, I've seen this happen and it's repeated in every study that's ever been conducted, baring any serious individual problem. From there, you can add some resistance to your muscles and it doesn't have to be very much but it does need to be consistant and again in a year you will feel so much better with a better attitude and mental disposition.

It's just really hard to be motivated, and I get that, but I just thought that I'd mention it because it will make a difference and it works in harmony with a better diet that reduces chronic inflammation, basically it's really implementing a lifestyle change which is problematic for most people, people don't like change especially when were older, it's a tough one, no doubt.

 

[caseydog]

I have had it come and go over the last ten-ish years. Mine is due to a combination of degenerative disc disease and stenosis (I'll let people look this up) on my L4 and L5 vertebrae. I have not had an episode of it in quite a while... maybe a year?

Mine is only on my right side, and starts at the spine, runs across to my right hip, and down my right leg. The hip pain can also feel like pain in the buttocks. That is the path that the sciatic nerve takes.

I did physical therapy, but that was a waste of time and money. The therapists were juggling 3 patients at a time, and just gave me exercises to do while they went from patient to patient. If you get a good physical therapist, your results may be different than mine.

There are some good stretching exercises on YouTube that provide some relief. You just have to try them, and see which ones help you, and which ones don't. If you can take Ibuprofen, that is a good pain killer for sciatica, because of its anti-inflammatory properties.

My mom has had the steroid shots for lower back pain, and they work well, but only for a certain length of time. It is not "one and done."

You need to get your PCP to refer you to a neurologist/neurosurgeon for a diagnosis. They will do an MRI, and find out what is causing the sciatica. Without that, you are just guessing. Your PCP is NOT qualified to diagnosis this.

However, if a neurologist/neurosurgeon tries to push you toward surgery right off the bat, get a new neurologist/neurosurgeon. I have a great neurologist/neurosurgeon, and right from the beginning he told me that surgery is the option of last resort, if nothing else works.

CD

 

[caseydog]

Great suggestions so far. Thanks much.

I will look into the anti-inflammatory diet and the exercises. And PT might be suggested by my doctor. I have yet to talk to her about it. I don't see her again until sometime in July. But I will discuss it with her and see what her recommendations are.

Oops, double post.

 

[caseydog]

Great suggestions so far. Thanks much.

I will look into the anti-inflammatory diet and the exercises. And PT might be suggested by my doctor. I have yet to talk to her about it. I don't see her again until sometime in July. But I will discuss it with her and see what her recommendations are.

Again, you need to get your PCP to refer you to a neurologist/neurosurgeon. You need to get an accurate diagnosis, and a PCP is not qualified to do that. And, all the advice we are giving you on this food forum, and all the diet and exercise plans on the planet won't do squat for you if you don't first find out what is wrong.

CD

 

[jennyema]

If it's pain mostly in your lower back/butt and hip and not down your leg, it could be another common muscular problem called piriformis.

I had excruciating butt/back/hip and leg pain starting in March. I barked out in pain all the time, which was embarrassing.

I went to my regular orthopaedic surgeon who did an exray and told me that I didnt have piriformis or sciatica, but needed a hip replacement. He gave me a cortisone shot and I feel fine now.

My point is that you should see a doctor as soon as you can to get an accurate diagnosis and treatment plan.

 

[Linda0818]

Thanks for more great responses. I appreciate them all.

You know what would be nice is to be able to trade our bodies in for new ones. Or at least body parts. I need new feet, especially. Between the neuropathy and the arthritis in my feet (as well as bone spurs) I can't even grocery shop without literally hobbling my way back to my car by the time I'm finished.

 

[Sir_Loin_of_Beef]

It sounds like a real pain in the ass to me.

 

[Linda0818]

It sounds like a real pain in the ass to me.

It is indeed!

I start PT next week, so we'll see if it even helps.

 

[Sir_Loin_of_Beef]

I suppose you've seen this?

Be sure to watch the Honest Review video that follows this one. What really got my attention is the part in the first video that says you can get a second one free, then in the Honest Review video they tell you NOT to wear one on each leg! I guess if you have a friend or relative with sciatica you could just split the cost?

 

[Linda0818]

I suppose you've seen this?

Be sure to watch the Honest Review video that follows this one. What really got my attention is the part in the first video that says you can get a second one free, then in the Honest Review video they tell you NOT to wear one on each leg! I guess if you have a friend or relative with sciatica you could just split the cost?

I don't think I've seen that one. I'll check it out this evening (at work right now).

Thank you.

 

[caseydog]

I hope you have visited a good specialist. My neurosurgeon did an MRI on my back, and gave me a very precise diagnosis. I still have issues with my back, but less than half the back pain since I got a qualified professional to tell me honestly what is wrong, and what I can do about it.

I found a good neurosurgeon, and he was 100 percent honest with me. He told me NOT to have surgery, because that is a remedy of last resort, and told me "this is what you need to do.' I listened to him , and although I still have back pain under certain circumstances, I get around pretty good now.

With something like this, you need to find an expert, who is trustworthy. My neurosurgeon is that kind of doctor. He showed me the MRI of my back, and spent time showing me and explaining to me exactly what was wrong, and what I could do about it.

CD

 

[Linda0818]

I hope you have visited a good specialist. My neurosurgeon did an MRI on my back, and gave me a very precise diagnosis. I still have issues with my back, but less than half the back pain since I got a qualified professional to tell me honestly what is wrong, and what I can do about it.

I found a good neurosurgeon, and he was 100 percent honest with me. He told me NOT to have surgery, because that is a remedy of last resort, and told me "this is what you need to do.' I listened to him , and although I still have back pain under certain circumstances, I get around pretty good now.

With something like this, you need to find an expert, who is trustworthy. My neurosurgeon is that kind of doctor. He showed me the MRI of my back, and spent time showing me and explaining to me exactly what was wrong, and what I could do about it.

CD

I'm glad you got it sorted and that you're not in as bad pain as you were.

My first physical therapy session is next Wednesday. We'll see if it helps or not. My PT gave me exercises to do at home. They haven't really made much of a difference. A couple of times it just made it worse. Maybe the PT will help, maybe not. But I have to go through at least 6 visits of PT before my insurance will approve the MRI.

 

[Linda0818]

I suppose you've seen this?

Be sure to watch the Honest Review video that follows this one. What really got my attention is the part in the first video that says you can get a second one free, then in the Honest Review video they tell you NOT to wear one on each leg! I guess if you have a friend or relative with sciatica you could just split the cost?

Thank you for directing me to these videos. In the "Honest Review" video, I'm reading the comments and I'm shocked at how many people say this little device works. I'm considering the purchase of one, but I want to watch more of the review video and read more comments this evening when I'm home from work.

Thanks again.

 

[priyadogra]

A friend of mine had a back pain for months which shifted to right thigh after he had a long bus journey of 8/9 hours. Could it be sciatica?