Sciatica!

[Lowen]

Hi!

I made a post about this in the fibro/cfs forum, but I thought I'd get some opinions from over here as well!

Does anyone here suffer from frequent sciatica? If so, have any remedies I might try? Thanks!

[Wobbly]

I just recently started having problem with my lower back and the Dr gave me some Naproxen for inflammation... but I can't take it right now, as I'm having a colonoscopy next week and have to stop all that type of meds...

Yvette, thanks for the info...I'll remember this..

take care
wobbly
undx

[vizslagal]

You can try this technique that I learned from my PT for sciatica.  Put your shoulder against a wall (opposite the side of the body that is in pain), place your feet together about one or two feet from the wall, shift your hip towards the wall you should feel a small pinch.  Do that about five times a couple times a day or when symptoms are acting up.

Additionally every time you get up from sitting or after bending you should stand with feet about a foot apart with your hands on your hips, shift your hips forward slightly to increase the curve in your back.  This technique is supposed to "erase" the effects of the straigtening that sitting does to the spine and undo the bending.  Thus balancing the spinal effects to zero (neutral)\

Plus support while sleeping is important.  My PT reccomends a three support method, a pillow with cervical roll to support neck(both back and side sleeping), a lumbar roll under the back (if sleeping on back) or under the waist between the ribs and hip (if sleeping on your side), and a pillow between the knees( if sleeping on your side) or under the knees(if sleeping on your back)

Plus I totally agree with Rena about sitting being the worst thing for low back.

Yvette

[Rena705]

Don't sit in a soft chair on on the soft couch!  Try to stay active as much as possible as in walking...the more sedentary you are the more pain you will have.

My hubby has sciatica and has been diagnosed as have spinal stenosis and has been told that it is so bad that only surgery will help.  He has spent the last 30 years or so as an over-head crane operator and I don't think that bouncing around for 12 hour shifts for 30 years has helped his situation any... I hope that you get some relief soon.  Hubby was also advised to use Neurontin and alternating hot and cold on his lower back in the lumbar area for temporary relief of pain due to inflammation.

Lots of Hugs,
Rena

[jensequitur]

I used to have problems with my lower back and left leg.  The only thing I found that helped was to stay off my butt - either stand up, or lie down.  And when you do lie down, sleep on your stomach with an ice pack on your back.  Aleve helps to reduce inflammation.