Sciatica (1 Viewer)

Dave K

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Mar 24, 2015
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Quite apart from sciatica/pain it is a good job to stop a minimum of every 2 hours to get up and stretch your muscles and also get your circulation going ... a greater problem can be deep vein thrombosis which can develop over time ... it's not always something that happens with long-haul flights! I sometimes suffer when sitting in the passenger seat of the camper due to my legs dangling a bit and having a dog on my knee putting weight on my lap for a lot of the journey - putting something under my feet to raise them an inch or two and telling the dog to sling it's hook helps!

As for seating comfort generally, make sure you have a good posture and especially lumbar support - my hubby has a slim cushion which he uses so he doesn't have problems as the lumbar support isn't enough on its own. If you keep driving for too long you will 'settle' into the seat and this will only aggravate your condition.

That's what I've found as well, I bought a lumbar support cushion from Halfords and have found that eases some of the pain, after about an hours drive I still get pain though
 
Oct 29, 2008
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I have a couple of disc problems and am on a very low dose of Amitriptyline, It takes a few weeks to start working but was well worth it for me.
 
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appydaze

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It seems to me you lot are suffering back ache, not sciatica.

I had a bout around 7 or 8 years ago........constant leg pain for a full year In my lower left leg, couldnt walk half the time.

To this day i have little feeling except numbness and pins n needles in my left toes.

The explanation as told to me was that the sciatic nerve runs from the spine, disc 3 or 4 down to the foot. As the disc gets worn or damaged the opening in the spine narrows and pinches the nerve causing the aching in the butt and down the leg. I rarely get backache but do get sciatica. Thanks, Pat (y)

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JockandRita

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The explanation as told to me was that the sciatic nerve runs from the spine, disc 3 or 4 down to the foot. As the disc gets worn or damaged the opening in the spine narrows and pinches the nerve causing the aching in the butt and down the leg. I rarely get backache but do get sciatica. Thanks, Pat (y)
Or, a Prolapsed Invertebral Disc (PID) or slipped disc as most folks call it, is bulging between the vertebrae and trapping the sciatic nerve. Either way, it's not a pleasant experience at all. :(

Regards,

Jock.
 

MikeandCarolyn

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I have a couple of disc problems and am on a very low dose of Amitriptyline, It takes a few weeks to start working but was well worth it for me.
GP gave me that along with Solpadol for a recent flair-up of my sciatica problem,I felt effects after about 3 days and finally got some sleep-problem was I felt drowsy most of next day.
3weeks later my discs seem to have settled down and I'm off medication-at last I feel awake during day.
 
Oct 29, 2008
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It took me over a year for the side effects of the amitriptyline to calm down. My side effects were that it was difficult to fully wake up quickly and I dreamed for hours during the night so woke tired. However without them I can't stand up for more than 2 minutes without severe sciatica.
 
Jun 26, 2012
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I have had same problem for years,I have 3 crushed disks , I find it gets worse if I stand or sit about or walk very slowly , the only thing what works for me is I stand with legs apart and lean forward and touch the floor with my hands stay in that position for about 30seconds, you do get some strange looks, or find something you can hang on without touching the ground and stretch your back that way you never know it might work for you

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Sep 16, 2010
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Hi Pat-C.
I suffered for a long time with the dreaded Sciatica, but a friend told me about a gel available on prescription called Fenbid Forte which is an Ibuprufen gel. You can only buy 5% in the shops, but this is 10% and if rubbed on by a kind and understanding lady at the 3rd and 4th vertibrae and over both buttocks (( I love that word )) you will get relief in about 30 mins..
Good luck mate and dont sit for so long !!
Mitch and jenny in sunny Greece..
 

Flook

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While riding my motorcycle I used to get a pain down my right leg, I bought a AirHawk cushion, followed the instructions how to set it up properly, and now no problems at all, and when I ride the bike it feels like I am sitting on an old comfy cushion.

May I suggest you try that, get one of the AirHawks, I am sure you will feel better, as you sit on a cushion of air. Also the advisement of removing wallets from back pockets, no matter how thin it may be also helps.

AirHawk make these air cushions for truckers as well as motorists and bikers, so they will have one for any of you sufferers out there.

All the best

Flook:cool:
 

Minxy

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One thought with all the talk of removing stuff from back pockets ... don't wear trousers that are too tight round the waist, or have your belt too tight as this would also put pressure on the back.

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ajayuk

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Ice on the back for about 20 minutes at a time twice a day helps to reduce the inflamation.
Bag of peas or sweet corn out of the freezer. Buy the cheaperst possible!
 
Nov 30, 2009
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I had sciatica really bad when pregnant with our twins. It went from my ankle upwards though. Like a very painful electric shock.
The twins were so big my pelvis was starting to separate. I was given an xl corset , to support my pelvis, but that got too small for me . 19 years ago there weren't as many obese people about. They probably make them bigger now.
Our non identical twins were born nearly a week before their due date. Weighing 7lb7oz And 7lb4oz. With double the placentas and water. I was huge. At the front and it took its toll on my spine.
My sciatica stopped after the birth. But I was left with terrible back ache. I had a natural birth. Docs were quick to blame the epidural , I had to have , in case of complications.
I'm suffering today , as it happens, it comes and goes.
I always sleep on my back now, with a cushion under my knees. If Ido sleep on my side I put the cushion between my knees. X rays have shown corroded vertebrae . So it's a case of living with it. Managing the pain with medication. When it's bad.
 

TerryL

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Get yourselves some regular Bowen treatments. One a week for three week and then gradually space it out. Hamstrings, erector spinae muscles, diaphragm, latismus dorsi muscles, and all the pelvic muscles can cause backache, leg pains etc. a Bowen therapist will work over them all and get them into optimum shape.....and people, thick or thin, take those wallets out of your back pockets when sitting.

Following on from a back strain whilst loading luggage when I was driving coaches, I developed sciatica. Doc sent me for a course of stretch treatment at the local hospital which relieved it at the time but it came back. Then whilst having a relaxation session with the wifes Bowen practitioner (hmmm. couldn't put it any better but you know what I mean!) she spotted my wallet in the back pocket and told me to leave it out. Due to my impoverished state, it wasn't all that large :LOL: but instant success!

Incidentally, using the cruise control didn't make any difference, although a small lumbar cushion seemed to help.

Remember though we are all different and what works for one doesn't necessarily work for another. Just putting my pennyworth in.

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D

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With regards to Sciatica, my most beloved Wonderous suffers quite badly at times and she has a quite magical cure which can give her almost total relief.

Some years ago she went to an amazing physiotherapist in Loughborough who very nearly put her through the roof with the pain she caused her, but in doing so she effected a cure which she now carries out herself whenever necessary.

Basically she runs her thumb up and down her thigh and to her buttock area feeling for high points of pain, then when she locates one she either gets me to force my thumbs into this very localised pain (pressure point) are or at times does it herself, keeping the high pressure on until it goes numb. If she is successful in getting the right spot, this action can give her relief for 10 days or more.

Failing that, if the pain becomes too great then she goes to see her magician of a osteopath (forget chiropractics as far as both of us are concerned) who for a £60 session, she puts her all back into alignment. If you can find a truly excellent practitioner of osteopathy then they can be a jewel, but out there in the big bad world there are the good, the bad and the ugly!

When we lived in France we discovered the most amazing osteopath in Perigueux who was so utterly brilliant and so very honest, he would tell you what he could do and if he didn't think he could help you then he wouldn't lay a finger on you. He couldn't do anything for me as my bones had gone far too far that only repeated sessions of invasive surgery was the answer, but for my most Wonderous he was the bees knees!
 
Aug 4, 2013
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30 plus years ago I fell down steps holding my toddler son ( he was fine) fall pushed discs together and bent coccyx so I could feel it sticking out off to one side .... left me in agony for ages, had a special chair at work from Access to work scheme which tilted wherever I needed it to. Had various medications, manipulation and cortisone injection under GA, physiotherapy etc etc, terrible pain down one leg, pins and needles, numbness etc. nothing seemed to work ..... couldn't sleep until I got a simple airbed kept deliberately soft this significantly reduced pressure, my pain and enabled me to sleep. Doctor then said that my hormones had never returned to normal after birth of son he put me on HRT which I only took briefly. I really felt the airbed helped most to relieve pressure between the discs freeing the trapped nerves, I would recommend anyone to try it out. I really try to never lift anything carelessly, always keep square on to things, never drag heavy things from one side or with one hand. Husband has started to get sciatica too now .... He has been doing all the hoovering since he retired, my back is much better his worse! I will stick him on an airbed!
 
Feb 22, 2014
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30 plus years ago I fell down steps holding my toddler son ( he was fine) fall pushed discs together and bent coccyx so I could feel it sticking out off to one side .... left me in agony for ages, had a special chair at work from Access to work scheme which tilted wherever I needed it to. Had various medications, manipulation and cortisone injection under GA, physiotherapy etc etc, terrible pain down one leg, pins and needles, numbness etc. nothing seemed to work ..... couldn't sleep until I got a simple airbed kept deliberately soft this significantly reduced pressure, my pain and enabled me to sleep. Doctor then said that my hormones had never returned to normal after birth of son he put me on HRT which I only took briefly. I really felt the airbed helped most to relieve pressure between the discs freeing the trapped nerves, I would recommend anyone to try it out. I really try to never lift anything carelessly, always keep square on to things, never drag heavy things from one side or with one hand. Husband has started to get sciatica too now .... He has been doing all the hoovering since he retired, my back is much better his worse! I will stick him on an airbed!

Might be the coccyx procedure could help you. Available through Bowen.

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Minxy

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Would some gentle Yoga exercises help I wonder, done daily?
 

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