Sciatic nerve. Anyone?

[87maniac]

had a severe nerve issue. Could not get out of bed.
EMT's had to carry me into the wambulance.

Dr.s prescribed mild pain killers, no effect.
escalated up to Dilaudid, and still no relief.

My oncologist gave me a steroid -methylprednisolone-
and within 4 hours I could run up and down
the stairs!

[NY65912]

When ever I have taken Prednisone I felt like a 16 year old kid. Not an ache or pain, loved it. BUT, it is not good long term.

[Starless]

When i had my sciatic attack, they also prescribed the prednisone. The take 6 today, 5 tomorrow, etc. until they're all gone. Did not help one bit. Neither did the oxy's. Stopped the oxy after 2 days. Nasty stuff!

[cabmandone]

The way you describe you pain, that you can feel your hip getting tight, a good stretch to alleviate that sensation is to lay on your back, left ankle on right knee, cup hands behind knee and pull back towards your chest then do same for right over left. Do this stretch at least 3-4 times a week. I do a variation where I lay on the floor with my left leg forward and at a 90 and lay over that leg with my right leg extending back. You can modify for flexibility by putting the leg on a bench and laying over it till you get flexible enough to do it the way I do. I do this stretch almost daily.

If you're curious to see what I'm talking about, there are videos on youtube just search "supine piriformis stretch"

[masraum]

You guys should find some good yoga videos on youtube. flexibility and strength.

Tara Stiles used to make some good videos, but I haven't seen any of hers in years. She tended to focus on the health, with little to none of the "namaste" stuff (I suspect a lot of us would avoid a lot of new agey sounding stuff).

Another good one is "Yoga with Tim." He does have a little new agey stuff, but not a lot. It's tolerable.

Then if you're feeling really macho I had a buddy that was doing "diamond Dave" yoga. Apparently, he was a wrestling star.

https://ddpyoga.com/

But I think you have to pay for his stuff.

Granted, my buddy lost 80# (also followed his eating regimen) and got in much better shape.

[cabmandone]

I do a yoga routine for people with a herniated disc . Yoga by Celeste

[masraum]

Originally Posted by cabmando

I do a yoga routine for people with a herniated disc . Yoga by Celeste

Nice, the great thing about yoga is that it works strength and flexibility, and when you start, you often discover that you work muscles that don't get worked via other types of exercise.

[cabmandone]

Originally Posted by masraum

Nice, the great thing about yoga is that it works strength and flexibility, and when you start, you often discover that you work muscles that don't get worked via other types of exercise.

Strength, flexibility and balance. The routine I do is heavy on core because that's what supports everything and keeps the back from hurting! I've moved into some low impact HIIT workouts that I found online. There's this young lady (Madfit) who is trying to KILL me.

[wdfifteen]

My doc gave me a cortisone shot yesterday, a week sooner than the recommended 90 day wait between shots. He said I should feel better in a couple of days. I felt better in hours. I am one of the lucky ones for whom cortisone works. I was back to my bike and my stretching and exercises this morning - back on the right track.
The only downside is that it jacks you up pretty good for a day or so. I kept MrsWD up way longer than normal last night - talking and watching movies. Looks like sleep is going to be an issue tonight too, but if my last experience is any indication, I'll be doing great in a day or two.

[pmax]

Originally Posted by love911

I've been going through the exact same sciatica pain since last September and like yours it was excruciating and debilitating pain, I was desperate and took all the pain medication my Dr. prescribed me,NOTHING WORKED.
X ray was waste of money and time, then did the physical Therapy, which helped but after couple of sessions I didn't see any improvement further. The only thing that start making a difference in centralizing my pain from my knees to my back was" McKenzie approach" , and as previously mentioned Yoga stretches.
Life style change is a must, avoid sitting for prolong hours, start walking, and start building the core.
In my 52 years I never knew what was sciatic pain but these last couple of months it opened my eyes to new reality and how it can affect my life and my relationship, it'll take time to get better,meantime take care and wish you fast recovery.

Forget the X-ray.

MRI scan is the ticket.

[cabmandone]

Originally Posted by pmax

Forget the X-ray.

MRI scan is the ticket.

Yep, but insurance typically requires an x-ray first. I told my doc "don't waste the money on the x-ray" he said "insurance says we have to do the x-ray first". MRI shows everything the x-ray did PLUS some. I was able to see my MRI before I left, pointed to a spot and said "that's my problem". Yeah the herniated disc was that obvious.

[pmax]

The scan will help identify what's pinching the nerve. Dr will prescribe physical therapy to alleviate the stress, from tight muscles as someone already pointed out.

Good luck !