Sciatic nerve - Holy buckets!!!

[MichiganMat]

Acupuncture.

My ex-gf had the same issues, a month of acupuncture and she was good to go. Vicodin turned her into a raging ***** BTW, might want to warn the family of any mood swings you might have.

[TerryH]

Originally Posted by dmoolenaar

The problem with staying off my feet is that's when it hurts the most. I absolutely cannot bear lying down. No position, no pillows, nothing feels good. Walking around house feels the best but does not provide any sleep. I feel like I'm on the toilet bowl spin down the drain...

Man, hope your feeling better soon, David. Sounds like you should get back to the doctor and insist action be taken immediately.

First time my back went out I remember feeling that if the house caught fire at that moment they would only find my ashes where I was laying on that hard floor. My only relief was flat on my back on a hard surface and then it would take literally hours to get up. Obviously, not all back pains are appeased in the same manner.

Now when I feel the stabbing lower back twinge it's never as bad as years ago. Sometimes during an episode, my right leg won't follow simple orders and gets confused on a step or two. It either never goes completely out anymore, or I've just gotten used to it over the years.

[JavaBrewer]

Well I woke up so that's a start. Pain is still 7-8 range though walking around upright takes it to a 2-3. Now to further muddy the water I'm hung over from the 4:00 am "party" of pain drugs and booze. Thanks everyone for you support.

[masraum]

sounds like you need one of these.

[masraum]

The inversion rack might help too.

[pwd72s]

Oh man...I've been there. Pain that literally drops you to the floor. I now do a set of stretching exercises for lower back pain called "the williams exercises"...it took weeks of doing them, but the sciatica pain finally eased. I'm pretty faithful about doing them now. Don't ever want to feel that pain again. Never tried an inversion rack, but it looks interesting. Anything to get pressure of that nerve seems to be the trick.

[masraum]

Interesting reading

Whatever happened to Williams' Flexion Exercises
http://www.chiroweb.com/mpacms/dc/article.php?id=35008

Williams' Flexion Exercises vs. McKenzie's Extension Protocol
http://www.chiroweb.com/mpacms/dc/article.php?id=35130

[3.2 CAB]

I can relate to your pain. I have so much medical hardware in me, that anytime I have to go to the Federal Building, airport, or anyplace that has the metal detector screening, I set off every bell and whistle in the place. I have to carry an ID card, that shows the type of device and where it is located in my body. If there is any way that you can attain prolonged relief without surgery, do it. Hope things work out for you. Tony.

[GWN7]

I damaged mine several years ago and can relate to your pain. I went the same route you have gone, MD and then Chiro. The MD was good for pain pills and when it wouldn't go away they next suggested surgery (this was before MRI's were available). I'm not sure what he wanted to cut and I'm not sure he knew either.

I started to go to the Chiro and he would adjust me and then like you 2-3 hrs later the pain was back. A couple visits to him and he said it was slipping out of place after the adjustment and he gave me a brace which I wrapped around my lower back and a$$. This held it in place and allowed the body time to heal. It took nearly a month before I was better. Still bothers me every once in awhile. Go for the MRI and get used to late night TV. Sorry no instant fix.

[911Freak]

+100 on the MRI!

X-rays don't show enough detail, especially when it comes to disc vs spinal cord

I tried to wait it out in hopes it would get better by itself, chiro and PT but none of it worked and all I accomplished was being miserable for months and creating more damage to the soft tissue that surrounds the spinal cord.

I went through surgery
Discotomy to snip the herniated discs L4-L5 & S1 (very low area on spine) and relieve the pressure on the spinal cord and remove a ton of debris the bulging discs created.

Like others here, I found in the early stages I could only get sleep in the reclined position.

Lots of good suggestions here

I hope you get some rest.

[gr8fl4porsche]

This is the piece of equipment at the gym which actually made a difference in my pain level.



It is by Precor and it is a stretching machine.

You sit on the pivoting chair and use various hand and feet positions to stretch the back. Whenever I start to feel a little pain in my lower back, I stop by the gym for a couple of minutes and get a good stretch in. During my normal workouts, I use this piece several times. Really does the trick for me.

[pwd72s]

Originally Posted by masraum

Interesting reading

Whatever happened to Williams' Flexion Exercises
http://www.chiroweb.com/mpacms/dc/article.php?id=35008

Williams' Flexion Exercises vs. McKenzie's Extension Protocol
http://www.chiroweb.com/mpacms/dc/article.php?id=35130

Those are the ones...anybody who'd like an illustrated sheet of these, PM your snail mail...I'll make photocopies, send 'em out.

Edit...it was an MD who gave me the sheet illustating these exercises decades ago, when I first developed lower back pain. So, it's not just a chiropatric thing. I'm a believer, they've helped me for years. Like an idiot, I'd slacked off on doing them every morning...that's when the sciatica hit me. The only needed equipment is a floor.. Probably more than you need to know, but I do them nude...no clothing to bind up the range of movement.

[Cornpanzer]

I have gone through the same stuff for many years. The Vicoden do nothing for me and I am afraid to have teh chiopractor work on me when I am really stoved up. About a month ago I slipped on the ice and could not stand up the next morning. The Sciatic pain was terrible and the muscles were spasming uncontrollably.

My wife forced me to go to her massage therapist which i always considered to be a waste of time and money. At the beginning of the session, the therapist could barely touch my lower back and groin area. By the end, I felt about 90% better. I could walk and sit comfortably. I continued stretching for a few days and everything healed up nicely. AI will never make fun of my wife again!

The key for me is to get those muscles to relax so that your body can straighten itself out.

Hope you feel better soon!

[Heel n Toe]

David, you mentioned you've been to your doctor three times... and he took an X-Ray and looked at it.

And yet, you're still in pain.

Call your doctor and ask for a referral to a specialist. Others have mentioned that an MRI is probably needed.

Do it.

It sounds like this is really getting to you.

If your doctor won't send you to a specialist, change doctors... I recommend an internist... look under "Internal Medicine" in the yellow pages. Like I told Milt, those guys really know their stuff, and can get to the bottom of something like this in a hurry.

Which is what you need.

[Zeke]

All I can say is I know all about it. My wife has had 2 back surgeries, something to avoid, IMO. I can't add anything that hasn't been said.

When you get well, you should keep up with the exercises to ward off more occurrences. And warm up with stretches before anything like golf or yard work. To hell with anyone who thinks that's silly.

[pwd72s]

Originally Posted by dmoolenaar

Well I woke up so that's a start. Pain is still 7-8 range though walking around upright takes it to a 2-3. Now to further muddy the water I'm hung over from the 4:00 am "party" of pain drugs and booze. Thanks everyone for you support.

David, seriously...PM your snail mail addy. I'd be more than happy to mail photocopy material on the williams exercises mentioned above. They are more stretching than real exercise... the only equipment needed is a floor, tho I do use a small pillow.

[GWN7]

williams exercises

http://www.ehow.com/video_4398862_williams-flex-exercise-good-posture.html

[ramonesfreak]

warning. your risking serious injury if you do any type of exercises or chiro adjustments without seeing how that disc is impinging the nerve...get an MRI and take it from there, seriously

[JavaBrewer]

Thanks again everyone for the great feedback. I went back to the doctor today and he gave me another cortisone shot in the most inflamed region. It has eased the pain slightly. He is also thinking that after limping around for 2 weeks I have bursitis. He poked and prodded my right hip and I was getting nauseous from the pain. If I'm still a wreck by Thursday then he said he would order an MRI.

My take on this is that something is pressing my sciatic nerve. The onset was sudden but I wasn't doing anything at the time that would whack me so hard. By far the hardest part of this is the pain while off the feet. No sleep and wandering the house like a gimpy vampire is not my bag.

I'll update later tomorrow. Thanks again for the stories and support.

[89911]

Didn't we go down this road before? I've been exactly through what you are going through. You most likely have a herniated disk that is putting pressure on the nerve branch closest to it. Most likely L5 and the Sciatic nerve. The pain generally starts out at the hip and then works its way lower with more severity. Generally you have a burning sensation that will continue down the outer portion of the leg until it reaches the heel. "Heel slap" is a common when the severity of the herniation causes you to walk with a discernible floppy foot. You need to reduce the herniation. NSAID's are good. Steroids are better. If you can get the inflammation to resolve enough, you may avoid further surgery. Mine happened 15 years ago and never returned. If not, some surgery to remove the area encroaching the nerve trunk may be needed. My old college roomate and now Orthopedic Surgeon has answered the dozens of questions I have had about this if you wondering where it comes from.