[Closed] Sciatica

That should be "fee" my age!

my chiropractor suggested it usually a lot to do with slipped disc - a total generalization I know.
She straightened my back and in the 2/3 months since I started with her, I haven't had an attack - I usually have it down one leg once amonth.

Can only recommend a chiropractor to deal with it, I use a McTimoney one, which mean they don't just attack you like a wrestler, all very subtle but effective

doesn't mean their cheap though...

sciatica is a symptom of something - in my case it was a slipped disc. My back didn't hurt at all but the sciatica was something else. Needed an MRI scan to verify the disc thing. Until you work out what's causing the sciatica then getting rid isn't going to be easy!

Yes I understand it is a sympton however given that I have had no trauma and no previous back pain and I have been able to run around 50 miles per week I was hoping it was something that may be transient.
I think i need to follow your advice and get it checked out.
Thanks

i have been having crippling hip pain, sciatica and other back pain for years

recent MRI scan showed nowt so consultant said just be healthy and deal with it

i visit an osteopath and take pain killers when needed, i've given up on a medical explanation although i'm seeing an arthritis specialist in a couple of weeks

Mine is due to some arthiritis and wear and tear of my lower vertabrae. My NHS physio gave me some really useful exercises to help build up my core muscles (something I don't use often enough being desk based)..

When I did the exercises things improved massively.

My advice: see your local osteopath.

Be alot cheaper than the next 10 years with a chiropractor 😉

I bought a wheat bag, which is popped into the micro wave, when the bag is heated, tie it around your lower back. It really helped me.

Also change you posture. I used to drive like aracing driver, but now have myself totally upright. Every little bit helps.

Visit a physio. to get some exersise's sorted out.

Bio-mechanical assessment needed? Possible leg-length discrepancy? Wedge-shaped cushion for sitting/driving?

"[i]Can only recommend a chiropractor to deal with it, I use a McTimoney one, which mean they don't just attack you like a wrestler[/i]"

That was invented by my great, great, great, grandad's brother (not 100% sure of how many greats), John McTimoney - McTimoney is my surname. It also works on dogs and horses.

Does it kill them too then?

I had similar and was to do with two things...

1. Issue with leg being pulled into hip joint - went and saw someone and he sorted that out in one visit

2. Muscle in butt which can trap a nerve and cause such pain - need to stretch it to release it. Apparently common issue in cyclists

Did both of these and no reoccuring problem

Another osteopath vote here. My problems started gently and became crippling - slipped disc. I ignored it, allowing the disc damage to increase and now have sciatic pain every day. At it's worst I lost 40% power in my right foot and cried when co-codamol and ibuprofen cocktails couldn't touch it. Getting better (slowly).
See an osteopath. I've had an MRI and two consultants look at it, and they came up with nothing more than my osteopath did. Pilates core exercises will help stabilise the back.

Surfer - where do you live? I can recommend someone who is excellent with such things.

Did have a comedy moment with the wheat bag. Being in desperate need of the loo, and in great pain, I slowly bent down to sit and the wheatbag slipped out from under the belt tied to my waist and slipped down into the pan with a huge splosh.

I'm on the Wirral near Liverpool.

I would be grateful for a recommendation.

Pop diown to Boots or Argos and get an electric heat pad, use this on the affeced part, when i got it in my twenties i was recomended hot water bottles, to warm the area up, also hot baths with a few handfulls of salt, it feels like toothache in the muscles.

Surfer - I know someone in Gloucester but not that far north.

Check out this page on stretching...

[url= http://www.rice.edu/~jenky/sports/piri.2.html ]Piriformis stretch[/url]

And another giving some info...

[url= http://www.bodybuildingforyou.com/articles-submit/jesse-cannone/piriformis-syndrome-sciatic-pain.htm ]Piriformis info[/url]

This is what was my problem and was easily resolved with some massage and a whole lot of stretching. Apparently it is common for the sciatic nerve to get trapped in the piriformis and cause sciatica.

Heat pads, chriopractors, pain killers will not cure it until the muscle is dealt with and the nerve becomes untrapped or has the pressure relieved from it.

Bushwacked - good link to the stretch, there's quite a few useful ones on that site. Ta.

Back extensions that's what you want to be trying. Get the nerve sliding.

[i]That should be "fee" my age! [/i]

FYI you can now edit your posts to fix mistakes... (and faulty corrections 🙂

As you see from the above it could be lots of things! I started with my GP, then a sports physio who ruled out loads of things (including the piriformis), then a sports doc who recommended a MRI to see if it was a disc problem. Once slipped disc diagnosed from the scan then the doc shipped me back to the sports physio for treatment. I was lucky in that core stability work over a few months sorted me out and (touch wood) have been fine for over a year now.

I think you should consider GP first to get the ball rolling and then aim for referral.

Are your sure it's Sciatica. I thought I had that (same basic symptoms) and the doctor referred me to a private pyhsio. Turned out I'd ripped my quad muscle (mountain biking!) and that combined with a ongoing IT Band problem (from running) meant it was appearing as the symptoms - I guess arse/leg muscle problems can manifest as back problems.

So in short, go and talk to a pyhsio. It'll cost about 40 quid, but it's money very well spent in my experience.

Sitting is one of the worst things for a disc bulge (giving 'sciatic' leg pain symptoms), esp on a sofa!!

It bulges the disc further

Surfer, Bushwacked has some good advice there, considering you have not had a trauma of any sort. Start off by regularly stretching which is something that most people (including me) don't do enough of.
Try and find a good remedial/sports masage therapist first and explore the muscles....I think you will be very surprised at how effective they are but when you think about the fact that your muscles are the support for your skeleton, it is not that surprising that stretching and massage can sort a shed load of problems out!!.

Thanks for all the advice.

In my experience most runners ignore stretching until it is too late. Coe on the other hand claimed it gave him an inch or two every lap, anyone who can run 1:41 for 800 metres cant be wrong.

Simon, risky business being a pedant. Remember, always close your brackets!

Clare - totally agree.

My guy in Gloucester (don't know what to call him) is an osteopath, physio, acupuncturist, joint manipulator and specialist in Chinese Medicine. He always says that Chiropractors move the bones but the muscles always pull them back afterwards, so you get some relief but the root cause - the muscle - hasn't been dealt with.

So he works the muscle, gets it all loose then manuipulates the joint to its new position and does some more muscle work to get the muscle to keep the joint in the new position. Gives you some exercises to take home and hey presto!!

I was sceptical but I have been amazed at how he has sorted some problems on one visit!!! Including my wifes back pain post pregnacy which turned out to be some hip mialignment.

Moral of the story is - try to find someone who isn't just a specialist in one field - e.g. Physio, Chiropractor or Osteopath - see if you can find someone with experience of a wide range of practices.

I've been truly surprised at the difference and would pay everytime to see him (not Bupa registered due to him having spent 25 years doing this for the forces (and various national standard sports teams whilst in the forces) and Bupa being funny about it)

Bushwacked my other half is a remedial masseur, and I am part way though training too, so it's great to hear someone foregoing the "bone cracking" option for a change!! (By the way, I'm from Churchdown YAY)

Stretching really is an issue though.........I don't think there are many sports where you would expect your body to do so much on so little maintenance!!!

I'm going to have to mention the benefits of good core strength and pilates tho........and wait for someone to shoot me down.

I think you are right about core strength - I've been getting into BMX for the past 6-9 months (I'll probably be shot down for mentioning that) and that really uses your core muscles - I've really noticed how much easier certain things are since taking it up - so there is definately something in the core strength arguement.

Although - Yoga or Pilates??? Which is best?

Pilates for core strength, yoga for your soul ;-D

Actually I can't really comment on Yoga as I have never spent enough time doing it.
When I do pilates I feel like it "resets" my body........I can tell if I haven't been for a while and I don't have any problems as such!

Thanks for posting the piriformas stretch - suffering at mo from sciatica, did this stretd have already experienced some pain relief. Definitely going to use 2009 to do more stretching and core work in an attempt to sort out ITB/Sciatic/Piriformas problems

Hitman, I had ITB for 11 months. It came on suddenly and eventually disapeared in a similarly unexplainable way. It was hugely depressing and wouldnt respond to treatment.
I do think stretching paid off in the end.

Good luck

surfer
cheers for the good wishes
I've had an ITB problem for over 5 years now
Came on during a triathlon 10K which led to me seeking treatment and then another reacurrence during the same triathlon the following year led me to rest ie no running for 6 months. This didn't work - sort treatment, which ended in me tearing my cartilage in my knee during stretching and strengthening exercises (possibly exacerbated by a few snowboarding misadventures!). Just had an op on my knee and undergoing rehabilitation for that.
Depressing is not the word!

"sort treatment" oops, should read "sought treatment"!

Clare,
Do you go to pilates sessions or DIY?
I'm near Keswick and need to improve my core strength (stomach like Mr Jackman - you know the sort of thing), as I have a prolapsed disc and sciatica. Was thinking of getting tuition.

Get advice and then some. I had my back problem with sciatica diagnosed as piriformis by the NHS. And then I slipped a disc (now that was painful) I slipped it on the 5th August, I did such a good job that I needed an operation and I have had 30% of my disc removed. Much less pain but I'm struggling to cycle again. Get some good advice-I have had a lot of contradictory advice.

spamtastic

Holy the read resurrection.

Recently diagnosed after an MRI scan with two discs pressing into the spinal column. Basically was totally crippled by it with sciatica like symptoms. Once diagnosed my physio took about 5 minutes to sort out the major symptoms with some very simple exercises. Now having ongoing treatment to minimise the pain and damage on an ongoing basis, but its not going to get better as such. It was not spotted by anyone prior to MRI and it definitely looks a lot like some of the above solutions would have caused more harm than anything else, especially if such manipulation had caused any sort of pain.(Pain being Gods way of telling all is not well with the world apparently). So personally I would urge caution and make sure you know what you are dealing with before you go too far. It took a while, but I’m glad I went the route I did with the NHS.

An aside to all of that is that I definitely have issues with shortened hamstrings and so forth, which may very well have been a contributory factor. Stretch after riding kids…you know it makes sense.

An vote for an osteopath rather than a Chiropractor here, the latter seem to always want to sign you up to a course of treatment, etc, whereas all the good osteopaths are surprised if you have to come back for a second treatment.

My wife does some work at a chiro clinic and could get free treatment, but instead will trek up to London for a total bill of about £100 to see the osteo I see sometimes. He does an extensive deep tissue massage before any manipulations, so they tend to 'take'. The chiro she works at give an initial manipulation and then the rest of the 'treatments' involve some pen thing that takes 5 minutes to apply and relieves you of £35.

A friend had hamstring problems for about a year of seeing doctors and physios, then visited an osteo near Victoria (I think) and is now making progress.

Physio and Pilates helped alot with mine, due to back innjury and plenty of stretching before and after rides/exercise.

i was in the same boat as some others posted here, a compressed disc and irritated sciatic nerve - did everything listed, stretches , physio, osteo, 2 mri's (1 paid for myself), surgeon consult... until they said to me that 'i may have it for ever due to the nerve itself being damaged'

went to a great guy in Otley Leeds who did PROLOTHERAPY, 8 sessions of injections of special liquid directly into the 'damaged' nerve area and him telling me i cannot take any more pain killers or anti inflams and i MUST MUST ride continually through the pain for 1 hour daily

pain went! i cried, i now ride. 🙂

i dont know if it was damaged or what, all i know it the pain went. i
"The Wharfedale Clinic, otley, leeds' will give you contact details via google search.

McTimoney is my surname. It also works on dogs and horses.

What? Calling your dog or horse McTimoney?

Physio sorted mine about 5-6 years ago, I went from constant niggling pain and occasional severe pain and bedridden to 100% perfect 99% of the time with occasional niggles. She's in Madrid so you can have a short holiday too.

Taking up rowing sorted mine out. As well as some really good simple stretches.

rowing

Boat or arguing?

Boat or arguing?

Both (only when the fat northerner gets involved for the second).

😆