Any advice for sciatica?

[angie]

Hello All,

I was doing KPC last Tuesday and somehow tweaked/pulled a muscle in my lower back. I have no idea of how it happened as I have been feeling very fit lately -doing both IMAXES, MIC, and Slim Series every week. What started as a muscle pain in my back quickly turned into severe pain in butt and leg. I went to a chiropractor on Thursday who took X-rays and diagonosed me with sciatica.

So far, after 2 visits to the chiropractor, I feel no lessening of the pain. I stretch all the time. In fact I spend most of the day lying on the floor stretching.

I'm miserable from the pain and from not working out. Any advice, suggestions would be most appreciated. Thanks! Angie.

 

[hounddogs]

The sciatic nerve can be pinched for at least two different reasons that I know of. One is when a spinal disc is bulging or ruptured, the other is when the piriformis muscle is inflamed. If you're doing lower back stretches but your piriformis is the culprit, you will not get relief, and vice-versa. If it's a spinal disc, not all stretching will help. There's a good cheap book called "Treat Your Own Back" that offers a good home regimen for what may be happening with you.

Try to get more specific information from your chiro about what's going on. As a rule, 60-80% of herniated discs will resolve on their own, but it takes time and rest. If it's your piriformis, some rest is involved, but you can create more space by doing the #4 stretch (lie on your back, put the ankle of the affected leg on the other knee, then pull the unaffected leg toward you).

Try icing two different areas and see if you get any relief. First try the lumbar spine area right at the top of the sacrum where your vertebrae end, and extending up the spine several inches. Then try the tailbone/hip area, esp on the side of your nerve symptoms. Leave the ice on for twenty minutes and don't get up and run around till the blood flow has restored itself. Ice several times a day. Don't use heat unless someone qualified to tell you to does so.

My hope and guess is that it's your piriformis, esp if you have no low back history. It's painful, but much less ominous than a disc problem. Sorry to ramble; hope it helps. Good luck.

--Ann

 

[Dorothy]

After dealing with this for a year, I can now say I am almost pain and symptom free, but it has been a long road. I started with chiropractice and then insurance refused payment, so I went to physical therapy, which helped some. Then insurance changed, and in January went back to chiropractice and have made really good gains. One thing the chiropractor and I found out is that I don't tolerate the normal adjustments well. Last summer he was doing the adjustment where he pushed the shoulder and pulled the hip(or the other way around, I don't remember) and I had a lot of pain from that. I really got no chance to pinpoint that it cause me trouble because I had to stop due to insurance. When I went back in January, I relayed this to him, and he changed tactics and now only does drop table method, which works for me. I now can go about 3 weeks between adjustments before I get "crooked" again.

He told me that it is rare to not tolerate the normal adjustment, but there are people who cannot.

I find heat works real well to soothe the area when inflamed. I have also found that dead lifts are an absolute no-no for me. That definately aggravates it. So does my period, which is unavoidable!

Keep track of what things cause the flare-ups and try to avoid them.

 

[Mckmain]

I had sciatica about 3 years ago. I got the severe pain in my butt and since I kept running, it started going down my hamstring. I ended up not running for 2 weeks and I went to Physical Therapy and a Chiropractor too. I also iced the area about 3 times a day for 15-20 min. I understand this pain can be different for everybody. Eventually the pain started to get less severe. It took about 6-8 weeks for me. Keep stretching as that will help. I'd stay with the Chiropractor also. Good Luck and I do hope your pain goes away soon....it is NOT fun.....Carole

 

[Carol_is_fit]

Hope these help, and I hope you feel better soon!

Carol


http://www.postgradmed.com/issues/1997/07_97/pn_scia.htm

http://www.spine-health.com/topics/cd/d_sciatica/sc01.html

http://www.orthoinfo.org/fact/thr_report.cfm?Thread_ID=167&topcategory=Spine

http://www.medinfo.co.uk/conditions/sciatica.html

http://www.sciatica.org/

http://www.spineonline.com/topics/sciatica.html

http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/sciatica.html

 

[angie]

Anne, Dorothy, Carol, & Carole

Thanks to all of you for replying. I love this forum and the Cathe fans - you guys are great!

I am beginning to think that it is piriformis. I am seeing my chiropractor before work tomorrow and plan to ask her. I iced my lower back and butt and leg today and it seems to have helped. I cannot even begin to think about running or aerobics as I am having difficulties standing. I'm not sure what makes me more miserable - the pain or the thought of not working out for an extended period of time! Does anybody know how long it takes to get over this?

Thanks again for your replies.

Angie.

 

[hounddogs]

Hi, Angie:

Well, at least you know there are others who feel your pain....

I've had a handful of piriformis episodes, mostly from falling while playing soccer, but the most recent one was just from a slight twist I shouldn't have made. The recoveries have taken anywhere from two weeks to six weeks, although I never missed more than ten days or so of work.

My disc injury was far more severe, I ended up in urgent surgery when my left leg started to lose function from the bottom up. I had always said, I'll NEVER have back surgery, but they couldn't cut me fast enough once I had spent six weeks in the kind of pain that made natural childbirth seem like a picnic.

Ask your chiro if the X-rays showed any disc narrowing. If so, you may need an MRI to see if there is a disc bulging enough to be affecting your sciatic nerve. She should also be able to see if your hips are moving properly; if not it is possibly an indication that the piriformis and sciatic nerve are being pinched by an out-of-whack SI joint. Chiropractic, rest, and ice should take care of that. Time will depend on severity and your compliance with rest and home care.

Good luck, and try not to worry. A good friend said to me once when I was grousing about being out of the action, that my workout now was to heal, and that takes positive effort, not just passive rest.

--Ann