Please HELP!

I have two words for you... FETAL POSITION! I have had problems with my Sciatica for 4 years now. My daughter will be 4 in June and pregnancy is where is all started. After I had her I lost 30 pounds and it almost went completely away with the exception of going to a theme park or something. Being on my feet ALL day still makes it flare up. But my grandmother gave me the best advice... get in the fetal position for as long as you can. I guess it takes the body back to its original postition and low and behold! It worked wonders for me. I had nights where I didn't sleep a wink because of this. I have now gained back the 30 lbs and guess who is back? My sciatic nerve, you guessed it. I do beleive that it is one of those things that comes and goes when it pleases and I don't beleive that it ever goes completly away. I too go a chiropractor and it does help me some because he uses this hugh vibrating deep muscle tool on my butt. That helps for a week or so. Try the fetal position when laying in bed a night. It should help some.

you may consider trying to see a pain management specialist. Nerve pain, which I experience every minute of the day, is extremely hard to mask with normal narcotics. Being a mom, taking narcotics by mouth is pretty much not an option. A pain management specialist could give you nerve blocks. There are a few in PC, Dr. Moshin, and Dr. Joseph. Hope it gives you more options. K.

have you tried an inversion table? My husband and mom both have used one for their back pain--helps soo much!

I feel your pain!! I gave birth Feb. to a 9lb baby boy, and have had all sorts of back pain. I was told by my OB that I may have bruised my "tailbone", because I cant sit, rock, or tolerate walking for too long because of the pain. I can feel my tailbone moving or popping in and out of place, and then shooting sciatic pain on the right side. Motrin, ice, heat, massage does not work for me either. I have found that sitting on pillows and using four letter words help me. I was told by my OB that this could last for three months!! Sorry I'm not much help, and I'll let you know if there is anything I find that helps.

My heart goes out to you!!! I have dealt with the sciatic nerve pain as well as back pain for most of my life. For me my sciatic nerve issue started about three years ago from injuries in a car accident. Unfortunatley, there is not alot that you can do to really get 100 percent relief. Its one of those things that time truly has to heal. Here is what helps me taking a muscle relaxer which I use skelaxton 800mg and take it three times per day. I also use alleve throught out the day and see a chiropractor. Using cold compresses seems to help too. There are some machines that the chiroprator can use that really helped me alot. Basically, you really need to take it as easy as possible for awhile. I hope that this helps and just give it some time it does get better. If anymore questions please feel free to ask.

Hi H.,

I have read the other mom's advice and highly recommend an MRI and using the Young Living Oils, Wintergreen is a big one too. It is recommended and works for any kind of bone pain, arthritis, and any other "deep down pain." I happen to be a mom who has gone through a situation very similar to yours and I also have Multiple Sclerosis. I love the oils so much I recently became a distributor to save money. If you want, you can visit my website: Youngliving.org/susanbanshee and check out all of the items that might help you. If you live near St. Augustine, I can even get with you and let you try out some of the oils to see if you like them. I happen to use Wintergreen myself and on my arthritic husband.

Good luck,

S.:)

I have chronic neck pain and know how you feel. I also see a chiropractor, he suggested I use BIO FREEZE where the pain is just before I go to bed and any other time I need it. I find it works pretty well. You can find it at health food stores and some Dr. offices. Hope it helps.

First off...congratulations on the baby!! My suggestion is that you need to talk to your primary doctor not your OB. You may want to check with a chiropractor or if your primary care doc is a MD/DO (Doctor of Osteopathy) he/she may be able to help you. You may just need an "adjustment" to help your situation or you may need some physical therapy for a brief period. You may even want to try some heat wraps. Hope this helps. Good luck.
L. F.

Hi H.! A few more suggestions from a yoga teacher... A tennis ball will help if you lie on your back, lift the hips and place it un the indentation on your butt cheek. Rest your weight down and then let the knee on the same side as the tennis ball release toward the floor. The sensation will be INTENSE but breathe and release and this really helps the piriformis release.
Also, pigeon pose (yogajournal.com) will help, very very gently. Or, lying on your back and putting an ankle to the opposite knee and then pulling the knee toward the chest to stretch the same area. A Thai Yoga therapist would be GREAT for this - one of our teachers had sciatica and the ONLY thing that got rid of it was a thai yoga massage. Worth a try!

Hi there!
Have you thought about Accupuncture? I myself have never tried it but my mom has back problems....horrible pain. She saw an osteopath (sp? I mean a bone doctor!) and they said the only thing that would relieve her pain was surgery. Like you she took all sorts of meds and nothing touched it! So on a whim she went to an accupuncture doctor and she has seen dramatic improvements! Heck, I've seen dramatic improvements because with her back pain she is miserable but since accupuncture she is so much easier to get along with!!!

Hope this helps!!!
Genia

You are a perfect candidate for Pilates. Pilates is very close to physical therapy, it works on strenght and flexability. It should be done with an instructor that is trained in anatomy and injury techniques. You should start out slow or in privates session until you get strong enough and understand the alignment of the body that makes Pilates the exercise you can do now and always. email me- 5years plus experience in STOTT PILATES! J. (Longwood)____@____.com

I would suggest seeing a Physical Therapist. I did not have the SAME problem as you. But I had a bout of back pain caused by muscle and nerve issues. I was miserable too, I was in pain, couldn't do activities and was down in the dumps about it. I ended up going to Central florida Physical therapy in Oviedo. Insurance will normally cover it. The owner, John is wonderful. They use stretching; massage; and electrode massage therapy. It worked wonders, I was back to 100% after 4 weeks of therapy. Please try it, it may work for you and you can be back to normal! Especially if it helps when you stretch that proves that physical therapy may work. Actually I didn't want to stop going because the sessions would feel wonderful. PS - at first you may feel discomfort as you stretch muscles you never knew you had, but at the end of therapy you will want to go back for more!! Good luck.

I have sciatica that has been greatly relieved by going to Simply Well Chiropractice in Winter Park: http://www.besimplywell.com/. The doctor there is a network chiropractor and he works very gently on the neck. It almost feels as though he is doing nothing, BUT the results are amazing. The work he does is so gentle that you have to go three times a week so he can 'retrain' your neck and spine to relax and move back into place. It's expensive, but after about 6 weeks you will feel much better.

I had sciatica when I first went to Dr. D'Anna and it's gone now. My foot was numb and tingly and my tailbone was killing me. It's all better. My whole body feels better. In addition, I've been sleeping through the night, which is something I haven't done in years.

I also suggest you try yoga. I have found yoga to be helpful for my sciatica as well. Good luck! I know how painful it can be.

Stay with the chiroprator! Make sure that you do the exercises that they give you and ice will be your best friend. It may be uncomfortable but it will freeze the nerve and allow you some relief. But know if you do you will get some relief though it may take time it took 9 months to get it that way it will take some time to heal it.

Hi,

I would recommend going to see a D.O. They have always worked for me. We are new to the area but I have been recommended to Dr. Thompson at Florida Hospital Family Health Center East. The phone number is: ###-###-####. If you call to schedule an appointment, be sure to mention that you are scheduling an OMT (osteopathic manipulative treatment) appointment. Hope you find some relief.

Take care.

massage therapy will help you a lot! :)

Have you tried yoga classes? My husband has a bad sciatic problem. We started going to yoga 2x per week at a local studio about 6 months ago. His back problems have been getting slowly better. He also sees a chiropractor and it seems like combination of yoga and chiro adjustments work well together. He also cut back on caffeine and smoking. I definitely recommend the yoga. It helps not only with back & other injuries, but also with stress.

I feel really bad that I don't have any expertise or experience with that to help you out; the only thing I can suggest is acupuncture--that is what I resorted to after trying everything else when I had migraine headaches; it's amazing what things they find to treat with acupuncture! I hope you feel better and not depressed really soon!

I have had a lot of back issues. The main one was after my third child was born and it was a localized pain instead of general aches. The doctor I had gave the the option of trying acupuncture. I had nothing to lose so I tried it. It took about 5-7 sessions before really feeling the difference, but once we found what placement worked it made a world of difference. They can attach a little unit that sends electrical currents through your body to the needles once in place.
I wasn't raised to believe in alternative medicine, but it has been proven to me that it really does work. And it can help tremendously. Anything to get yourself from being dependent on pain medication. And the needles are so thin you can bend them very easily so it doesn't hurt.
May be worth a try for some relief. Good luck!

young lady, I said a prayer for you. God is good all of the time.

Dear H.,

I have not had the back pain that you have but I have seen on t.v. something called decompersion theorpy. I have heard about this and heard it really works. I would do some looking into this and see if it can help you. Some of the people that it has helped are people having the some pain as you. I hope this helps. L.

go to bed heating pad on back. Got any family near to help with baby? Strong stomach muscles help the back.
Ask doc for more powerful drugs. Don't use if you're home alone with the baby

I am not a doctor, but your situation sound like you might have a bulging disk in you lower back. Mine started out as sciatic but steadily got worse over a period of three weeks. Physical therapy along with twice-daily back bending exercises and rest finally eased the problem. During the worst of the ordeal after diagnosis, only strong prescription pain medication would touch the pain.

I had a similar problem after the birth of my first child. I know that what you are experiencing is terrifing because you wonder if you will ever feel normal again. The fear of the pain is also debilatating. For me, rest and stretching, especially getting on my back and pulling my knees up to my chest brought the most relief. It is key to get your ab muscles strong again as this supports your lower back. Hang in there. With my first child I had a long labor with a lot of back pain which I think contributed to this problem. I had 2 other children and never a reoccurance of this problem.

H.,
I can suggest two items:
1.) some yoga postures will help you tremendously. Find a local yoga teacher and ask which postures will help you.
2.) physical therapy facility.

It might take time to find the right person for you for both, but the right yoga instructor and the right physical therapist should be able to really help you out.
I teach yoga in crawfordville. Give me a call if you like: ###-###-####. There are local Pt people too. I don't know if you are in Crawfordville though. I know a few yoga instructors in Tallahassee also.

D.

I totally understand how you fell. I had sciatica before I ever got pregnant and suffered from it very severely towards the end of my second pregnancy to the point where I was limping from the pain in my upper leg. I luckily ended up getting rid of the pain about a month after I had my son. I never went to a doctor or chiropractor for it. From my experience, sciatica comes and goes on it's own and the only thing you can do is try to get the strongest pain killers possible until it goes away. It will go away probably when you least expect it. I know it is hard having this problem and trying to carry around a baby but it will go away, just be patient.

Hi H....I feel for you..When I was pregnant with triplets I had a baby on my sciatic nerve...They are almost 4 now..I still get pain every once in awhile...ONLY massaging the spot breaks up the pain, A very hot eppsom salt bath help sometimes or you can try rubbing in mineral ice.....I too have tried everything...I know you asked for suggestions but if you found help please let me know...Good Luck

There is much good advice given to you on this site already...should you read this far down I have a suggestion that may help. Talk to your chiropractor about the use of an inversion table. We purchased one from relax the back due to my husbands chronic back issues. It is wonderful. You kind of "hang" with your feet secured. What this does is let gravity help your spine to realign itself and take the pressure off the nerve that is causing you trouble. Inversion tables can be purchased other places as well. We have been very happy with ours I believe that this, along with your chiropractic care could make a real difference for you. If you are not satisfied with your chiropractor; check into others. Correct chiropractic care should do wonders for you if it truly is your sciatic nerve that is the issue.
You mentioned that stretching is about the only thing that helps you. If you just want to try an inversion table, go to a relax the back store and try one out. You will find that it helps to stretch out the muscles like nothing else; while allowing gravity to realign your spine.
I hope this helps you. Back pain is a terrible thing. Good luck!

Try hot and cold, Take a towel and run it under the hot water, keep it there as long as you can stand it. Ring out the towel and put on your back for 15m then take it off and put on ice in a towel and leave it for 15m. Do this for about an hour. If this dosen't work then you have a slipped disk and I would have my doctor do a MRI to see how bad it is. I know as a new mom you can't not pick up your child but try to pick him/her up as little as you can for the next week. Time to get dad to jump in with child care when he gets home from work. I hope this helps.

have you tried acupuncture? it redirects and opens passage ways. if you like i can suggest someone. I. g.

Acupuncture is a wonderful non-narcotic way to manage pain and release the knots. A good practioner will also know many homeopathic things that you can do at home. Go up on the web, www.fsoma.com to Florida State Oriental Medical Association and there is a look up available for member practioners in your zip code. Make sure they have an AP license and ask the receptionist if you can speak to a current client. Visit their office without an appointment so you can see how clean and inviting it is. You'll be surprised how comfortable you can be after only one session and some health insurances cover it too.

When I had this pain (I first got it after a long and stressful move followed by weeks of sleeping on an air mattress) nothing would take the pain away until I started walking regularly. It was strange because of course it would hurt while I was walking and be almost worse that evening, but the next day it would be SO much better. Then, for a while I found that I would have to walk EVERY day for 30 minutes, or it would be back the next day. Eventually it was gone for good. When I was pregnant, I made sure to walk and practice yoga regularly, and this kept it away. It IS a horrible pain! Good luck!

See an Orthopadeic surgeon. MD or OD.! The xrays will tell alot. You more than likely have a"slipped" disc. Narcotics are not the way to treat back pain, when you have not even consulteded a real physician.

If you've ever done yoga...try the cobra position.
lie on your belly and with your elbows and hands palm down on the floor, slowly and gently press up. Sun salutaion might help once you mobile. Hope it helps!

Hi H.,
My husband had terrible sciatic pain about a yr ago. He had to have an epidural (out patient procedure) and that finally blocked the pain. You can see a Pain management doctor or an orthopedic surgeon for your options. He tried chiropractic and pain killers and it still didn't help. He couldn't stop the pain. From what I understand, sciatic comes in cycles and can last up to 12 weeks. I had some with my pregnancy as well, but it was tolerable. I hope you can get some relief soon!
R.

Hi H.,
I just want you to know that I read your plea for help and I wanted you to know that there is an answer for you. Have you ever heard of Sunrider? It is the best thing healthwise that has ever happened to me and my family and I am a Health Educator and have been in the health field over 25 years. We've been eating it for 8 years and have handled every health challenge that has come our way. My husband especially has suffered with back pain, due to degenerated discs and broken tailbone. Since eating Sunrider, all of his back pain has disappeared. The whole food formula serves to give the body 100% useable nutrition and bring all the chemistry in the body to balance, so you feel good and have energy as you regenerate. In fact,the Israeli Olympic team for the 20008 Beijing Olympics has chosen Sunrider as their food. If you would like to know more you may call me at ###-###-####.

B. M.

Try accupuncture! M

Why not consider low impact yoga since stretching seems to help. If money or getting to class with little one is a problem, the oxygen channel has a yoga program on every morning at 6 a.m. called Inhale. You could start with what you are able to without feeling like you are falling behind the class & if you record it you can fit it into your schedule. You can also try the heating patches, they last a long time & help relax the muscles in the area without using smelly creams.

D.

I'm very surprised to hear that chiropractic isn't helping. But then I have been bad chiropractors and when I switched the problem was resolved. Still, if you don't want to switch doctors, you may want to switch therapies..perhaps going to a physical therapist.

Also, you could purchase Newton Sciatic Relief from a health food store (or online). For relief of nerve pain in the legs and lower back pain. You take the drops or pellets as directed until the pain goes away.
If you use it in combination with #1 DETOXIFIER complex it will aide in the liver’s removal of uric acid, which can aggravate the symptoms.

H.,
Please call a chiropractor. I had the same problem with my sciatic nerve and pain so bad. After 3 treatments with chiropractor, I am doing much better.

Hi H.,

I have had sciatic issues as well. The thing that worked for me was physical thearpy. You might look into that. I really helped. It bothers me from time to time, but not like it did before the physical thearpy.
Best of luck!
M.

Have you thought of chiropractic care? I would recommend Dr. Steven Nickels in Mandarin (I am very picky about my chiros and have been to a few in Jax, my personal opinion is that he's the best) ###-###-####

I would also look into accupressure and/or accupuncture that can help a lot. Try Beth at http://www.healingjax.com/

I understand completely. Same thing happened to me. There is some wonderful stuff called "Sore No More" that I heard you can get on line. I use it every am and pm and no pain pills, not even tylenol. I love it and I think you will too.

young living's ortho ease. I know I have mentioned them before on this website, but moms seriously, trying once is believing. They have been on Martha Stewarts Living and other shows. These essential oils are for real. I use them daily now for one thing or another. I joined them and I normally never do tier marketing companies, but their products work. I do it just to use for my family here at home, but I have friends that do it like a business and make lots of money doing it. Ortho ease has wintergreen and other oils in it I think geranium too that helps with inflammation. I didn't use it while preganant, but after I had the baby it helps with backpain. When pregnant I used peppermint and lavender for the sciatic nerve pain. But for sure ortho ease helps with any type of muscle pain and even when my hubby had kidney stones pain.

Hope this helps, if you need more info on oils you can go to Young Living's oil testimonial.com site.

I have had cronic back issues and sciotic back pain for years. the work being done takes time. also do not sit on a soft surface as this will aggravate the pain. i know sitting in a hard chair doesn't sound fun but it will help in the long run. sleep with a pillow between your legs aligns the spine correctly and honestly one of the best things i've found is just a godd long hot soak to relax those muscles. works wonders for me.

Hi H.,

I know you already have Chiropractor, but I just thought I'd offer a free consultation with my husband. He is a Chiropractor as well, but he would be more than happy to talk to you and see what other options you might have. We also have an Acupuncturist in our office and she might be someone to talk to. Just email me back if you'd like some more specific information.

Try not to use a heating pad. When it's nerve pain, ice is the best thing. When it's muscle pain, heat is good. The heat can inflame the nerve and discs and even though you'll feel so much better while the heat is on, you could be causing more problems in the long run.

I use ice packs. I'll lay on my stomach with an ice pack (or a pack of frozen whatever) for 10 to 15 mintues. Also ibuprofin is good, but if it doesn't make th pain go away, see your doctor for some stronger meds. I have to take muscle relaxers along with the pain meds.

Since it's been so long, definitly ask your doctor about an MRI. You could have a damaged disc. (trust me it's no fun). If you are in the Tallahassee area, request to go to Open MRI of Tallahassee. They are great and keep you real cozy while you get scanned.

Good luck.
Hope this helps.
L.

H.,
In 1997, I had horrible sciatic issues, a doctor took x-rays said I was deformed (spurs on my L5). A friend told me to take flax seed oil (at least 6 tablespoons a day) and I was amazed.
I do not have this problem (sciatic) any more. I use flax seed oil in my salad dressing and the seeds in smoothies. Last week I suggested flax seed to some one who had hip a replacement, (he takes 6 loratabs a day) he called me about 5 hours later, very happy that he was not in pain and not taking liver damaging meds. I hope this will help you as it did for me.
B. S.

Hi H.,

Have you done an MRI to see exactly what's going on???
During my pregnancy I had back pain here and then and did not pay much attention to it as Doctors, friends and family said it was normal...Well about 2 weeks after having my son,I started to have shooting pain on my left side that would go all the way down my leg and also have spasms throughout the day and especially at night, I could not move then...I went to the chiropractor, then to pain Management...At that point I could hardly walk, could not stand straight and had to stay in bed with my baby...I went back to my chiropractor and told him pain management was not working and he saw how in bad shape I was. A MRI was schedule and we found out I had a large herniated disc that was pinching a nerve...I underwent surgery...It's been 2 years now...It was 3 months before we found out all that and I had the MRI done...Needless to say I went through hell during those 3 months and I wished I had done the MNRI right away!!!
My best recommedation is for you to get an MRI done ASAP and see exactly what the problem is and then go from there: pain is not fun...
Good Luck and let me know how it went!
S..N

H.,

I'm not sure where you live, but I would try an orthopedic check up. There is an awesome group of Doctors as well as an emergency clinic in St. Augustine. Don't leave it thinking it will get better on its own. Let a specialist check it for you. Good luck and keep us posted.

H., maybe you need a new chiro. I used to work for Dr. VanderSchaaf. Tell him B. sent you. Make sure to get x-rays first so that he can see what's really going on. He has been a chiro since 1982 and he did wonders with my lower back pain...I only get "tune ups" every 6-9 months now. Good luck and God Bless. B.

When I feel my sciatic nerve "kick'n in", my mom taught me a great exercise to use to try and unpinch the nerve. Not sure if it'll help but it works wonders for me...
Lay on the floor, back side down. Bring both of your knees to your chest and wrap your arms around them, holding your hands/arms together with a tight grip. Now...start to rock. Yes, you might rock one way and rock another, and you'll feel like a weeble wobble but this is helping your muscles release the pinch nerve, your sciatic. Hope this helps.

I also had a similar problem until my daughter was about 15 months. I was exercising and really aggravated it. I finally was in so much pain and could not walk standing straight up. The pain shot down through my right hip and lower back. I went into the ER and they did an MRI. My lower disk was bulging. It was very painful. I did not want surgery so went for accupuncture, lost weight and did VERY light exercises. I am great now but it took about 4 months to feel really good. I would definitely have a doc look at you. Sciatica can often be a catch all diagnosis. Get the real facts.

I have siatic also. Lyrica and Naproxin is the only medication that gave me relief. Lyrica is wonderful. They are both precriptions, but the only relief I have found.

My primary and pain management Dr recommened Lyrica. They knew it would work. Good luck. F.

I will tell you from my own experience that you may want to get a second opinion and an MRI. I had symptoms very similar to yours and was doing the same thing...IBprofen nad muscle relaxers. I was seeing a Chiropractor and nothing was getting better. About 7 weeks after having my last daughter, my chiropractor finally sent me for an MRI. I found out that I had an ependymoma tumor lodged in the bottom of my spine. It was about 3cm and if you research the spine, there is not much more room than that in your spine. I had had minor symptoms of it for a few years, but never consistent as it was slow growing and I was told that it was sciatica because it gave the same symptoms. While in labor I guess the jerking an pushing shoved it way down into my lumbar region and it had finally grown big enough to get stuck. I was in severe pain for 7 weeks and could barely walk or sleep. I had shooting pains down the back of my legs and into my feet. The only way I could sleep was sitting up because the pressure from laying down was unbearable. I had bowel and bladder problems because of it. I could not function and I thought I was loosing my mind. On top of this I had a newborn baby and a 2 yr old home with me everyday. Once the tumor was finally located I had to have an emergency surgery the day after I met my nuerologist to have this removed. He couldn't believe that I was walking. I am almost 2 years post op and I still have nightmares about this thing. The scar in my lower back reminds me everyday never to take any medical issues for granted. If you do not like what the first doctor says...ask another.

I am not saying what you have may be as severe....BUT get a second opinion. I could have been paralized if my chiro hadn't taken the initiative to order the MRI. Good luck and let us know the outcome. You are in my prayers!

Have you tried changing your diet? My husband used to have back problems and lots of pain. Then after doing some research, we decided to cut out refined sugar and flours, dairy, and meat. within a few weeks, his pain was gone. It's been about a year now and if he eats any of those things he has back pain again.

If you need some more information or just a listening ear, my email is ____@____.com.

M.