Sicatica Pain

Dear N., I am sorry you are suffering with this. When I had this I would stretch the opposite way and use motrin. Hope you find some relief. Grandma Mary

Hi N.,
I know how you feel, having dealt with the same problem for a while. I go to a chiropractor who not only adjusts me but also uses therapy on the area. It isn't an overnight fix and in the beginning, I needed to go 3 times a week until eventually it was down to twice a month for maintenance. There are also stretching exercises a good chiropractor will show you to help you ease the pain. Don't give up, but I would continue with chiropractic if I were you.

Hi N.,
I'm sorry to hear about your ongoing struggle with sciatica. I would recommend finding a chiropractor who specializes in ART (active release technique) - this is VERY different from traditional chiropractic. ART focuses on working the muscle similar to PT or massage but deeper and more efficiently. Its what olympic athletes use on their medical staff. You also want to find someone who will not just put you on a 6 month 3Xweek schedule but someone who is genuinely interested in helping you feel better. The provider should give you home exercises to accompany the in-office work. You can locate an ART provider from their website of providers: www.activerelease.com. Good luck!
S.

I know how you feel! I was unable to walk for 10 days in April- literally my husband had to carry me to the bathroom. It was horrible.

I went to a homeopath and she perscribed colosynthesis. Within two days I could feel a difference. Within a week I was at least way better. I also used an over the counter homeopathic remedy: hypericum perforatum. It is available in most health food stores. That was very helpful too, and with it I am hack to 95%.

A homeopath will take a very detailed history and will ask a million questions about the quality of the pain, what was going on in your life when it set it, etc to find the right remedy. The ones that worked for me will not neccessarily work for you.

Good luck. I hope you are feeling much better soon.

C.

Hi N.,

I have had sciatica, it is very painful. I generally do not care to go to chiropractors, but I have found one that is wonderful, he is very holistic, caring and practices a special method of Chiropractic technique. Also very gentle He is easy to talk with and explains everything, very smart and I can not say enough about him. He really helped my sciatica when no one else could. I see from your profile that you live in the New Haven area. Dr. Lou is in Woodbridge, very close, just over Bethany Mountain. If you decide to see him, below you can find his phone number.

Dr. Lou Cofransesco,
###-###-####

Best,
Sarah

Ps, Dr. Lou also has clinical massage therapist available in his office.

Sorry to hear that you are in so much pain. I have experienced sciatica before, but not nearly as long as what you have been going through.

Have you tried seeing a chiropractor? When I called mine and told her my symptoms she got my right in and there was instant relief after the adjustment. I wasn't 100% after that visit, but I was able to walk with much less pain.
I believe that you may also benefit from Physical Therapy but I don't have any first hand experience with that.

I hope you start feeling better soon!

I went through this myself and after a certain point nothing helped and I needed to have surgery. Have you had an MRI to rule out a herniated disc? If you have and you DO have a herniated disc, why isn't surgery an option? I had IMMEDIATE relief, and from what I have heard from a friend of mine who also had it, the procedure now is a lot less invasive and recovery is much faster.

Good luck to you--I will never forget the misery. Hugs...

Hi N.,

I used to have sciatica pain, as well, but no longer do, thanks to reading an enlightening book by Dr. John Sarno. He's a well-respected medical doctor out of Mt. Sinai in NYC. He says that 89% of back pain is psychosomatic, brought on by stress that causes lack of oxygen in our muscles. Sciatic pain is one of the most common symptoms he discusses. He's written a few books and I'm sure any would be great for you to read. It can't hurt, right? I only read half of one of his books before my back pain disappeared! Same for my husband and his friend. Actually, Howard Stern swears by this guy.

Let me know if you have any questions. Good luck!!!

B.

I would recommend continuing to do those things that provide relief and check with your doctor to see if you are a good candidate for using and inversion table.

It is a table you strap yourself to and then you hang upside down. It has been know to bring relief to the spine. Since sciatica is caused by spinal nerve damage, it may help relief the pressure and give you a break.

Do some research into this because I belief it will help you tremendously since surgery is not an option.

Hi N.,
First, my heart goes out to you as one who has lived through the horrible pain of spinal problems, herniated discs, and nerve involvement. You mention that surgery is not an option....is there a reason for that? Have you had an MRI? Did the doctor say no surgery? Is surgery a fear for you? Sciatic pain comes from a herniated or ruptured disc in the spine, and if after a year you have seen no improvement, i wonder why surgery is not an option. I had debilitating pain from a ruptured disc in my neck, and like the pain you feel in your leg, i experienced it in my neck, shoulders, arm, upper back, and head. There were days i could not breathe without pain. I did not want surgery, so i tried chiropractic treatments, PT, acupuncture, massage, prednisone, medication, meditation, neck brace....anything that promised relief i tried. Short version....NOTHING worked for more than a very short time. The pain was always there at some level and then returned to its previous level of torture! The worst thing turned out to be PT and exercise - they made it so much worse! And then you deal with the referred pain from the way you compensate for the pain....so you probably have pain in your hip, knee, foot, and back from limping or shifting weight. I was told the benchmark for considering surgery is examing how your day-to-day life has been impacted. Do you not do things you previously could do or would like to do because of the pain? Are you losing sleep because of the pain? Is your quality of life terrible? Are you depressed? I went along for a year as well until one morning i woke up, couldn't get out of bed, called my mom crying hysterically that i couldn't do this any more (yes...even a mom of 3 myself, i turned to my "mama"). I had the surgery 3 days later. N., I don't know your personal situation, but if surgery is an option don't turn away from it. You can't live your life in pain, nor should you. It affects every part of your life, but unlike a visibe affliction (broken limb in cast, using crutches, etc.) people don't realize how much pain you're in, so you go along day to day carrying on with your routines, your family, your job...all the time suffering. Even my husband could not relate - the only thing that seemed to make any impact was when i cried to him one day that it hurt to simply be alive. Nerve pain is the worst. And years later, i learned that when you live in constant pain your body produces inflammatory chemicals that flood your body and affect other systems. If I had known that then i would not have dragged my heels and just "lived with it". Your strongest support and sympathy will come from fellow nerve-pain "sufferers". Examine your options, face your fears, and I wish you good luck and good health!!!

As a massage therapist, I recommend,of course,massage. It's definitely a modality that you have to continue receiving regular treatments for. Finding a good therapist is also important, somebody who understands Medical Massage. Yoga is great for sciatica! You might need to be more proactive in the beginning but after some time it would be more about maintenance. Going the drug-free route definitely requires more patience. It has also has alot to do with finding the right people to work with. That makes a huge difference.

Hey there my name is Dr. V. LaRocco I am part of the wellness community. Its my understanding that you have certainly done a lot and its my certainty to know that we have helped a lot of women in your shoes. Let's talk more so I can fully understand how to help you naturally. I guarantee we can help and we have helped others like you. My husband and I are both health development strategies that specialize in various forms of Chiropractic care, emotional and nutrition techniques that yield results. I can only offer you the certainty that we have dealt with this many times before with plenty of success. Call us tomorrow is you like ###-###-####.
God Bless

N.,

If you've been to a chiropractor, and it didn't help, I would try a different chiropractor! How often were you going? Sometimes its necessary to go 2-3 times a week for a little while, since when you first begin to go, your body doesn't hold the adjustment for more than a couple of days, because your muscles are so knotted up from the bones being out of place. Also, if you see a chiropractor, you need to rest between visits, and forget about the workouts...that will just put the bones out of place again!

Also, you might want to ask your Medical Docter to prescribe a muscle relaxer for you, called Flexeril, which you can take about an hour before going to the chiropractor. An effective muscle relaxer, such as Flexeril, will make it easier for them to give you a good adjustment, without causing you a lot of pain. You should also take the Flexeril between chiropractic visits, since it will help you to hold your chiropractic adjustment, until you're scheduled to be seen again for another one.

The first time I had Sciatica, many years ago, it was caused by my pregnancy, since my baby was laying on my sciatic nerve. There was nothing that anyone could do about that, until he decided to move, which he didn't until 3 days before I went into labor. I know just how you're feeling, sciatic pain is absolutely brutal if you can't get any relief!

I also injured by back in a car accident when my son was about 7, and, because of that, I still get sciatica occasionally. The only thing that I've found that helps is a good Chiropractor, coupled with taking the Flexeril, until the bones decide to stay back in place.

Not all Chiropractors are all that they profess to be. Stay away from those who insist upon doing X-rays, (which should be done by a medical doctor, and then taken to your chiropractor.) Also many insist upon giving you heat or ultrasound treatments or massages, which I've found to be a complete waste of time and money! Those that insist upon those types of treatments are only interested in emptying your wallet!

Any chiroporactor which is worth anything can tell simply by feeling what needs to be adjusted, and take care of it, but, as I said, you may need to go 2-3 times a week for awhile, until your body decides to hold the adjustment.

Where do you live? If you are anywhere near Trenton, New Jersey, I can recommend a couple of them who are excellent. If you're intested in contacting either of them, please send me a private message via MamaSource, and I'd be glad to give their names, addresses, and telephone numbers!

I hope this information helps, and that you can get some relief from the pain soon.

Yoga helped me a lot. It wasn't instantaneous relief (more of a slow lessening of the pain) but it was long lasting relief. Probably took a month or so of 2x/week yoga (I went to the Y) to make it go away completely.

I'm sorry physical therapy didn't work for you. I had a relatively mild case of sciatica and the exercises I was taught at PT work great for me. Oddly it is the exact opposite of what a bunch of others have mentioned. The main one to provide relief is to lay down on a hard flat surface such as the floor and allow gravity to pull the herniated disc back into place. Other exercises were to strengthen my lower back muscles and stomach muscles. Did you get a diagnosis of what's wrong with your back? Sciatica is just a symptom, so there needs to be a medical diagnosis of what's wrong in order to figure out how to fix it or alleviate the pain. Good luck!

The answer is to find the cause of the pain. Sciatica is usually caused by something irritating the sciatic nerve. (I had a ruptured disc in my back). If you treat the root of the problem, the pain will go away (I had the surgery). Good luck to you, I hope you find the answer because I know how painful it is. Also, I highly recommend Dr Shahid in Danbury CT, he's the best.

I know how you feel and it sucks. I did the Chiro on and off for years, but what worked for me was heat and/or ice and a tennis ball. Lay on the floor, put the ball in the spot and push down while rolling on it. It'll hurt like hell but over some time, it'll start to feel better. Also, I bought a hand massager at Bed, Bath & Beyond. If my husband or kids aren't around to help massage my rump, I'll sit on the edge of the bed (bad side on the bed) and then place the massager under me. That helps me sleep. One thing I found out that was 1 of my triggers was tight calf muscles. If I stretch my legs, my butt pain seems to goes away. Unfortunately, the butt is the "meeting" point for your upper and lower muscles. I wish you the best of luck and a pain free future.

J.

I'm assuming you meant sciatica.
I'm not a medical expert, but I believe the pain comes from inflammation and something pressing on a nerve. I have a variety of issues with my back, and having an MRI helped the orthopedist and the physical therapist know just what to do. Do you sit for long periods of time? In an uncomfortable chair? That can cause pressure in the irritated area. My lay advice is sleep with a pillow under your knees to take pressure off your back. When standing, try to stand with your hips tucked under your pelvis, to have a straight, not curved spine. Do abdominal exercises to strengthen your tummy (it supports your back). Before getting out of bed in the morning, hug your knees to your chest and release. Do that about 20 times and it should help release some pressure. Get some medical attention.
Good luck.

I lived with a herniated disc for over 20 years. Physical therapy, drugs, massage, anti-inflamatories, etc. Three years ago, the disc herniated so badly that I had no choice but to have surgery. Please listen to me: If you have sciatica that is painful and doesn't go away, you MAY be damaging your nerve. I waited too long to have the surgery and I almost permanently damaged my nerve. Go to an orthopedic surgeon and have an MRI ASAP. My disc almost exploded. The recovery from the surgery took a while, but I was funtioning within a week. Good luck.

I would love to help out with this! I've suffered from a back injury my Sophomore year of college. I injured in from Kayaking in the ocean. I do have bouts of siatica. I find the absolute best thing for it is yoga. I work out on my bowflex about 4 days a week. However, I truly believe that Yoga is what has strengthened my back appropriately. I didn't first love it but decided to dedicate myself to it and it paid off! Hope that helps. Good luck!

sounds like you might be beyond this, but the only thing that ever really helped me was to stretch out my back. first off, rather than sitting on the couch, i would sit in a straight back chair, perfect miss manners type of posture. and i would find a way to stretch out my back. picture your vertebrae, and find a way to pull them/stretch them out/apart to release the nerve that is being pinched. i do it in my bed, get down low in the bed so i can barely reach the headboard, lie on my side, then stretch up/forward and grab the headboard while curving my back and stretching it out as much as i can in a kind of curled C , inward, like im trying to touch my chin to my chest, everything inward, but not bent at the waist, if you can picture it. and tylenol when i cant sleep. if im at the playground with the kids i will hang from the monkey bars, stretch out my back. good luck, i know it is awful.

Hi N.,

I have healed 95% from a severe disc herniation that I experienced after the birth of my daughter, and I used a lot of different modalities to do so. I had a lot of sciatica, and it felt like fish hooks and fire all in my leg--horrible! It's absolutely awesome how you're reaching out to your community. I'm not a medical professional, but I am a counselor/coach with more than 15 years of holistic health knowledge and experience--so if I can help I'm happy to do so. Being in chronic pain is so debilitating, and having experienced it I wouldn't wish it on my worst enemy.

Just from what you shared, it sounds like you have an issue with inflammation. The acupuncture, chiropractor, etc. are able to temporarily get the inflammation down, but it comes back. Is this a result of an injury you had or is it something that came on gradually?

Here's some of what I did to heal my back that you haven't tried that may be useful to you...

Aquatic Physical therapy: I didn't like regular physical therapy AT ALL. I found myself getting really anxious that I couldn't do what they were asking me, and I was afraid of the pain getting worse. I went to Ken Kurtz physical therapy (in Clarence) at the suggestion of a friend who is a nurse and had hydro (aquatic) therapy. BEST thing I did. I could do a lot more in the water, and felt confident that I wasn't going to fall, etc. The water is really warm and soothing, so I relaxed and my muscles were able to stretch and move. When I moved onto land, I was stronger and able to do a lot more, plus I had more confidence. They also sometimes offer water yoga, and that might be a good exercise option for you.

Homeopathy: This is the best thing I have ever done for myself, and I use this for everything, not just for my back. Homeopathy works on your whole body, and helps you body use it's own resources to get balanced and heal. Especially being a woman, often our hormones can be subtle in causing low grade inflammation--whether it's related to our menstrual cycles OR our immune system. Sciatica is more common in women than men. I worked with (and still work with) JOette Calabrese, who is not only a brilliant and highly trained homeopath, but she is also a nutritional consultant who can help you address some of the food issues that might be contributing to your sciatica. Her website is http://www.homeopathyworks.net and her phone number is ###-###-####.

I also used chiropractic, and recommend Dr. Amal Mardini on Main Street & Harlem (I've been to several chiropractors and she's made the most difference)

Acupuncture I used only when the injury was acute, and that helped me get off of the pain meds I was on.

I hope this helps, and best of luck on your healing journey!

Warmest Regards,
T. Dietz MS, NCC

i have suffered from sciatic pain in the past and have found that daily Yoga/yoga stretches help the best. Any pose that really stretches out the hip area like pigeon or just simply doing a forward bend have help relieve the pain. Also, just lay on your back and pull one knee into your chest while extending the other leg out from your hip as if you are trying to touch the wall in front of you with your toes is a good stretch also. hope that it helps!