# Sciatica



## Georgia Lady (Dec 12, 2014)

I am suffering with Sciatica.  Pain is in lower back radiating to the hip and left knew.  I am taking Mobil and Ramadan for pain. Any advice appreciated.


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## Georgia Lady (Dec 12, 2014)

Georgia Lady said:


> I am suffering with Sciatica.  Pain is in lower back radiating to the hip and left knew.  I am taking Mobil and Ramadan for pain. Any advice appreciated.



Correct spelling of meds.  Mobil   Tramadol


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## Ameriscot (Dec 12, 2014)

I had it years ago and found Aleve helped. Maybe gentle stretching.


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## Butterfly (Dec 12, 2014)

I've been troubled with sciatica off and on all my adult life (result of a bad car accident in '63).  The only thing that helps me is the chiropractor -- and I was pleasantly surprised to find that my medicare plan covers his treatments.


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## Don M. (Dec 12, 2014)

Georgia Lady said:


> I am suffering with Sciatica.  Pain is in lower back radiating to the hip and left knew.  I am taking Mobil and Ramadan for pain. Any advice appreciated.



I, too, have sciatica....brought on by helping a neighbor cut down about 1/2 acre of big trees this Summer to make room for a new house.  I got about 20 cords of firewood for my big outdoor wood furnace, but shortly thereafter I felt the pains begin.  The x-rays showed some spinal misalignment, so I went to a chiropractor and got that fixed up.  The regular doctor gave me a prescription for a bunch of Oxycodone pills, and I took them for about a week, but they gave me a huge case of constipation...in addition to making me feel half "loopy".  I got off these "addictive" pills, and found that a generic Aleve....Naproxen Sodium...worked just as well, and I only take one, usually after Supper, so I can get some good sleep.  I've gotten to the point where I only need one if I've been doing some serious outdoor work during the day.  One lousy weather days, I have a home gym in the basement, and I go down there and do some good exercises to help the healing.  

There is a wealth of information on the Internet....sites such as WebMD and the MayoClinic....and their information is as good, or better, than what you will get from many doctors.   The best advice, IMO, is to avoid getting trapped into becoming dependent on Prescription Drugs.  There are many good alternatives to that routine.  There's a good reason why so many of these young kids raid their parents medicine cabinet for Oxy pills, and get themselves in serious trouble with these pain pills.  

After a couple of months now, the biggest problem is putting shoes and socks on my left foot...bending the knee up can be a bit of a struggle.  I did buy a long shoe horn to help with slipping the shoe on.   Time, and some gentle bending and stretching exercises...and getting the spine properly aligned...is probably the best approach for this very common ailment.


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## oldman (Jan 19, 2015)

I had Sciatica for years and being a pilot and sitting for hours just aggravated the hell out of it, to put it mildly. I finally had an MRI and saw that I had a bulged disc and had the surgery. I took all kinds of narcotics for pain, which did give me some temporary relief, but they have a very bad side effect. Addiction and I couldn't fly. Tramadol I found to be worthless. After I had surgery, my wife had just bought a new car and I did not like the way the car had been waxed, so five days post surgery, I waxed the car myself by hand and ruptured the disc, (surgery 2), which was followed by surgery three because when the surgeon repaired the ruptured disc, he also tore a hole in my spine. Today, the sciatica is all gone, but, I have a bent coccyx (tailbone) from an ice hockey accident, so I suffer from that. If you are really hurting, ask the doctor for 5-300 Hydrocodone, but only take it when really needed. This stuff is highly addictive, but your pain will be gone for 4-6 hours. Do yourself a favor and avoid Percocet or Oxycodone, which are one in the same, but even more addictive. If you do decide to go the narcotics route, you will more than likely become constipated. I suggest keeping some Dulcolax with stool softeners or ask for a Rx of Linzess. 

I am a certified substance abuse counselor certified by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. I am not telling you this to impress you, but you need to understand that taking narcotics does give you relief and returns your life to some type of normalcy, but they are highly addictive. Although Tramadol is not a narcotic, addicts have found a way to boil it and shoot it to give them a rush, so yes, it does have some narcotic type effect on the neurotransmitters in the brain. I have no problem with people taking these drugs on a short term "OCCASIONAL" therapy. Say, 30 days, no more than twice a day. then, go off for 30 days. Also, some people swear by acupuncture and hand manipulation to move things around a bit like a Chiropractor. 

Not to be nosey, but would you mind keeping me informed of your progress and your choice of therapy? It helps me with my case studies that I do. I have found some people doing some interesting things over time.


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## Don M. (Jan 19, 2015)

oldman said:


> I had Sciatica for years and being a pilot and sitting for hours just aggravated the hell out of it, to put it mildly. I finally had an MRI and saw that I had a bulged disc and had the surgery. I took all kinds of narcotics for pain, which did give me some temporary relief, but they have a very bad side effect. Addiction and I couldn't fly. Tramadol I found to be worthless. After I had surgery, my wife had just bought a new car and I did not like the way the car had been waxed, so five days post surgery, I waxed the car myself by hand and ruptured the disc, (surgery 2), which was followed by surgery three because when the surgeon repaired the ruptured disc, he also tore a hole in my spine. Today, the sciatica is all gone, but, I have a bent coccyx (tailbone) from an ice hockey accident, so I suffer from that. If you are really hurting, ask the doctor for 5-300 Hydrocodone, but only take it when really needed. This stuff is highly addictive, but your pain will be gone for 4-6 hours. Do yourself a favor and avoid Percocet or Oxycodone, which are one in the same, but even more addictive. If you do decide to go the narcotics route, you will more than likely become constipated. I suggest keeping some Dulcolax with stool softeners or ask for a Rx of Linzess.
> 
> I am a certified substance abuse counselor certified by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. I am not telling you this to impress you, but you need to understand that taking narcotics does give you relief and returns your life to some type of normalcy, but they are highly addictive. Although Tramadol is not a narcotic, addicts have found a way to boil it and shoot it to give them a rush, so yes, it does have some narcotic type effect on the neurotransmitters in the brain. I have no problem with people taking these drugs on a short term "OCCASIONAL" therapy. Say, 30 days, no more than twice a day. then, go off for 30 days. Also, some people swear by acupuncture and hand manipulation to move things around a bit like a Chiropractor.
> 
> Not to be nosey, but would you mind keeping me informed of your progress and your choice of therapy? It helps me with my case studies that I do. I have found some people doing some interesting things over time.




I am having pretty good luck with these exercises.  Here is the web-site that describes them.
http://www.fitday.com/fitness-articles/fitness/stretching/5-sciatica-exercises-for-pain-relief.html

Also, a few weeks ago, I was talking to an old neighbor who also has had Sciatica in the past.  He recommended a "creme" that helped relieve much of his pain,  I bought some, and have been using it for the past couple of weeks, and it seems to help quite a bit.  Here is where you can get some of this stuff.  
http://fcastore.com/shop/pain-relief-rub-3-jar-pack/

The doctor gave me a prescription for 60 of those Oxy pills, but after taking a half dozen, I decided there has to be a better way...and I reserve surgery as the Absolute Last option.  So far, exercise, and lifestyle adjustments seems to be working...and this Frank K. Woods Pain Relief Rub is looking promising.


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## Josiah (Jan 19, 2015)

One cause of sciatica is a ruptured lumbar disc which bulges out from between your vertebrae and irritates the sciatic nerve. This was the diagnosis in my case and the solution was to surgically remove the disc. Since then I have been pain free.  There are also a regimens of back exercises which if faithfully performed can improve the problem.


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## Don M. (Jan 19, 2015)

Josiah09 said:


> One cause of sciatica is a ruptured lumbar disc which bulges out from between your vertebrae and irritates the sciatic nerve. This was the diagnosis in my case and the solution was to surgically remove the disc. Since then I have been pain free.  There are also a regimens of back exercises which if faithfully performed can improve the problem.



I blew a disc in my lower back when I was about age 40, and opted for therapy, instead of surgery, that time, too.  It took weeks to overcome that incident, but I think that was the right decision.  Back then, the "standard" surgery seemed to be to remove the disc, and fuse the vertebrate, and the guys who had that never seemed to be able to walk fully upright afterwards.  It may not be as quick as surgery, but I think diet, exercise, and perhaps some supplemental vitamins, etc., can overcome many health conditions we run into.  It just seems that surgery, and prescription drugs often have consequences that are as bad, or worse, than the original condition.


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## Josiah (Jan 19, 2015)

Don M. said:


> I blew a disc in my lower back when I was about age 40, and opted for therapy, instead of surgery, that time, too.  It took weeks to overcome that incident, but I think that was the right decision.  Back then, the "standard" surgery seemed to be to remove the disc, and fuse the vertebrate, and the guys who had that never seemed to be able to walk fully upright afterwards.  It may not be as quick as surgery, but I think diet, exercise, and perhaps some supplemental vitamins, etc., can overcome many health conditions we run into.  It just seems that surgery, and prescription drugs often have consequences that are as bad, or worse, than the original condition.



My disc surgery which involved only the removal of the disc and not the fusing of the adjoining vertebrae took place 25 years ago and I'm sure back surgery has made considerable strides since then, but Don is right in recommending exercise therapy as the conservative approach, but if that doesn't work I would certainly investigate surgery if a disc is your problem.


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## jujube (Jan 19, 2015)

I've found that a soak in a hot bath does wonders for mine.


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## Falcon (Jan 19, 2015)

Surgery was what cured my problem (a ruptured disc). They tried everything else first.
The *NEURO* surgeon simply sucked out the matter that was pressing on the sciatic nerve; no fusing of the vertebrae etc. was needed.
All this was circa 20 years ago and I've been pain free ever since.


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## AZ Jim (Jan 19, 2015)

I had it so bad it brought tears to my eyes.  I had a MRI and they found a ruptured disc in my lower spine.  Had surgery and woke up pain free, went home next day that was 25 years ago to this day I am ok.


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## Georgia Lady (Jan 19, 2015)

Thanks everyone for the advice.  My Sciatica has been better for the last three weeks.  My Doctor said when flare-ups happen he wanted to stick to the Tramadol.  He gave me Cortisone by mouth this last time and it seem to help.  So I will just wait and see what happens.  The next time it happens I am going to demand a MRI.


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