# Sciatica......



## rgp (Aug 26, 2019)

Has anyone ever dealt with it ? Any advise to ease the pain ?

Over & above my normal arthritis I have been battling a severe case of sciatica , [both cheeks & both legs] all the way down too my feet, for two weeks tomorrow. Severe pain, can barley walk...[even with a cane] ! I ordered groceries delivered yesterday.....& hell I can't stand long enough to cook what I bought.

My normal pain med [indomethacin] & Tylenol seem to have no effect on it. So far heat has none either.


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## Gary O' (Aug 26, 2019)

rgp said:


> Has anyone ever dealt with it ?


Not sure if I have that
But,
when exiting the Jeep, I have to take a minute before I stroll, to unkink
and even then I hobble for the first few steps
It's akin to an evolution of man graph put to a video

Severe pain in my right hamstring
It's pretty much there 24/7
My lower back is a mess


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## Don M. (Aug 26, 2019)

I've had Sciatica for the past 5 or 6 years....mostly the left leg/hip.  The first thing out of the doctors mouth was "surgery".  However, one of my granddaughters is a nurse, and she found some exercises on the Web that have worked quite well for me.  Give them a try....just start slow.

https://www.healthline.com/health/back-pain/sciatic-stretches#forward-pigeon-pose4


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## Uptosnuff (Aug 26, 2019)

Stretches can really help Sciactic pain.   Here are three simple ones.   Here are six more.

I have found that stretching is one of the most important things we can do as we age.  I think stretching can help relieve pain and even help prevent it in the first place.  I attribute stretching as preventing a frozen shoulder.  I had a frozen left shoulder and stretching helped it and I believe it prevented me getting it in my right shoulder.


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## Gary O' (Aug 26, 2019)

Uptosnuff said:


> I think stretching can help relieve pain


It sure has for me
When chopping wood at the cabin, I'd have to stop and hang on a tree limb
Big time relief


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## Lc jones (Aug 26, 2019)

What has helped me is both losing weight and stretching, I would say that 75% of my pain is now gone as the additional poundage was just causing such pressure on my spinal column and hips. The stretching provides additional blood flow to those areas and loosen the muscles to reduce pain. Disclaimer: I am not a physician and check with your physician first before taking any suggestions. LOL


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## Butterfly (Aug 26, 2019)

rgp said:


> Has anyone ever dealt with it ? Any advise to ease the pain ?
> 
> Over & above my normal arthritis I have been battling a severe case of sciatica , [both cheeks & both legs] all the way down too my feet, for two weeks tomorrow. Severe pain, can barley walk...[even with a cane] ! I ordered groceries delivered yesterday.....& hell I can't stand long enough to cook what I bought.
> 
> My normal pain med [indomethacin] & Tylenol seem to have no effect on it. So far heat has none either.



I've suffered from it several times in my life.  It can really be agony.  The only help I've found is a good chiropractor.  They can really bring some relief.  Certainly worth a try for such awful pain.


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## Uptosnuff (Aug 26, 2019)

@Butterfly 
Yes, go to a good chiro.  They can give you lots of good ideas on how to relieve and how to prevent it.


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## Patio Life (Aug 26, 2019)

I've had sciatica for years. The stretches help a lot. Just go slow and don't over do it.  I take ibuprofen and gabapentin. Walk as much as you can, sitting makes it worse.


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## jujube (Aug 26, 2019)

I have it now. Annoying but not crippling.  However, when I had it about 25 years ago, it was crippling.  I actually had to take two months off work because I could not sit or stand to do my desk work.  All I could do was find just the perfect position stretched out and stay there.  I couldn't drive anywhere, either, because of not being able to sit.

I tried everything, injections, chiro, etc. but what I think really helped me was wearing extremely spongy-soled shoes.  I don't know how, but when I was wearing those squishy soled flip-flops, I felt better.  So I wore them all the time and gradually the sciatica improved.  When I went back to work, I said to hell with the dress code and wore the flip-flops.


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## Pepper (Aug 26, 2019)

Ice placed at lower spine helps me.  Around 20 minutes worth, first thing in the morning.


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## Camper6 (Aug 26, 2019)

Humans were not designed to walk upright.


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## nan (Aug 26, 2019)

See if you can find a good  certified Bowen Therapist in your Area they will be able to fix your problem they can fix a lot of problems. 
Another  thing you could try is to roll a tennis ball under the arch of your feet for a while, it might help with freeing the tendons.


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## nan (Aug 26, 2019)

Have A look at this rgp
http://bowentherapytraining.com/?p=2


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## Llynn (Aug 26, 2019)

Had it on my left side two years ago. I also found relief by stretching. My doc basically said "nothing I can do for you" so I sought aid from Dr. Google. I belong to a large HMO and about the time I was "enjoying" my sciatica, they sent out a letter to all men over 70 telling us not to take any form of ibuprofen because a study linked it to sudden death in elder men.......It is sooooooo much fun to get old,


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## rgp (Aug 26, 2019)

nan said:


> Have A look at this rgp
> http://bowentherapytraining.com/?p=2




 Thanks, ...... As soon as i am "loose" enough to get out to my truck........I'll look into that local practice.


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## Butterfly (Sep 1, 2019)

jujube said:


> I have it now. Annoying but not crippling.  However, when I had it about 25 years ago, it was crippling.  I actually had to take two months off work because I could not sit or stand to do my desk work.  All I could do was find just the perfect position stretched out and stay there.  I couldn't drive anywhere, either, because of not being able to sit.
> 
> I tried everything, injections, chiro, etc. but what I think really helped me was wearing extremely spongy-soled shoes.  I don't know how, but when I was wearing those squishy soled flip-flops, I felt better.  So I wore them all the time and gradually the sciatica improved.  When I went back to work, I said to hell with the dress code and wore the flip-flops.



When I first had it years and years ago as a very young woman, it was crippling to me, too.  Like you, standing was painful, but sitting was the worst.  I got the most excruciating pain down my leg when I would try to sit.  I couldn't find any relief (including from regular medical doctors, traction in the hospital, back braces, God knows how many horrible tests, etc.), but did finally find relief from a really good chiropractor.  I had never been to a chiropractor before and viewed them with suspicion, but a friend strongly recommended this one, and so I went.  Truth be told, by that point I would have tried just about ANYTHING to be free of that pain.  

I remember the first time I could sit without pain, I actually cried with joy.


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## terry123 (Sep 1, 2019)

Heating pad helps me a lot.


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## toffee (Sep 2, 2019)

it's a type of condition that goes on its own I have found ' you can get it at any age ' I have had it 
over the last 15 years not as often now ' the nerve ends inflame causes the ache to run down the leg or legs 
and gets so uncomfortable ' so I found ice packs on the bottom of the spine works' sit with it for a hour each time through the day it eases the ache a lot ..even go to bed with it on colder the better I found ..


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## hearlady (Sep 14, 2019)

Are you open to something outside the box?


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## rgp (Sep 14, 2019)

hearlady said:


> Are you open to something outside the box?





   I am, believe me I am but,......I know for a fact that i have some verified conditions , severe arthritis & all that it brings with it. I have of course seen the x-rays/MRI's ............ It ain't purty in there.


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## Irene (Nov 25, 2020)

rgp said:


> Has anyone ever dealt with it ? Any advise to ease the pain ?
> 
> Over & above my normal arthritis I have been battling a severe case of sciatica , [both cheeks & both legs] all the way down too my feet, for two weeks tomorrow. Severe pain, can barley walk...[even with a cane] ! I ordered groceries delivered yesterday.....& hell I can't stand long enough to cook what I bought.
> 
> My normal pain med [indomethacin] & Tylenol seem to have no effect on it. So far heat has none either.


I know this is an old post, but thought I'd reply anyway.

I have found that Alpha Lipoic Acid helps a lot with sciatica and peripheral neuropathy.  Before I started taking it (600 mg/day) I could hardly walk; a few times it almost took me to my knees.    It's not completely gone, but it's greatly reduced.  Here's a link to what I use; be sure to read the reviews.
https://www.amazon.com/Nutricost-Al...890974800601&ref_=sbx_be_s_sparkle_mcd_asin_0


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## peramangkelder (Nov 25, 2020)

I could not even attempt any of those exercises I have sciatica due to multiple spinal surgeries and spinal stenosis 
Lying down is the least painful position but as soon as I need to get up the sciatic pain is excruciating
Once I have walked around and got 'things' moving again the pain eases to a manageable level
I also use a fit desk which goes under my computer desk and I pedal to my fav tunes....that helps enormously


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