Tell me about sciatica. Please!!!

[Okiemommy]

I have had back problems ever since I was a child. I have one leg that is just shorter than the other leg enough to cause me problems. My hips come slightly ajar sometimes and I also wore a wallet in my back pocket in high school, and have had problems with my sciatic nerve ever since. I re-injured it last year, or two years ago(??) and apparently that was the last straw. I have had chronic pain ever since. Does anyone know what I can do to alleviate the pain/seizing up that is going on in my muscle back there? It's really affecting my quality of life right now! I go to the chiropractor, but when he gets me adjusted back to my normal, I am still in pain. Please help!!

 

[Wifezilla]

Sometimes massage therapy can work better than chiropractic.

Another thing that effects muscles and pain is a lack of vitamin D. I would get my level tested.

 

[buckeye lady]

This helps my lower back pain. You can use a folded towel if you don't have a block.
http://yoga.about.com/od/yogaandbackpain/a/supportedbridge.htm

 

[Occamstazer]

Ouch!
For me when my lower back is very sore, I do a series of poses called cat, cow, upward dog, downward dog, and child.

Cat: on all fours, arch your back up like a ticked off kitty, and streeeeetch
Cow: let your belly hang as low as you can, stick your head and booty into the air
Upward dog: legs stretched behind you on the floor, lift your upper body with your hands and arch like a rearing cobra
Downward dog: palms and feet on the ground, booty in the air, make an upside down V
Child: sitting with your legs tucked under you, put your forehead on the mat and stretch your arms over your head on the ground, and let all your muscles go. Easier to show than describe:
http://sweettater.files.wordpress.com/2009/09/childs-pose.jpg

My yoga buddy teaches a class and he told me to do these at the end of a long day.
I find child especially to be really loosening and theurapeutic.
I have almost dozed off in that pose before, when all my poor jammed vertebrae start to loosen and relax and then I just go ahhhhhhhh

 

[Beekissed]

You'll never really get rid of this problem until your legs are evened out....either by a more skilled chiro or a knowledgable massage therapist. If you have a functional short leg (not born this way) this is an easy fix. If you were born this way, the only way you can fix this is with a good orthopedic lift shoe that is frequently checked for shoe wear.

If you inquire with an orthopedic specialist he will want you to do therapy, an ortho surgeon will want to do surgery. If you go to a pain clinic, they will want to offer a nerve block...same with a neurosurgeon. When all you have is a hammer, every problem looks like a nail.

Look for a massage therapist whose practice is for mainly for pain relief and ask them some questions about what they would do about it and the efficacy of this treatment in the past. Ask them to explain exactly what they will do and how they will do it, then describe what action takes place when they perform this action and how it will effect change in your condition.

If they immediately schedule you for several weeks of appointments because "it will take some time to correct the problem", give them a pass. Same with a chiro.

For now, Motrin and ice to the area can help you get some relief. Good stretching of your hip joint and periformis muscle(this is the one you can feel when you stretch that hip~it feels like it's right where your wallet would be) can get you a little relief but be careful not to stretch too far or too much at once.

 

[freemotion]

There are a number of reasons for sciatic pain, so there is not a one-size-fits-all treatment protocol. But first, you need to address that leg length difference. Is it a true difference in the length of the bones of your leg, or is it a difference in your pelvis? or scoliosis? or tension in the quatratus lumborum muscle? or...or....or....

If your chiropractor does not address muscle tension with hands-on modalities, your adjustment won't likely hold for long, as the tight muscles will pull the spine back out of alignment. Also, does your chiropractor adjust joints other than the spine? I would have him check your hips, knees, ankles, feet, too.

Do you have any herniated discs that could be pressing on the nerves? If so, certain exercises might be inappropriate and could increase your pain. For example, upward dog can cause some big trouble if the psoas major is excessively tight, which I see more and more. There are other stretches that are better, stabilizing the pelvis so as not to hyperextend the lower back. Yoga was developed long before computers, by people who did not do the same tasks for 40-60 hours a week....not how we were designed to use our bodies! So some of the poses are contraindicated with some injuries, at least until a measure of healing has taken place.

Do you carry a child on your hip regularly or do heavy work that is very one sided? Or did you in the past?

Does your chiropractor do any trigger point work? I would check the gluteus minimus and medius for TrP's that can mimic sciatica. I would also address the piriformis, quadratus lumborum, TFL, and iliopsoas muscles, in addition to the more obvious ones....all hip muscles, not forgetting adductors, abductors, quads and hamstrings.

And that would be just the first session....

 

[Beekissed]

Face it...you just need a consult with Free!!!

 

[Wifezilla]

One thing I forgot to mention that has helped with my back....

Belly dancing!

Been doing it for 6 years now

 

[freemotion]

If that doesn't loosen you up, nothing will!!!

 

[Wifezilla]

It worked for Abi too and she has had back surgery!