Sciatica

[horseshowmom]

Hi everyone! I am a returning cathe devotee. After several years of a physically demanding job and no regular structured exercise, I was able to take a year off. Unfortunately in that year I gained nearly 30 pounds and now find myself facing the rapidly approaching age of 40, with an empty nest in a few years and 50 pounds to lose. So, I have the time to spend on myself and have regained some motivation ,but now my body is betraying me. For the past 12 weeks I have been struggling with varying degrees of sciatic nerve pain. Meds only relieve the pain, chiropractic doesn't seem to help, and I'm considering acupuncture out of desperation. Does anyone have experience in overcoming sciatica? Suggestions? Currently, anytime I try to begin weight lifting or move from walking to running, I flare up.
Thank you for any help!
Becky

 

[pebblesus]

Hi Becky!
ALthough I do not haver an answer for you, I certainly hope that someone on this forum might know something about it-- I was doing some research on it just last week as I have similar problems.
They say that the nerves run under your glutes (I believe the middle one), but sometimes they run through them instead, causing pinching etc.
I know for me I have a genetic neurological disorder that would most likely be the cause of mine. Rotated hips, misalignment and tightness in the glutes and hamstrings could also have something to do with it (unless you have an actual medical condition- thewy are often gereditary).
I have been doing tons of stretching such as pigions pose and other stretches that are of the like.
Sometimes it "acts up" in the night and I get that dull, aching pain (you know like when you or someone is laying on your arm and it starts to hurt and lose feeling?) I have never actually figured out what to do to relieve that.
Sorry if im not being of help, but I hope you get some responses and some options to what it could be.. Id see a doctor and get some blood tests for it etc.
Good luck!

 

[LadyUnix]

Hello,

I first got sciatica with my first pregnancy.

I know I have scoliosis, which is a contriuting factor (although I'm not convinced that the scoliosis isn't itself a sympton of something else mechanical in me).

One thing I do know about the sciatica is that the less extra weight you carry, the less intense your flare-ups will be. I saw this pattern in myself through 2 pregnancies, and a weight gain and loss of 80-90 lbs.

During the last several years I have also dealt with debilitating back issues, and from what I have read online is that I likely have a tight psoas muscle on my right side....thus pulling my spine into scoliiosis and causing sciatica and other back issues.

You can google psoas and look at pictures to get an idea of what this (rather amazing) muscle does in body movement; it's not a surface muscle, so it's very, very difficult to be aware of it. It attaches from several lower vertebra down to the hips and is involved in walking,standing,hip flextion, etc.

I'm trying to stretch it out. Psoas muscles can be tight, weak, light, etc, in different combinations apparently and issues with it are certainly not 'one kind fits all', but I'm just throwing it out for you as a possible avenue to look into.

Interestingly, relatively overdeveloped abdominal muscles compared to the psoas muscle can exacberate back issues (and here I'm including sciatica as a back issue, making the assumption that the sciatica stems from a back issue).

I hope this help. I've had times where the sciatica was so bad I couldn't drive or walk.Iwould have to crawl around on the floor. Iknow how frustrating it is when you want to work out and get in shape but your body isn't letting you.

Good luck to you!

 

[horseshowmom]

Thank you so much for the info! Thank goodness for the Internet! It also helps to know I'm not imagining the pain b/c I've also had to crawl on occasion. Thank you again!

 

[LadyUnix]

I guess one thing I should have mentioned is, that for temporary relief of sciatic pain, it helps to lay on your back and place a book under the hip. My ex-husband's childhood doctor told him that (he developed sciatia as a sympathy pain during my pregnancy!) and it helped both of us...play with the placement of the book.

Also, we found, that massaging the area can help. You just find that spot that is 'aaahhhhh, that hurts in a goooooodddd way'; not in the screaming in pain to the high heavens kind of way.

Won't address the cause, but helps for relief in the pinching of the nerve mentioned above. Sometimes, though, in the worse flare-ups, it might be too painful to even think about massaging the area.

No, you certainly aren't imagining it. Sciatic pain can vary from from mild to the type we've experienced.

Yes, thank goodness for the internet!!!!!

I'd also recommend getting an evalutation from a chiropractor; I know bulging disks pinch on the nerves and cause it. And they know just how to knead you, too!

 

[Mckmain]

Hi Becky. I suffered with sciatica about 7 years ago. Running flared it up so bad the pain went down the back of my left leg. I quit running for two weeks. I saw both a Chiropractor and a Physical Therapist, and slowly the pain went away. Took about 8 weeks to be pain free. I still see a Chiropractor regularly once or twice a week. The exercises I did with PT were similar to the ones in a book called "Pain Free" by Pete Egoscue. I will do these kind of exercises for any pain...

 

[joditeaches]

Hi Becky,
I have had major sciatic problems, among other hip and back. I think mine was really exacerbated by being pregnant and lifting my other child up and down stairs. Meanwhile I continued to run everyday to the point of not being able to walk afterward! I was referred to a physical therapist by my OBGYN at the time. I had NO IDEA that she was sending me for cranial sacral therapy (which I had never heard of). It helped unbelievably, like nothing else ever before. I highly recommend it. It is soft tissue manipulation as opposed to what the chiropractor does. It was the best thing ever for my pain. Interestingly, and unrelated, I had torn my miniscus and I went to an orthopedic doctor, and he told me I needed surgery. I had my p.t. treat that, and I never had surgery, and that was also corrected. I never stopped exercising along the way. At my worst, while pregnant and on crutches, I switched from impact exercise to riding my exercise bike every day, and always continued with weights. I think exercise is the magic bullet, as long as you modify and listen to your body.
Sorry this is so long winded!
Hope you feel better soon!
Jodi

 

[horseshowmom]

Thank you everyone for the encouragement and suggestions! It is encouraging to me that you all seemed to continue exercising (when able) through sciatic pain. Does that make you determined or just deranged! I am going to use many of your suggestions and hopefully will report relief soon! Thank you again for reaching out to a virtual stranger! It means more than you'll ever know!
Becky

 

[netsnotes]

I have the same problem. Check with gyn/obgyn. I have a cyst and fibroids that also attributes to my problem. Since I have been yoga and pilates, I don't have pain anymore. Also I have had a MEA, so I don't have a period.

Annette Bethel

 

[Miss Lee]

I'm currently dealing with sciatica and everything I've read suggests that non impact exercise is one of the best things for it. I did a 45 minute steady state workout on my elliptical yesterday and I didn't have any pain the whole time. It felt great! I'm also using Classical Stretch workouts. I have the TV series DVD that includes an episode on back pain which has helped a lot. I believe walking is good, but not running. You want to avoid high impact activities.

 

[mparker]

I had three bouts of awful sciatica flareups that took up to 4 weeks to start improving. I could hardly walk and the pain went in the butt and leg and lower back. I've been seeing a chiropractor to control but not cure it. When I start to get "cocky" and go higher in the impact, I start to feel the lower back and get weird twinges in the butt and then have to just do lower impact. Sitting at a desk all day causes my back to ache. I get discouraged because I feel like I have to see the chiropractor for the rest of my life to keep it from getting really bad. It is depressing and fearful that something will happen to flare it up. Any time I left even a pack of copy paper I feel my lower back. And this weekend I received my new Club Step platform and naturally dragged it to my apartment - that caused me to have more aches and strange feelings that is scaring me right now. I try to do more upper body with light weights and light aerobics with no jumping and ab work. I don't want to take any meds for it and I always spray my back with 'Pain Free' spray that helps temporarily to relieve it. When I get up I am stiff and cannot bend until I warm up a bit. I guess this will be a life long problem.