Sciatic nerve pain, how to fix it?

[mtnjunkie]

I have had sciatic pain in the left side from horse related injuries, but they haven't bothered me in a long time. Yesterday I had a small incident, creek collapsing and hitting the bank. I did a backflip over the bars, feet first, death grip on the bars. Felt my back popping and stretching all the way down as I was bent clear backwards. My back is feeling pretty good but I have some pretty severe sciatic pain down my right leg and right lower back with any weight on that leg. Saw a MT today and it only helped for a couple hours.

I'm wondering if anyone has tried accupunture for this? Or if you have any other remedies that will help. I'm not being a wuss, I just want to be riding and not hindered by this for long. I will call my reflexologist tomorrow, maybe he can do something. I just know last time I had this it lasted a long time.

 

[wwracer]

Let me know when you find something that works. I broke my back in 2003, took several years to heal up. Helped my kid get unstuck back in Oct. and have had it since. Literally a pain in the a** and right leg that doesn't go away feels like needles sticking you in your hip when you walk or move the wrong way when sleeping. I still ride but I turn left a dam site better than I do right

 

[SLEDIOT]

Sleep on side with pillow between knees, relieves pain instantly. Use ibuprofen moderately to relieve swelling of sciatic area. Pinched sciatic is from inflammation and it pushes itself out from the inner part of the rear of the hip and vertebrates. Usually from an aggressive twisting motion. Hug yer knees as a strech every morning after you get up and after prolonged periods of resting. ie sitting on couch watching TV. This helps with pressure relief as it opens the bones and relieves pressure of the sciatic socket. Holy FU@$%CK I sound like a doctor!! Must be the beers. Been thru the sciatic thing X2...................

 

[wwracer]

Thanks Dr. Slediot.... I'll give it a whirl

 

[somedude]

I had a ruptured lower disk a few years back and the chiropractor put me in this contraption called a vert-a-tract, it stretches out your spine and lets the disk slip back in. Works for me every time it slips back out

 

[MPS]

Sunridge Sledhead is a physical therapist. Kimmy...help this poor girl out! Plus I feel bad for her that she has to live by all those yuppies in Sun Valley! YUK! skidoogrl, you gotta make sure you give them the rooster tail when passing by any Sun Valley liberals/yuppies on your sled! hehe

 

[Deadsled]

You can try all the non-invasive treatment, but sometimes you have to go under the knife. Disc surgery is not like it used to be. I'm glad I did it. Zero pain now. I did listen to too many folks that resulted in me putting it off. Now I have perminant nerve damage on my left thigh. I wish I would have done it sooner.

Everyone's different though. Listen to your body.

 

[mtnjunkie]

I have used a vert-a tract, maybe I'll borrow one from my old PT and try it. I have been stretching and icing it, and I can walk better today. I might try accupuncture, I haven't had good luck so far with chiros. I would be open to trying it again, but every one I've been to in the past made me hurt worse. And yes, living by Sun Valley is a pain. Especially since every doc, etc. just sees some wimpy girl looking for meds. So I don't go to doctors up here if I can help it.
It's fun riding past skiers or snowshoers, they give us dirty looks. One guy came out from his house and tried to tell us we couldn't ride there. Although it is open. And I already turn better to the left so..... Thanks.

 

[winter brew]

I went for the back surgery...didn't help one bit. Cortisone is now my friend

 

[skibreeze]

For my back issues, a chiropracter is the only fix.

 

[ouch]

I dont know if this will help at all but I always sleep with a pillow under the back of my knee's or between them, I have to lay on the floor with a tennis ball under my back 1-2 times a week and just roll around with it pushing spots on my back..

 

[DaveB]

I did the slipped disk deal in 05.....had a sore low back and pain in the left leg right through my cheek down to the middle toe for nearly a year. Chiropractor helped a lot. I bought one of those inverted bench deals from Sears. 3 days a week I just hang upside-down in the garage and watch TV for 10-12 minutes....works great!

Going through a whiplash injury right now for the last 12 days or so....very sore neck, can't turn head to left, left arm on fire all the time. Chirpractor helping a lot on this as well. Upside-downy bench not so much.....although I did think about tieing a bunch of weight to my sled helmet and trying to hang upside-down.....

 

[rkymtnrider]

try smoking pot or eating pot brownies

 

[dieseldog]

yes

chiropractor for sure

 

[justadude]

One of the best Avatars ever!!

chiropractor for sure

 

[KFD070]

You can try all the non-invasive treatment, but sometimes you have to go under the knife. Disc surgery is not like it used to be. I'm glad I did it. Zero pain now. I did listen to too many folks that resulted in me putting it off. Now I have perminant nerve damage on my left thigh. I wish I would have done it sooner.

Everyone's different though. Listen to your body.

In My opinion Deadsled is Dead on.
Everyone's body is different and each will respond to treatments in a different way.
I lived with Sciatic pain from sports injuries for 3 straight years. Chiro just messed it up worse. I've had acupuncture for other types of injuries with excellent results but it never helped my back pain one bit. My diagnosis was a ruptured disc at Lumbar level 5 and the top of my Sacrum. The rupture bulge was putting pressure on my Sciatic nerve. Discs don't actually "Slip" they bulge for various reasons. I had surgery in 1986 to remove the disc with no fusion. Back then it was a big surgery. For me it was instant relief of the sciatic pain. Today I still have to be careful with lifting and keep my core muscles in shape or the lower disc shifts on my Sacrum and a week of muscle spasms and soreness follow. Disc surgeries are a simple day care surgery today. Stretching excercises and core strengthening are crucial. As mentioned above sleeping with a pillow between your knees when you're on your side and under your knees when you're on your back are a huge help. Depending on the cause of the pain, muscle relaxants, Ibuprofen and the heating pad can be your very close friends. And one more tip, wear good shoes !!!!!!

 

[spomey]

long ago a football coach told me of a very simple exercise that works to well on the lower back, butt and hips.it sounds and looks corney but it works.

stand next to a doorframe or something stand on your tip toes and push your hips forward and flex your butt hard almost to cramping. hold to 30 seconds, relax then bend to touch your toes 30 seconds, repeat.

do this twice a day it takes two minutes. Just besure and try it at home first incase you butt cramps.....(not fun)

all your really doing is working the area, but it works. and works quickley.

 

[PLUMR]

oxycontin!!!

 

[mtnjunkie]

Thanks for all the help. It's been a little better off and on, but the left side is now a tiny bit painful after cleaning up my horse pens tonight. Great. I do have pain killers for a bad kidney, but they aren't real effective so I don't take them unless I REALLY need them for that because I have to take a few. Especially since most doctors here are "natural" or they won't give out pain meds cause all these rich snobs are addicts and wimps. I had a pretty bad back injury a year or so ago, and it's tightened up. I assuming that's where it got hurt again, not sure. I'll have my MT friend work on it again, and maybe see a chiro or a guy I know who does accupuncture. Guess I should stop lifting stuff, the hay bales and cleaning pens didn't help at all. I will try those exercises, strengthening should help. Still have all my PT exercises from 8 months of PT for my back. Gotta get back on the sled within a couple days, more beer and cope outta make it work out....