Any of you suffer from sciatica?

[neilin]

Completely irrelevant....one man? I have had several surgeries and know many men and women that PT, injections, drugs, stretching, pivoting ironing boards, gravity boots and funny herbal teas that didn't work.

One man that you know is not convincing. Myself, and the many I know are.

Take a seat.

I was not aware of ironing boards. How are they used for ailing backs?

 

[Rustynuts]

Have had a bad lower back for years due to an injury in 1977.
Have had physical therapy off & on for years , done at home exercises, and also tried 'dry needle " sessions as well. Have been taking Aleve almost daily for the pain.
Finally at almost 76 yrs. old I saw a doctor and had an MRI 2 weeks ago. Follow up appointment with the same doctor and he said...your lower back is a mess, and I am referring you to a neurosurgeon for an evaluation and see what the next move, if any, might be. At my age, i'm not sure i want to endure any major back surgery at this stage. I'll know more on Feb. 4th. after the evaluation .

As I said in an earlier post. PT has not helped and after my hearing and seeing my MRI results, I now know why

 

[gramps]

A good massage therapist can give relief from sciatica by massaging and relaxing the piriformis muscle. As a nurse of 55 years, I have noted most back relief can be achieved using chiropractors and massage therapists. There are some conditions, that only a surgeon can fix. I also implore y’all DO NOT drink alcohol and take Tylenol (it kills the liver), or other pain meds too, because they will cause problems. I have had too many people in my ER/ICU’s over the years, that did that.

 

[Trackdog]

I don't think I could do more than a couple hours on a plane. Although, these are the time I am grateful that I am 5'6" and 150#.
Can imagine being a big gut squeezing into those small seats. I might spend some extra money for the upgrade.

I go see the neurosurgeon Monday, and get a professional opinion and weigh my options.

My therapist was able to iron out some of my sciatica pain, so there is something to said about massage therapy.
I tried a chiropractor once and he made me worse so I am done with that. I know there are good one and bad ones, so perhaps I was unlucky.

I do like the idea of the ironing board though. I hit the gym last night for the first time since April and I feel a bit better overall, but the pain has not. subsided. Seems exercise is the best medicine right now. Going easy on the Advil. Although I do like two fingers of Elijah Craig at the end of the day so I am missing that. Drinking lots of water instead.

 

[Trackdog]

As I said in an earlier post. PT has not helped and after my hearing and seeing my MRI results, I now know why

I don't believe PT will cure a bulging disc. IMO, once the pain begins to affect the quality of life it's time to do something.
I see from this that some have suffered for years with back and I feel bad for those folks. I can't see myself tolerating it.

I had arthritis in my left knee stemming from an injury. At 45 years old I had a knee replacement after my doctor said wait as long as you can.
But my quality of life was suffering greatly. I did the knee replacement and it did not go very well. Doc says my body "heals very quickly" and scar tissue developed.(?_)
I was told I would need a cane and walk with a limp the rest of my life, forget about snowboarding, upland bird hunting, and motocross, but I proved them all wrong. I worked extremely hard to get most of my range of motion back.
When I did a follow I told the Doc I was back to snowboarding, motocross, and everything else and he rolled his eyes and laughed.
So to say avoid operations really depends on the individual. You may have work invest a great deal of time and effort for a good outcome. And that is not easy!

 

[Trackdog]

Figured I would come back to this thread. As I said earlier the injections did not help. MRI showed severe stenosis at L4 and L5 and I was referred to a surgeon. Last October I received surgery to clean out the disks, put spacers in and fuse L4 / L5; 3 incisions - I expected the two in the lower back but there was a 3rd in my side. Evidently they go in from the side to put the spacers in the front of the spine. Back brace for 6 weeks and I am still wearing a bone growth stimulator for a few hours a day. Relief was almost immediate. As far as pain I had opiates and only needed 3 or 4. I have a nice Titanium cage and tI spacers but no restrictions. I still get a lower backache but it is fairly mild and is a good tradeoff to the sciatica that was severely restricting me.

Would I do it again, yes, in a New York minute.

View attachment 94214View attachment 94215

That's extreme! But if you quality of life has improved that's GREAT!

 

[Elder User]

Not me, but a family member. First and foremost, do not get into the habit of taking Motrin (Ibuprofen) as consistent use can wreck your liver, stomach lining and a bunch of other problems. See a doctor to be sure that's what it is. If so, the doctor may be able to prescribe something like Meloxicam which would do a better job anyway. It may not be sciatica. Might be nerve compression or irritation. Best to find out.

If I may respectfully dissent, I think you have the meds confused. It is acetaminophen (a/k/a Tylenol) that causes those symptoms. But you are correct in that too much of any of them, NSAIDs or not, can cause problems.

 

[Elder User]

I haven't been diagnosed but the symptoms present like it (according to the interwebz). It really bothered me on Wednesday after driving 1 1/2 hour to my "hunting cabin" and riding a lawn mower for 2 hours and then the return trip home.

That's 3 hours in my 4x4 pickup and 2 hours on a riding mower. Worst case scenario. But it has been (for a couple, three weeks?) bothering me.

I've taken motrin and am more diligent about my core/stretching exercises, but I'm just curious what the Ruger braintrust does about it.

My sciatica got so bad it was causing me pain all day and night. The pain would shoot down my leg and I would have to use using a walking cane and a rollator. I went to a pain doctor that my friends with back trouble referred me to. He gave me a pain relief shot in my back and arranged for an epidural in a week or two. The pain relief shot alone worked wonders and I had no pain for a year. When I went back it took him a time or two to find the sweet spot again, but it has been 7 or 8 years now since I experienced any pain. I had been worried that my condition would involve some sort of back surgery.
I suspect that in my case the sciatica was like a whiplash back injury that aches until the strain is gone so the irritation can be relieved and the muscles can recover. I believe that the original cause of my trouble was from straining my back while bending over one day to put soft drinks in an ice chest. Nowadays I avoid heavy lifting, bending over, and anything else that could cause back strain.
My GP had originally tried muscle relaxants and OTC pain relievers and as he expected, none of them had helped. I had tried a chiropractor but that only gave me short term relief. I also attended physical therapy after the pain relief shots and I believe that helped tremendously. Others have said the same.
After all that I can now stand up on my two hind legs and shoot as badly as I ever did.
P.S, I just realized that you said you had not been actually diagnosed with sciatica. It can take many forms and I gather that the necessary treatments can vary from my minor shots to serious back surgery. In my case the X-rays and MRIs did not reveal any physical problems or defects but it was as real as the hand before my face. Check with your doctor and start a system of treatment ASAP because it may increase in severity as time passes.

 

[Elder User]

My wife went thru that, Did the injection twice ( 2x is required by our insurance) then they "burnt" the nerve with radio waves. Helped one side but her other side still hurts.

I have friends who have had to have that treatment repeatedly over the years.

 

[Elder User]

My problem isn't knowing how to properly lift and such. The problem is I know it's wrong and do it anyway. That's just plain hard headedness. No one to blame buy myself during these times.

Wear that weight lifting support belt as often as you need it, no matter how silly you may think it makes you look.

 

[Watertender]

If I may respectfully dissent, I think you have the meds confused. It is acetaminophen (a/k/a Tylenol) that causes those symptoms. But you are correct in that too much of any of them, NSAIDs or not, can cause problems.

Last summer I had chest pains that were severe enough for me to dial 911 to go to the hospital. It wasn't my heart but a hole in my stomach lining from using Naprosyn for an extended period of time.
I use 10-325 hydrocodone now and some extended time release Tylenol. My doctor is monitoring me a little closer now and I haven't had any problems since the summer.

 

[Rustynuts]

As I said in an earlier post. PT has not helped and after my hearing and seeing my MRI results, I now know why

Saw the pain management doctor on the 4th, and after looking over my MRI results, he agreed with my family doctor....your lower back is a mess !
He then proceeded with 7 separate injections at various locations of my lower back and prescribed 2 different pain killers I should try. I started taking Gabapentin and Baclofen, a couple days after the injections, and after a few days of taking them, I discontinued both. They are pain killer/muscle relaxers and did nothing to help with the pain, but made me feel like I had been on a week long drinking binge ! Took me most of the day to come out of the "fog".
My next move is a 3/3/26 appointment with a neurosurgeon to plan the next move ! For now, the 7 injections have reduced lower back pain I'd guess about 50% . Not yet ready to give up the fight for more improvement !!

 

[Elder User]

Last summer I had chest pains that were severe enough for me to dial 911 to go to the hospital. It wasn't my heart but a hole in my stomach lining from using Naprosyn for an extended period of time.
I use 10-325 hydrocodone now and some extended time release Tylenol. My doctor is monitoring me a little closer now and I haven't had any problems since the summer.

Like many folks I take a daily aspirin to prevent heart problems. The doctor prescribed a coated aspirin that does not dissolve until it is past my stomach. Every time I go to a doctor for a checkup they make it a point to inquire if I am having any stomach pains. I have Type 2 diabetes so that may also be in respect to some of the other medications.
Off the subject, I do not regularly take any pain medication but when I do I take one of the new half Advil, half Tylenol pills. They seem to work very well.

 

[XUSNORDIE]

Doc had me on high dose of Prednisone which helped on the flights to and from California this past week. Still uncomfortable in those toddler sized seats but bearable....needless to say when that "Ding" sounded I did everything in my power to get up and out to stand up straight before the person across from me. Standing there waiting for the cattle to move felt good after seating....still pretty stiff after though.

 

[Elder User]

Doc had me on high dose of Prednisone which helped on the flights to and from California this past week. Still uncomfortable in those toddler sized seats but bearable....needless to say when that "Ding" sounded I did everything in my power to get up and out to stand up straight before the person across from me. Standing there waiting for the cattle to move felt good after seating....still pretty stiff after though.

Get up and walk around on those plane trips, even if it's only a faux trip to the john. On our Elders trips we stop every two hours and have everyone leave the bus and walk around a little. It not only helps avoid blood clots in the leg but exercises and relieves those stiff backs and legs. And the restrooms are a blessing to elderly bladders.

 

[WAYNO]

Interesting timing.
I spent most of last week in the hospital due to sciatica.
I have gotten past the awful nerve pain, but I still cannot lift my foot off the ground even just to step in a shoe.

I have endured back issues for decades, but this sciatica is a new experience, and it was awful.

The treatment was muscle relaxer, pain pills, Prednisone and Gabapentin, as well as immobilizing in bed.

Please Lord, don't let me ever experience this ever again, nor anybody else.

And some update.
The nerve pain is mostly gone. The butt and leg pain is not. I can finally lift my foot to put on a shoe.
I went to my followup appointment last week.
He said... maybe it will go way. Or maybe I need a cortisone shot in my vertebra nerve channels, or maybe I need surgery.
Quite a bunch of choices, mild to awful.

 

[XUSNORDIE]

Get up and walk around on those plane trips, even if it's only a faux trip to the john. On our Elders trips we stop every two hours and have everyone leave the bus and walk around a little. It not only helps avoid blood clots in the leg but exercises and relieves those stiff backs and legs. And the restrooms are a blessing to elderly bladders.

Yep on the flights out to CA I did get up and hit the head....mostly because I consumed a couple Voo Doo Ranger drafts at the gate bar at Reagan International. But it helped.

Those front heads on 737's are almost impossible for bigger folks to use. I had to tilt my head, crouch and lean against the bulkhead.

And some update.
The nerve pain is mostly gone. The butt and leg pain is not. I can finally lift my foot to put on a shoe.
I went to my followup appointment last week.
He said... maybe it will go way. Or maybe I need a cortisone shot in my vertebra nerve channels, or maybe I need surgery.
Quite a bunch of choices, mild to awful.

The injections only last so long and do so much as damage continues to build up. Don't wait too long to decide. I'm living proof of putting surgeries off too long and I'm paying for it dearly.....from knees, back, neck.....the injections just mask "some" of the pain but the damage continues and nerves die, spurs build up....etc....

 

[SBHRSSSSS]

Possibly helpful for someone-
https://articles.mercola.com/sites/..._HL2&foDate=false&mid=DM1879125&rid=494723451

 

[cleg]

Has any Drs mentioned excersices to eleviate the issue? I have had the SI joint, bursitis, and IT band on left leg and hip literally have me in tears Long period if sitting( I drive linehaul) causes hip.muscles to tighten up and cause spinal misalignment. I have had chiropractor care ( drop table, some time the twist adjustment). That has helped, some Physcal therapy. Walking is a good thing if you can do it. Exercises for your lower back and hips. Surgery is would think definitely last ditch effort. No guarantees even with exercises and plain walking, yet it has definitely helped me even though my lower back is messed up from falling compression fractures etc.. it still helped. Good luck. It can be daunting task.

 

[Elder User]

Went to my GP yesterday for a regular checkup. Had been experiencing some pain in my hips, mostly the right one. X-rayed, minor arthritis in hips, mostly the right one. Doctor said take Alleve if I need it and suggested that I try a supplement called Move Free. He said it gave his wife relief. Told a friend and he said that it did not give him great relief but he still took it for the minor benefit it gave him. I personally think my sciatica may have contributed because my right hip and left calf were the most affected. It was like the sciatica kept them contracted and never let them relax. I'll get the Move Free and start the experiment this weekend. He pointed out that in the end I would probably have both hips replaced. I think my Chickasaw tribe will cover the cost, but I don't have the down time because I care for my wife.
I chaired a meeting this afternoon for about an hour, standing all the while, and the Alleve saw me through. My hips didn't distract me at all.

 

[XUSNORDIE]

suggested that I try a supplement called Move Free

I normally consider stuff like this as gimmicks......but I looked into it and there are different types of Move Free. Which did he recommend?

 

[Elder User]

I normally consider stuff like this as gimmicks......but I looked into it and there are different types of Move Free. Which did he recommend?

Doctor just said there were 2 sizes of pills and to get the larger one. I looked on the Internet and there's a bewildering variety. I'll look at them all when I get to Walmart. Remember the doctor wasn't prescribing, just passing on his anecdotal family experience.

 

[shorthair]

Yes I've had the surgery done twice with mixed results.