Author Topic: Sciatica, what helped me  (Read 44077 times)

Distressed Mullet

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Sciatica, what helped me
« on: December 20, 2010, 12:32:26 AM »
I've been telling a few people lately about what helped me with my sciatica. For what it's worth, maybe this could help someone here. Keep in mind, I'm don't work for anyone selling anything related to this and I'm not a doctor. This is just my experience.

I herniated two discs in my lower back 3 years ago and pinched my sciatic nerve. It was the most painful thing I've ever experienced. pain from my lower back to my heel, down my leg. I was on the floor for 3 weeks—through Christmas—I slept under the tree. I've broken tons of bones and taken a few good licks in the lineup and with 4 brothers I can take a punch. But nothing hurt like that. All I could do is lay on the ground, on my back with my legs bent, and raised up on the couch. Getting to the bathroom and back was hellish.

My wife's a pharmacist (and a holistic health counselor). We realized quickly that nerve pain is just a different animal. Rxs didn't really work for me. I opted to rehab rather than have surgery and a natural regimen rather than prescriptions.

Inflammation was the core problem. Then, muscle spasms put pressure on the already inflamed discs. For me, dealing with the inflammation AND the muscle spasms was critical.

We hit it with everything. My wife started me on an anti-inflammatory diet, icing, ibuprofen (not quite natural), yoga therapy, acupuncture and supplementation with Oddo's oils and Floradix calcium magnesium. We had a wonderful chiropractor/kinesiologist that was extremely supportive. I'd never had muscle testing or her type of chiro, so I was a little skeptical at first, but it worked for me. She's subsequently become my only doctor, but that's another story.

Anti-inflamatory diet: My wife looked into recipes that used anti-inflammatory ingredients like salmon, blueberries, green tea, papaya, lots of green leafy vegetables (kale, collards, chard), broccoli, sweet potatoes, turmeric, shiitaki mushrooms, garlic, ginger... We also avoided nitrates, processed foods, saturated fats, sugar, and dairy.

Supplementation: The liquid calcium magnesium, which tastes like mangoes, would knock out a muscle spasm in maybe minutes. It's crazy how well that works on muscle spasms. I thought Floradix was the best. It comes in a brown bottle (which comes in a box) and is sort of expensive. I still use it to supplement—especially in the summer when I'm sweating a lot more. I also used Uddo's Omega 3-6-9 fish oils and a good multivitamin.

Yoga therapy was phenomenal. I have a yoga therapy friend who came to my home and worked me through stretching to help get me back on my feet. Seated forward bend, standing forward bend, pigeon pose, childs, frog, cat, cobra, camel, Downward facing dog and a few others. At first, I couldn't move at all, but over 3 weeks, I was able to get more mobile. The nerve can go through the piriformis muscle rather than under it, so stretches and massage that hit it were helpful.

I started paddling soon after as a rehab, a way to build my core and instead of having 3-5 back incidents per year as I did leading up to the herniated disc, I've been relatively back-pain free. I have to do maintenance work with my chiro/kinesiologist, but it's been good. I have so many people in my family with chronic back problems, who rely on pharmaceuticals or surgery and never seem to get better. They slap on a icy hot patch and take a few pills. I'm so glad I found this regimen and have been lucky enough to find a sport that promotes core strength. I'm also glad I don't have to spend this Christmas on the floor. Again, I'm not a doctor or a chiro, but this helped me. I know surgery has helped others and have had wonderful doctors in my lifetime, but the healthy natural route worked for me. It took longer. 6 months to get back to normal. But it was worth it.
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mdsurf

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Re: Sciatica, what helped me
« Reply #1 on: December 20, 2010, 05:55:28 AM »
Great Read.  Thank you for sharing.  Glad you are feeling better.  I watched a friend of mine go through the Back Pain/Doctor/Surgery/Medicine process for five years with minimal success and lots of pain.  It is a life stopping pain that all he could do is lie there and take it.  I will pass this info on to him.

Distressed Mullet

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Re: Sciatica, what helped me
« Reply #2 on: December 20, 2010, 07:23:50 AM »
I hope your buddy can get a grip on it. What I'm doing isn't perfect, but it's been working. Seems like a healthy combo, too. I remember when I got back on my feet, I read Gerry Lopez's account of the paddle around NYC. I thought that was the coolest thing ever. I set my sights on the paddle around NYC, trained, rehabbed, etc.. The first miles in March were tough, but by August, I completed the 28 miles. That was a full year after the major incident. It was the first time I was feeling human.

You can also tell him to avoid sitting on hard surfaces. I use a balance ball for my desk chair. On long drives, I bought a $12 old fashioned ice pack that you fill with ice. It's waterproof and any just about any drug store. Stick it under the ice machine at a McDonald's (the only reason I go in there) or bring it on a plane. They'll fill it for you. Ice while you travel is key.

In fact, of all the things on that list, ice has to be #1. #2 is the Floradix liquid cal mag. And everything else. Controlling stress is a given. They say lower back is financial problems from an emotional level—the weight of the word is on your back.

There is no quick fix. It takes a lot of time and you learn how to back out the pain, relax the periformis and stretch, etc. You become a lot more aware of your body and back. Maybe you just pay more attention. That's the funny thing about the body, it speaks progressively louder until you hear it. Good luck to your buddy.
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whit

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Re: Sciatica, what helped me
« Reply #3 on: December 20, 2010, 07:44:49 AM »
sit on a golf ball and use it to massage the area around your hip.  Yin Yoga is very helpful.  Sit cross legged on the floor and gently stretch your arms/hands out in front of you touching the floor.  Breath and relax and then do the same thing switching legs.  Use a tennis/lacrosse ball while you are driving in the car. :)

Distressed Mullet

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Re: Sciatica, what helped me
« Reply #4 on: December 20, 2010, 08:01:04 AM »
I forgot about the tennis/golf/lacrosse ball. Huge help for regular stretching. I never tried it on a drive though.
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paddlejones

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Re: Sciatica, what helped me
« Reply #5 on: December 20, 2010, 08:53:29 AM »
Here is something i found that helped me some with my lower disc problem.
"The miracle ball method"
Just a semi small soft ball to place under your butt bone as you lay on your back with your knees up.
I found it at costco and it comes with a book.
My dog keeps killing the ball's, so i have to keep re-ordering the book.

I used to have a chiropractor that gave me a list of stretching exercises. (He retired)
He would say to do only a couple of adjustments and stretch a ton.
It is really rare to find a chiropractor that dosent want you in his office every other day forever.
Of all stretching is the key. Yoga is great as well.

Thanks for sharing your info. (i enjoy your blog as well)


NCBA

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Re: Sciatica, what helped me
« Reply #6 on: December 20, 2010, 10:33:18 AM »
I have simular issues. Thanks to SUP surfing for saving me. I think any surfer that has spent a his fair share of water time will have to deal with back issues. I've dealing with herniated discs for years also.I've found I can paddle surf 4 hours a day and have no back pain, yet short board a few days in a row and I'm going to get back pain. I atribute the sitting on the surfboard and tightening of the hips to the cause.


I really like foam rollers for massaging the hip muscles. Sometimes muscles distal from the pain are the culprits. Another great help has been The Egoscue Method by Pete Egoscue. For anyone that needs a simple understanding of postural imbalances and how they affect our pain it is worth reading.




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Re: Sciatica, what helped me
« Reply #7 on: December 20, 2010, 11:03:14 AM »
great thread- i too have lower lumber issues but not as bad as most-only have two slightly bulging discs-anyway great info on here-diet is huge-SUP has also saved me-prone surfing was killing me-i too spent many a weekend layed out on the living room floor-ibuprofren-chiro visits-man that sucks. Havent had an episode like that in quite a while!-thank you SUP and thank you wife for dragging me to spin classes-eliptical-better diet-encouragment etc..
Treat yourself right and you get huge payoffs!
Stretching before and after your sup session is absolutely huge-sometimes especially if its good i just sprint from the truck to the lineup-big mistake!-STRETCH!
United States Air Force Para-Rescue motto "That others may live"

Distressed Mullet

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Re: Sciatica, what helped me
« Reply #8 on: December 20, 2010, 11:18:28 AM »
Have you found OC paddling aggravates it? I really want to get an OC-1, but have heard it can make a sketchy situation worse.
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SoCalSupper

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Re: Sciatica, what helped me
« Reply #9 on: December 20, 2010, 11:31:24 AM »
i have always wanted to OC-1, but everything i hear is that the combination of seated-bending and even light twisting side to side leads to lumbar hell!-dont know for sure but thats what i have heard
United States Air Force Para-Rescue motto "That others may live"

Tom

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Re: Sciatica, what helped me
« Reply #10 on: December 20, 2010, 12:41:26 PM »
This is an area that I work in and I have been very successful in not only relieving sciatic pain, but have been able to eliminate its occurrence. I use a resistance stretching technique that utilizes eccentric exercises. My web site is www.TheResistanceMovement.com. This explains a bit about resistance stretching and some of the successes I’ve had with it.

Other websites you might want to check out are 1) http://www.ecentricstrength.com/
which is the site of  Nic Bartolotta who got me involved in eccentric exersizes,
2) http://www.innovativebodysolutions.com/ who worked with Darra Torres the Olympic swimmer that won a silver metal at 41 years old,  and
 3) http://www.thegeniusofflexibility.com/ which is Bob Cooleys site. He is the ‘inventer/discoverer’ of resistance stretching and the person who trained Nic of E@centic Strenght and Anne Tierney and Steve Sierra  of Innovative solutions.

Here are a couple of youtubes where Darra talks about the exercise benefits of Resistance stretching.

DVD Intro


Dara Torres Special Stretching Exercises
« Last Edit: December 20, 2010, 12:43:23 PM by Tom »

whit

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Re: Sciatica, what helped me
« Reply #11 on: December 20, 2010, 12:53:43 PM »
I like reading distressed mullet's blog, too! :)
A lot of times the lower back pain is caused by super tight ham strings.  Those hamstrings can pull on the butt muscles, also.  Try acupuncture, it works.

mdsurf

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Re: Sciatica, what helped me
« Reply #12 on: December 20, 2010, 01:31:51 PM »
Explain the tennis ball or lacrosse ball thing.  You sit on it and it helps relieve the pain.  Sounds like it would be the pain in the ***

Please explain

SoCalSupper

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Re: Sciatica, what helped me
« Reply #13 on: December 20, 2010, 02:00:00 PM »
i hear ya whit on the super tight hammies.
I just got off the eliptical and forced myself to then stretch for 10 minutes-focused a lot on my hammies, man were they coiled!
I think you are on to something-my old chiro mentioned the same thing-anybody know a few good stretches for hammies?
gonna check out those websites Tom-sounds really interesting!
United States Air Force Para-Rescue motto "That others may live"

Tom

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Re: Sciatica, what helped me
« Reply #14 on: December 20, 2010, 02:24:33 PM »

Here's Dara doing a strength and stretch on the central ham string.


Resistance Stretching 3- Video 5

Not sure if the video fully explains how to do it, but enjoyable to watch just the same. The technique to go from strength exercise to stretching exercise is the amount of resistance you are doing with your arm.

 


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