Sciatica No Fun

IMO a TENS machine is not going to provide you with any substantive relief. It's great for muscular development and recovery from some sort of atrophy event...but does not help for nerve impingements.
WRT CBD, it can absolutely help with inflammation, but unless that is the cause of your impingement don't count on it helping here.

 

Thanks, I'm hopefully getting a MRI to see what's going on. Surgery is not an option, so looking at all other options. One thing I do agree with is some of the guy's mentioning core workouts to strengthen back and legs.

 

Aletha - Orbit Hip Flexor Release Ball | Psoas Massage Ball for Pain Relief and Trigger Point Muscle Therapy

https://smile.amazon.com/Hip-Releas...0VW7TRCCQ3H&psc=1&refRID=9RASVRQH10VW7TRCCQ3H

This ball, and the book of the same name saved my life.

I was basically bedridden, in constant agony... taking steady doses of antiinflammatories and muscle relaxants. icing nearly 24/7 and cortisone treatments every 3 months like clockwork. CBD. Edibles (no relief, just munchies). I was just barely staying ahead of the pain without prescription painkillers. (I used those some too). I wasn't a candidate for surgery, because no-one could agree on what to operate on. (plenty were willing to try though)

A stroke of luck and I stumbled across an advertisement for the book and clicked through. They were doing a $5 promo for the kindle version, bought it and read it immediately. I searched the house for something that would let me try the stretches... Instant relief! Then I ordered the ball and the fancy $120 hip hook.

The hip hook delivery was delayed by Covid. I still don't have it. But 1-2 daily 10 minute sessions with the ball has changed my life.

No more ice. No more meds. no more CBD. Nearly pain free! I'm exercising again, playing street hockey with my kids, riding a onewheel, and doing projects around the house again.

I'm sure it's not the solution for everyone, but it was a freaking miracle for me.

Good luck all. you have my sympathies.

 

Interesting. Glad it worked for you

 

Yes interesting. For $15 it's definitely worth a try

 

How'd it go?

 

Well the pain is not as bad in the leg, but now I got it in my hip. This was out of nowhere like someone gave me a Charlie horse. I guess its all tied in. The orthopedic doctor gave me 2 options, order the mri or give it 2 weeks and reevaluate .I went with the latter hoping it would disappear. I go see him monday and will ask him to order mri. I mine as well at this point. I gave a $100 co-pay and no deductible, so that's nice. I won't get scanned and reamed at the same time I've got some degenerative loss in my L-5, arthritis, but doctor said it isn't too bad . I have never had a serious back injury. Strained it when I first went into the shipyard, but that was it. The CBD salve, tens unit, and my pure wave massager has helped a lot. Thanks for asking

Stay tuned

 

Curious how you are making out. Found out I need a fusion if I want the nerve pain to go away, pinched nerve at l5-s1 according to mri. Pretty awful pain all day when walking or standing. Surgeons not willing to perform less complex discectomy due to a fracture.

Curious about those who had fusion, how was your recovery?

 

What sort of fracture?

 

Didn't see this thread until today. Sounds like a miserable time, and I'm sorry your dealing with it @rons23 . Been some time since you updated anything.... you feeling better? Docs make any progress for you?

 

Stretches worked for me. You HAVE to be consistent, but it works. Skip chiropractors and go to a physical therapist for additional guidance.

 

Told me a pars fracture or pars defect.

 

Agree 100% with the details around chiros. Too great a risk and when it does work, it's not consistent from patient to patient. The right stretches done correctly and consistently work. Although you can find the stretches online, it's best to go to a good PT to guide you through them - at least initially.

 

Thera gun and dry needling. The Thera gun is amazing. I use the pointy attachment and hammer it into my glute and it’s awesome. Dry needling works really well also if you can find a place nearby that has a legitimate trained physical therapist.

 

Cortisone shots, did anyone mention this?
It’s hit & miss for some. Worked for me for a decade.

Feel better all Tundralights that are in pain.

 

The pigeon stretch off my coffee table has helped with my back issues and my sciatica is kept at bay. If I could only do 1 stretch this would be it.
https://youtu.be/QTcNMlpTJ3o

 

I had a run of pain like this this weekend from an overcompensation/overtraining injury (hurt my knee first). A “steroid blast” from a tele health visit got me through the work weekend. Now I need to stay on my stretches and increase my training volume more slowly.

 

Hope you're positively progressing and healing up @rons23. Not related to Sciatica, but I had to deal with an elbow issue recently. I jacked my elbow up yanking on a ratchet at a bad angle while underneath the truck. Elbow wasn't healing up after a month and a half and seem to be getting worse in areas. Hurt like a MF just trying to form a hand grip. Finally decided to see the doc and he sent me to a good PT place. After 5 minutes with the therapist he said I have a neck issue. Wasn't a believer in good PT until now. There were pinched nerves in C4-5 which caused lack of blood flow to heal up the strained elbow ligaments. We've worked on freeing up the neck areas release pinch nerves with massages then slowly worked on getting movements back elbow/grip and strengthening the neck and back support muscles. All in all, with 2 months of therapy I went in with 15 lbs on the grip pressure test to last weeks' measurement of 160 lbs.

Point is that I think good PT and good sessions in the mix of other therapies could help.

 

This, 100 times this. I'm one of those guys who, even when I have no fat on me (which is not the case right now lol), am built thicker (legs/shoulders) than some; and the older I get, the more I find that stretching is absolutely essential.

Had some major lower back pain prior to about 2016 when someone showed me the pigeon stretch and trigger point stuff. Within maybe an hour I went from serious glute/lower back issues to NO pain.

 

Thanks for asking, had a MRI-(spinal stypnosis) Dr said it wasn't real bad, also degenerative loss due to just plain getting old. He said if pain gets worse I can get a shot and if that doesn't help, then on to spine specialist. Sciatica pain has been gone. Back is ok as of now. Stretching helps, and I need to drop some weight. I did buy a Purewave massager, and that sucker helps.

 

Just came back from a friend's house and he was just diagnosed with spinal stenosis and a herniated disc at L4. He woke up in excruciating pain 9 days ago. Had to go to the local ER the pain was so bad. He had a steroid shot 1 week ago and that did nothing. Now he's meeting with surgeons and hopes to have surgery in the next 14-21 days.

I had spinal fusion at L5/S1 10 weeks ago. Thankfully it was a great success! No longer wearing a brace and pain has been reduced 70+% and getting less each week. I can't wait to start rebuilding those atrophied muscles harder.

If anyone has back/spine issues and needs a GREAT surgeon, Dr. Wang at the University of Miami is a miracle worker. He's the Chair of the Dept of Neurosurgery and Chair of their fellowship program. He was formerly the head of the Neurosurgery at USC. Truly one of the best neurosurgeons (specializing in spinal issues) in the country, right now.

 

Yah, with a pars defect you're definitely going to need a fusion, otherwise you'll develop a spondylolisthesis with can lead to further issues.

 

Easiest(cheapest) fixes

Yoga/stretching
Foam Roller
exercise (it seems counter intuitive if you are in pain but it helps)
TENS
Diet (stop eating gluten, wheat and sugars, and unfortunately beer) these increase inflammation and increase pain

More Invasive

Steroid injection
Radio Frequency ablation (if you can find someone to do it) also cooled RF

 

It's dangerous to give broad advice here seeing as the cause of the pain my be different for everyone. One thing that I will say, is if you ever start experiencing numbness, or weakness - make an appointment with a neurosurgeon. Pain can always be treated with medications; numbness and weakness can be the signs of irreversible damage.

 

I totally agree with you statement.

And, pain tolerance is quite subjective. What is excruciating and debilitating for one, may be tolerable for another.

 

Yeah, already met with 3 neurosurgeons and have a 4th next week, mayo in MN video call. Already have spondy apparently too. Trying to find the right surgeon at this point. So far each surgeon has reccomended a different approach, which is a bit overwhelming to wade through. Hoping mayo provides some better insight since they are a ranked so high.

 

The nerve pain I get from having broken my C1 almost in half would disagree with you. I am allergic to most pain meds and the Tens unit is the only relief I get sometimes though it never goes away.
The neurosurgeon after seeing the MRI said in 40 yrs he'd never seen anything like it and couldn't explain how I was still upright.

 

What approaches have been recommended?

 

That's good to hear. Getting any relief from any modality is a win in my book.

 

So far, tlif (not mis), plif (not mis), 360 (non mis alif with mis tlif).