Sciatica, Need Help!!

My sciatica, at least thats what I think it to be from all the reading I have done, has been really bad lately. I have had it for about 5 years now, and it has come and gone, off and on. Now it has been persistant, and I can't stand it. I have to sit all day at an office working on the computer, and this is the only time it bothers me. On the weekends when I'm hiking, fishing, bike riding, etc... I am fine. Only when I sit for prolongued periods of time does it hurt. Now it has been hurting every day at work, and I can hardly stand it.

Can anyone refer me to someone who can take care of this. My doctor only want to prescribe painkillers, sorry, I don't do that, pain killers I will live with out.

a good chiropractor! Mine acts up off and on and a good adjustment or two and I'm good to go.

gadeerwoman said:

a good chiropractor! Mine acts up off and on and a good adjustment or two and I'm good to go.

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yep

you need to find out what is causing the sciatica....get an x-ray and/or MRI to find the cause of the problem

someone who has helped me is a PT named Alex Ghaffari over by Cobb General Hospital off Austell Rd. I think his co.name is Choice Rehab Plus..he is at 1810 Mulkey Rd on the lobby level..cell # 678 642 7039.

What type of work does he do, surgery, or just pretty much anything to help the back?

These guys are right, a chiropractor can help, and a good one won't touch you till he at least does x-rays. I have a compressed disc , the last one on my spine. Nothing they can do. They gave me exercises to do and they help a little but it still hurts everyday.When it gets unbearable, I'll get an adjustment. Better get it checked out.Good luck...

What everyone else has said about a good chiropractor....You probably need (I'm talking from experience) some decompression therapy to relieve some of the pressure between the nerve and the disc (hoping its not already ruptured)..goes without saying you need an MRI....Vax-D (and there's something similar to Vax-D but I forget the name) is probably the best of the decompression therapies, but lots of chiro's have decompression tables. But don't hesitate to see a medical doctor too (again I'm speaking from exerience, my last two discs are herniated pretty bad but I have been able to avoid surgery); epedurials can be real effective and its not as hit and miss as it used to be (plus now they can numb the area before they stick that big ol needle in)....sometimes those things can make you feel like your your ol self again (for a few months)..

Plus there are special chairs you can get to take some of the pressure off your back while you work; plus inverison tables....I keep a camping cot in my office; if it gets real bad I lie down a few minutes and the ol spine has a chance to decompress alittle.....Also start looking on the web, there are are kinds of things out there now you can buy and put in your office.....your right about the pain pills, but keep in mind they are only temporary and not meant to be taken for long at a time.....but every once in a while, if your having one of those nights when it starts shooting down your hip and leg and you think the ol foot is going to explode, well thats when their good to have..

well all the advice so far has been good but.... if you carry your wallet on the side the pain is on sometimes the pressure from the wallet sitting all day can aggravate it ...move the wallet or take it out if you're sitting alot.. works for a lot of folks

Completely cut out your salt intake and drink more water. That will help a lot.

Then a good chiropractor should help. Tell them you want therapy. They have this machine that sends electric shocks to your back. It worked wonders for me.

I use Dr. Ford in Carrollton on Bankhead Hwy. Tell them Bill Davidson sent you.

HH

I reccomend the Chiropractor. Most of my sciatia was from sleeping on my stomach. try sleeping on your back or the opposite side that hurts. I have actually gotten to the point where I can fix it myself, but still go every month to the Chiropractor for an adjustment. I have noticed a marked difference in the way I feel in general by doing this.

gw

HULETT HUNTER said:

Completely cut out your salt intake and drink more water. That will help a lot.

HH

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Interesting. Why do you say that reducing salt intake helps sciatica? Not doubting you, I'm just curious about the physiology behind it.

Chiropractor= A temporary solution to a permanent problem. Once you go to one you have to keep going back for adjustments. Sorta like cracking your knuckles, feels good for awhile, then you have to do it again. I know some people swear by them, but my experience has taught me to be cautious about having someone that is not a medical Doctor diagnose or treat me for a potentially crippling problem.

Most severe back problems can not be diagnosed with an X ray, contrary to what Chiropractors tell you. Talk to your doctor first, before you go to a bonecracker. X ray's can only show bones or solids, they can't show any soft tissue like herniated disc or tumors. You need a CT scan or MRI with contrast to diagnose anything except a bone anomaly.

I know about these things first hand, I had surgery to remove a tumor in February from my spine that did not show on any X rays. I had gone to an Orthopedic surgeon after being treated for a range of "possible" back ailments for over a year by a range of therapist and Chiropractors, only to find out I had a tumor and ended up going to a Neurosurgeon to be properly diagnosed and have the surgery.

polaris30144 said:

Chiropractor= A temporary solution to a permanent problem. Once you go to one you have to keep going back for adjustments. Sorta like cracking your knuckles, feels good for awhile, then you have to do it again. I know some people swear by them, but my experience has taught me to be cautious about having someone that is not a medical Doctor diagnose or treat me for a potentially crippling problem.
Most severe back problems can not be diagnosed with an X ray, contrary to what Chiropractors tell you. Talk to your doctor first, before you go to a bonecracker. X ray's can only show bones or solids, they can't show any soft tissue like herniated disc or tumors. You need a CT scan or MRI with contrast to diagnose anything except a bone anomaly.

I know about these things first hand, I had surgery to remove a tumor in February from my spine that did not show on any X rays. I had gone to an Orthopedic surgeon after being treated for a range of "possible" back ailments for over a year by a range of therapist and Chiropractors, only to find out I had a tumor and ended up going to a Neurosurgeon to be properly diagnosed and have the surgery.

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Yes...you do want to know what the cause of the problem is...but I'll tell you something...there is not a pill out there a doctor can prescribe that will straighten out a misalignment in your spine. Sure they can do surgery...then when it doesn't work out...they can do a followup to touch up the problem...and so on....

Each have their place. My neurosurgeon (whom was actualy on the team of neurosurgeons for the Steelers) actually recomends a lot of his patients (including me) to chiropractors

No expert opinions here, just my wife's first hand experience.
She had Sciatica pretty bad, had the MRI, epidural injections
pain med. ect… diagnosis herniated disc, it was not getting any
better and surgery was the next option.

We went tent camping, something we never do anymore. I was worried about
Her sleeping on an air mattress for a few nights, but she said she would try.

It has not acted up since (knock on wood), when we got home she had slept so good
on it camping that I put the cheap air mattress on our bed, and had since upgraded to
a Simmons air mattress. She has had absolute no sciatica pain since out camping
trip 8 months ago.

I know every body is different, but it worked for her.

Mine acts up about twice a year and is from a bulging disc putting pressure on the nerve. My doctor prescribed me Mobic to help with the inflamation on the disc. Whenever I start to "feel" it, I will start taking the mobic until the feeling subsides.

good luck with it.

You might want to look into exercising and getting your abdominal and pelvic muscles tightened, I suffered from that for many years of course I had the usual pot belly we all develop from not exercising, I began with a floor ball and worked with sit up and then moved to a small 3 lbs ball and doing twists and all kinds of leg movement with it, within 90 days my pot belly was gone and now I haven't hand sciatica attacks for over 3 years.

http://health.msn.com/fitness/mens-fitness/articlepage.aspx?cp-documentid=100191874

Walk, walk, walk. I had a case of Sciatica a few years back and I did the back strengthening exercises along with the stretching exercises and began walking every night and this took care of the problem. Personally I do not recommend chiropractors and that's also from my wife's experiences with them.

VAX-D worked wonders for me

Oxycodine... The only thing that works for me... If I ride my bike more then 250 miles the pills dont help until I rest for a few hours ..... You can get hooked and I really watch it. I may take 6 pills in a months time....

Vax-d lasted 6 months
Nerver block injections last 4 months
Back Cracker-- Couldnt fix it

So I havent found a "fix" only temporary relief...

All good advise. I work on a computer all day as well. Recently I put in quite a few extra hours at home on my home computer. After a couple of days, I could hardly walk when I got up. Solution, "new chair" with back support and adjustable seat.