Pinched my siatica - anyone else do this/know anything about it?

[Taverner]

The other day I was at the gym, doing step lunges and I must have done something wrong, as yesterday morning I woke up and could not walk - PERIOD! Moving even just a little bit hurt like hell. Eventually I was able to crawl down and get some Advil, and was walking after an hour or so but MAN! THIS FUCKING HURT!!!

The doctor gives me a perscription for some vicodin, and told me to lay off the gym for a while (that's probably the hardest part - seriously!)

The worst part is that my foot has been going numb. Different sitting positions make it "come to" more, but it never fully wakes up.

So I went to my chiropractor today, and he didn't even want to adjust until I've seen my doctor. He told me these things could mean a slipped disk.

So has anyone ever had this before? Is surgery the only answer? Does it *always* mean a slipped disk? And how long does one usually have to *take it easy*?

[commander bunnypants]

1. lotsof therapy first

Worked for some back surgeons for a time.

DDQM

[blackmoonlillith]

2. I had this happen...

It took me about a week to recover. Do not go back to the gym until your doctor gives you the okay. Also, make sure that your body is in the right position when doing lunges or leg lifts. My brother-in-law went back to the gym before he was okayed by the doctor and now he's going to have to have surgery.

[Taverner]

5. How long should I stay away from the gym?

And can I do things that don't stress that area?

[blackmoonlillith]

6. I edited my post...

Most excercises include your back, so be careful. I know this is frustrating because you get on a roll and when you stop it's almost like starting over again the first week. However, it's better than worsening the problem.

[chiburb]

3. Treat it with NSAIDS as you're doing, and...

Most cases of sciatica (if caused by disk bulge or herniation) will clear up in 4-8 weeks. Or it could end up like mine: 4 years now and going strong!
When it's real bad I take Celebrex for 3-4 days, then back to Aleve.

Enjoy!

[Reverend_Smitty]

4. It could also mean a bulging disk...

which isn't as bad as a slipped one. Go to the doc, he'll probably give you a referral for a MRI. Physical therapy is probably going to be your best bet

[nikatnyte]

7. Not all cases are the same, but. . . .

when this happened to me, I had same symptoms -- could barely walk, intense pain, foot numb, etc. Turned out I had an "extruded" disc -- the disc had squeezed out next to my spinal column.

Visiting a chiropractor helped the pain go away, but I was limping badly. Doctors advised surgery, but a friend told me to hold off. Sure enough, two or three weeks later I was able to walk normally again. That was 12 years ago, no recurrences. A small part of my right foot is still slightly numb, and I very occasionally get referred pain into my leg, but mostly I'm ok. Glad I didn't let them operate!

[Taverner]

10. Yeah - I want to avoid surgery at all costs

[montanacowboy]

8. Egad...I have it now and for the past six months!

really slow to heal - taking Naproxin - prescription anti inflammatory. Chiropractor really didn't do much good, if it is NOT a slipped disc it will eventually go away, but Jeesus, the pain. I never know if my leg is going to give out from the hot poker that is running down it into my tingling toes.

Just don't pick up anything heavy or do something stupid to aggravate it. It's really the shits.

DUers suffer together

[Lavender Brown]

9. 3 days to a week of rest, no lifting

I've had this before. The doctor made me get x-rays to make sure it wasn't something else, but I was fine in a week and once the initial pain eased off (I was on some kind of muscle-relaxing prescrip.) walking actually seemed to help with the pain. Sitting was the worst.

[Javaman]

11. Siatica...

Doesn't mean you slipped anything. I have had problems with my siatica for years. (since I was 13)For me, I just may sure my back is flexible and stretched. Yogo, has worked wonders for me.
Also age has alot to do with it.
As my last physical therapist told me, many people when they reach the age of about 40, one of the lower disks will "bulge" but that's a giant difference from it slipping.
Slipping is a whole different banana.
Also since it happened at the gym, you could have "tweeked" something. Maybe ripped, strained or sprained a muscle in the lower back. All of these could cause siatic pain.

[sybylla]

21. Same here - Yoga helped

I've had problems off and on with sciatica for 20 years. Not a severe problem but occasional days where I limp like an old woman with pain shooting down my leg. Got worse when I was pregnant. Two years ago I did yoga for about 6 months and during the entire time I had no problem and my back felt wonderful. It really put my back in shape without stressing it. Unfortunately, my schedule changed so I had to drop the classes and the videotape just isn't as compelling.

I agree with many of the others here that nsaids and rest is the best solution. See your doctor to make sure it isn't something too serious and ease back into exercises. Think about yoga if for nothing else but a supplement to your exercise routine.

[VelmaD]

12. Oh you poor baby

I have no advice...just this. :hug:

[flamingyouth]

13. You should have an MRI

Sitting for a long time is one of the worst things. See if you can take short walks, even around the room, every few minutes. Also, icing it can help, but you really should see an orthopedist.

Good luck. I've had this, and it's not fun. I was in PT for months; traction, the works.:hug:

[DemWitch]

14. First of all... my sympathies...

I don't think there is anything more painfull, and very little you can do to relieve the pain during an acute flareup.

Big doses of anti-inflammitories (ibuprophen) coupled with stronger analgesics, Vicodin, Naprosen, Darvocet, etc., are the only things to really take to ease discomfort during the acute stage. Do NOT overexert once the pain begins to wane. I made that mistake and ended up for another week off my feet.

I have what's called chronic sciatica, it's an inflamation of the sciatic nerve. There is no real "cause". For some reason, the Sciatic nerve will swell and become pinched where it goes through the hip. This causes an extreme amount of pain and immobility in my left leg. So far, I've been very lucky in having only two outbreaks, but I have lost some of the mobility of my leg, even without an acute flareup.

According to my Doc, a person can have one instance and it'll never happen again, or it can be an ongoing issue, as in my case. There is nothing to really do to fix it except ride it out. However, I can't stress enough, taking it easy, staying off your feet as to not irritate the nerve even further during an acute attack is important.

Best wishes for a speedy recovery...

[Reverend_Smitty]

17. Your symptoms sound alot like piriformis syndrome

basically the sciatic nerve goes directly through the piriformis muscle (the muscle is split like that in about 10% of the population) and because of that muscle tightness causes the sciatic nerve becomes impinged. Have you ever had an MRI? did your doc ever mention this to you?

[DemWitch]

24. no... and no...

but it has been noted and we WILL be having a conversation about this on the 27th when I have my next appointment. Thank you for the heads up...

As a sidebar... this is one of the reasons I love DU. I was on here for quite a while under a different name, and then due to circumstances beyond my control, didn't visit for almost a year, and when I wanted to come back forgot all the log on info and started all over with a new name... anyway... why I love DU... it's not ony a place to rant and rave, exchange political ideas and ideals, but also actually learn other things from different people that one wouldn't normally run into during their daily activities. This is a classic example... who woulda thought that in between bitching about SwiftBoatVets and O'Lielly, I would get a heads up into a medical problem.

[Reverend_Smitty]

26. no problem!

I'm currently studying athletic training, so a big part of my job is physical therapy. I could be wrong about this since I have no way of actually evaluating you. But if it is piriformis syndrome, there are some effective stretches that you can do to help...definately ask your doctor about this.

[indepat]

25. I have all the classic symptoms of piriformis syndrome which does not

show up on MRI and a definitive diagnosis can purportedly be made only by a doctor familiar with this syndrome after having put the patient through a series of exercises/stretches/movements (which I plan to have done shortly). I take Bextra for the pain which typically goes all the way down the back of my right leg which often hurts more when lying down because of the pressure. Infrequently the pain switches to the left leg, but pain in the left leg usually does not last long nor hurt as much. If you suspect piriformis syndrome, do a Google search for a wealth of information.

[Taverner]

15. I'm probably doint the MRI on Tuesday

But seriously, taking it easy has never been my strong point...I've fought through several other body breakdowns before (taking the whole Nietchze "that which does not kill me only serves to make me stronger" ethos...)

[nothingshocksmeanymore]

16. Look up Williams and McKenzie's stretches

There is one specific exercise where you get on all fours and slowly use your hands to stretch your low back by relaxing back onto your feet...it looks like when a Muslim prays...that particular stretch helps dissolve lower back muscle spasm which is part of the cause of the sciatica...do it several times a day and hold the position for at least 30 seconds each time...I promise it helps....I had low back surgery three years ago and still do McKenzie's stretches to control symtoms.

[flamingyouth]

18. You can find it as child's pose or prayer pose

on a yoga website too.

[koopie57]

19. I had a bulging

disc which occured during a delivery that ended in a c-section. I suppose it was weak and the stress of being in labor finally put it over the edge. My leg first felt like the kitties were licking it but soon I was dragging my foot and it was a terrible pain. I started physical therapy and doing these back excercises that were suppose to help push the bulge in and then take it easy so it could heal, but I finally had back surgery three months after my c-section. I was afraid I would wake up totally in two pieces with only my intestines holding me together. But waking up with no pain, no pressure and full of morphine was wonderful. Fighting the surgery was worse than actually having it. I recovered quickly cuz I didn't like to be laid up and I had a three month old baby to tend to, but since I would have been in pain if I had not had the surgery it was not a big deal, but now I knew that it would all go away and I would be done with it. At least there is a solution one way or another to your pain, some people are not so fortunate. Good luck and I know how badly you are hurting. A very gentle hug for you.

[OneBlueSky]

20. caution, Will Robinson! . . .

the foot numbness may be indicative of something more serious than just a slipped disc . . . if the disc is impinging on certain nerves, and if they are not decompressed, permanent nerve damage can result . . . I know, because it happened to me . . .

the condition is called cauda equina syndrome (CES) . . . the cauda equina is a bundle of nerves that extends off the spinal cord and controls pretty much everything below the waist -- sensation, muscularity, bowel and bladder, even sexual function . . . if these nerves are compressed and remain so for an extended time, the damage may become permanent . . .

in your case, the red flag is the foot numbness . . . I'd get an MRI as soon as possible, and watch out for any other symptoms, particular any bowel or bladder problems . . . trust me, you do not want to go through what I've gone through for the past 14 years . . .

you can learn more about CES here: http://www.caudaequina.org/ . . . pay particular attention to the definition section . . . if you experience any of the symptoms described there, please get immediate attention . . .

don't mean to scare you or anything, but if someone had warned me when I was experiencing excruciating sciatic pain, I might not have ended up permanently disabled . . .

[TeacherCreature]

22. A herniated disc does NOT always mean surgery.....not even usually

Use Ice and Aleve to stop the inflamation of the nerve. Get on your hands and knees on your floor, or bed if you can't make it to the floor. Curve your back UP like a cat and slowly sit back on your heals. You will feel the stretch along your whole back but particulary in you lower back. Do about five of those very slowly. Then put ice on your lower back again.

Lie down on your stomach and relax. Then put your hands flat on the floor right under your shoulders and slowly and gently push up your shoulders and head (looking up at the ceiling) while leaving your hips on the floor. Only go as far as is comfortable. Do this twice. Again lie flat and relax. Do one more of the other stretches and end with Ice again.

I promise you that this will help. I spent years in agony until I learned this method. I went from doctor to doctor to doctor. None of them helped me. I have three herniated discs and this is what I did that finally ended the horrible pain. I still do it 15 years later.

Try it and let me know how it works for you.

[Ruby Romaine]

23. RICE-Rest,Ice,Compress, Elevate

Ice for short periods might be helpful

[Taverner]

27. Oh god...now you all got me freaked

Sexual dysfunction????

Sexual dysfunction????

Sexual dysfunction????

And here I was hoping it was going to heal in a week or two...

[flamingyouth]

30. No. No. No.

No freaking, please. Just go see a doctor. Many of us have had sciatica problems and have gone on to, well, at least remotely average lives. ;)

[davsand]

28. Some self care that is not invasive or drugs related:

Here is a website about acupressure points to try out--I have no idea if it works but it might help--ya never know! Go to the whole body pop up menu, select Sciatica and it will display a list of places to stimulate--complete with diagrams of how to find them.

Hope you feel better soon!

Laura


http://www.geocities.com/jrh_iii/acupressure/index.html

[Rhiannon12866]

29. My mother was in constant pain because of her siatica

I recommended that she see my acupuncture doctor. She had been seeing a chiropractor and it just wasn't helping. After just a few acupuncture sessions, she was totally cured of pain and has never been bothered by this again.:shrug: