Sciatica

[Lucyhan]

When my sciatica was at its worst cycling was the only exercise I could do, i could not walk at all. I was told not to swim as the average person tends to twist a lot whilst swimming which will increase the pain.
My research advised to lower the handlebars so when cycling your back is in an arch position, I did this and it worked for me. Àlso read not to ride in a 'sit up and beg'
position, also bad for sciatica.
On the positive, it is winter, concentrate on getting better in time for the spring. Cycling is hard this time of year anyway. All the best

[al_yrpal]

My research advised to lower the handlebars so when cycling your back is in an arch position, I did this and it worked for me. Àlso read not to ride in a 'sit up and beg'
position, also bad for sciatica.

If you think about it for a moment it almost exactly what I was told. Lay on a bed and hug you knees carefully one by one. This stretches the spine and relieves the pressure, it also flexes the flexible parts of the pelvis the Sachroiliac Joint which can cause buttock and leg pain. Works well for me.

Al

[yakdiver]

Went to the hospital today and he said yes to an operation on my spine so that's the best Christmas present yet, I'm so pleases as this doctor knocked me back two years ago for the same operation.

[ossie]

Went to the hospital today and he said yes to an operation on my spine so that's the best Christmas present yet, I'm so pleases as this doctor knocked me back two years ago for the same operation.

Your earlier post stated 3 months ? Dont do it....3 months is nothing, just let your body heal for at least 6-12 months and only look at surgery as the last possible resort. I eventually had a discectomy after 4 years, the operation is massive. Ignore what they tell you, these surgeons make it sound like nothing but its like being hit by a sledgehammer.

Once the knife has gone in , your back is permanently compromised. Look at Tiger Woods ? In my case the disc quickly reherniated and after 18 months of hell I had another operation...which failed and I now need a fusion.

Life before surgery was far better than life after it. You need to seriously consider your options and by that i mean to look at every other scenario rather than the knife. My hope is that by the time surgery is scheduled your back will have improved, the disc will have shrunk from the nerve and you will have the confidence to turn down the operation which many people do as they feel better.

Im also slightly intrigued as the NHS will ensure you have at least 2 epidurals prior to an operation...has this happened ? Time is on your side, any scheduled operation will usually be 6 months away, many drop out as the pain goes away.

My issue was a herniation that wouldnt go away...good days / bad days but I was led down the garden path and my back is now shredded..

[yakdiver]

Hi firstly the “3 months” is a wee bit misleading, I'm 63 and have has back trouble a 2/3rd of my life it all started at the age of 21, later I was forced to retire after another accident at 38, and was given an laminectory and have sufficed many times since that. Today I can't walk anymore than 50 yards without pain and I'm will to give another opreation a go as I can't carry on living the way I am now.

[ossie]

Hi firstly the “3 months” is a wee bit misleading, I'm 63 and have has back trouble a 2/3rd of my life it all started at the age of 21, later I was forced to retire after another accident at 38, and was given an laminectory and have sufficed many times since that. Today I can't walk anymore than 50 yards without pain and I'm will to give another opreation a go as I can't carry on living the way I am now.

ha, my sincere apologies.

[cakefiend]

I've had problems with my back for years, mainly low back spasms, which were painful and sometimes very worrying. I would not be able to stand up straight and the pain would actually take my breath away on occasion, however chiro/physio would normally sort it.

Then sciatica struck, the pain was unbelievable, 2nd only to busting my shoulder.

The pain was so severe and did not respond to normal pain killers that my partner resorted to calling the out of hours Doctor, my normal GP had only recommended paracetamol & ibuprofen. The out of hours chap added codeine & diazepam to the mix. This didn't reduce the pain so much as stop me caring about it. what it did do was cut down the spasm. For weeks I was only able to walk around the house with the aid of a stick or lie on my side with a pillow between my knees. I had self referred to the physio at the local hospital, and after several phone calls begging for cancellations I managed to get to see one.

He was brilliant, very gentle prepared to take his time & explain stuff especially that it was going to take TIME. It was all gentle massage & very gentle mobilisation with acupuncture thrown in. He would even put my shoes and socks back on. He even contacted my GP to get her to speed up my MRI scan. The scan showed nothing major just lots of minor contributing factors, slight disc tears, dehydrated disc, minor arthritis etc. We eventually reached a point where I could improve things by excersise more than he could do in our sessions. He gave me homework and referred me for a course of hydrotherapy - BRILLIANT. After that he put me on a rehab course at the local gym. Using the static bike in the gym sparked off the need to ride again after 15-20 year lay off.

So thanks to my totally ace NHS Wales physios and great gym instructor I'm now back on the road and planning to join my local CTC group.

I still get a tingling sensation in my left calf and the odd twinge in my back, but I was lucky enough that my condition could be treated without surgery.