Re: Sciatic Nerve pain.... let it go too long.... ... - Page 5

hckynut · ‎03-10-2010

Received my Teeter latest model Inversion Table late last week. Have wanted one for years, but because of my blood thinners and blood pressure meds, I knew better than to invert.

As soon as I got off my BP meds, about 9 months ago. I started asking all my doctors if it was ok for me to invert. Once I got the ok from all of them, I have waited for a sale on this Teeter model.

Still not inverting anywhere close to the full 90•, but will get there when I feel the time is right. I plan on doing some of my Ab work while inverted, which will cut back some of my daily 15-20 ab exercises.

So far, overall my whole spine feels different, but in time I am sure it will add to my flexibility and abdominal strength. Look forward to my daily inversions, which that too will increase in numbers over time.

So far I see it as one of my better exercise and stretching device purchases.

hckynut(john)

conlt · ‎03-16-2010

I am sorry, I also get Sciatica at least several times a year. I have a torn L5, bulging L4 and a herniated S1. As a result I have a numb right foot and toes all of the time. When I get Sciatica it usually hurts around my lower leg and foot. I have had therapy, steroids, I have a tens which does help the pain. Lortab hardly touches it. I routinely take tramadol and flexeril especially at night. The last time I had a really bad bout of sciatica, I went to a massage therapist, told her and she was able to release the pressure on the sciatic nerve. I went weekly at that time, and noW go twice a month. Actually going to the massage therapist was the best treatment that I have ever had for the sciatica. I feel for you, it is miserable and the pain is unbearable.

Lindsays Grandma · ‎03-10-2010

In 1961 I started having pain in my right leg behind the knee and had some back pain as well. In those days there were no MRI's, or cat scans so no doctor was able to figure out what was causing the pain.

Going forward many years with the pain going down the back of the leg from the buttock through the foot. Finally in 2000 a neurologist determined there was a pinched nerve and some disc problems suggesting a fusion. May 8, 2000 surgery was performed and the back pain was worse and the doctor could not determine why.

A friend recommended an orthopedic surgeon who was well known in the field of sports. After an MRI it was determined I was not healing from the first surgery and needed to have it done over along with ten screws. That surgery was done in December of 2000. Doing well for six months when the pain slowly started to go down the back of the right leg again.

The surgeon sent me for a mylogram and it was determined the screws had to be removed. That surgery was done February of 2001. It turned out to be a nine hour surgery, followed by two transfusions and eight days in the hospital.

Here it is the year 2017 and I have been suffering with horrible sciatica pain ever since. I also live with lower back pain, cannot cut my toenails or put on a pair of socks. I have been taking pain medicine for seventeen years.

If anyone knows how horrific sciatica pain is it is me. My heart goes out to all who live with that pain which is 24/7 non stop pain.

The moving finger writes; And having writ, Moves on: nor all your Piety nor Wit Shall lure it back to cancel half a Line Nor all your Tears Wash out a Word of it. Omar Khayam

Skyegirl21 · ‎03-20-2010

I herniated the disc between L4-5 and the sciatic pain was constant and a nightmare, could not sleep- at all for a month. None of the pain relievers did touched the pain for more than 30 minutes.

The only med that did help was nerve pain drug gabapentin. You have to taper to the prescribed dosage over several days. Try it if possible.

I also went to Physical Therapy and they had me do McKenzie protocol exercises. You can look it up on internet. But make sure your a candidate for this. It totally worked and I do maintenance exercises. It works for me.

I've heard people get relief from cortisone injections into that area.

One other thing, I asked my PT about inversion therapy and she said more people get hurt than get relief. She would not recommend it to me.

I pray you feel better soon. Skye~

chrystaltree · ‎05-10-2010

You are looking for stories?? As is common, it took a couple of years for a team of doctors to diagnose the cause of my sciatic pain. As I said many times, sciatic just describes the pain, the treatment comes in diagnosing what is causing the pain. For me, it was....still is lumbar spinal stenosis. My orthopedic doctor identified the spinal stenosis and he sent me to a pain specialist for help with the pain. Thank God for that! She prescribed a few things that didn't help at all and then she prescribed Neurontin and that did the trick. When it's really bad, I take 3 capsules a day. Takes care of the pain but it makes me groggy and I sometimes feel like I am a step behind. I don't care. Then she sent me for spinal injections and that was just what I needed. I get the injections every 3- months and I'm generally pain free for 8 or 9 weeks. That's when I take the Neurontin. I tried physical therapy early on but that made the pain worse. That's my story. My husband had it around the same time I did but his was an easier fix. His sciatic pain was due to a herniated disc, he had that fixed and has been fine ever since.

Skyegirl21 · ‎03-20-2010

FYI, Gabapentin is the generic version of Neurontin. Another new , pricier nerve pain drug is Lyrica.

hckynut · ‎03-10-2010

@Skyegirl21 wrote:

I asked my PT about inversion therapy and she said more people get hurt than get relief. She would not recommend it to me.

@Skyegirl21

Did your PT tell you "how more got hurt" doing inversion? With a well made Inversion Table(I own a Teeter 970), and the term "get hurt", might suggest they fell off or the table failed.

I didn't invert, even though I wanted to, for 15 years. Those with high blood pressure or other particular types of medical issues, should not invert. I was on BP meds and I knew better than to invert.

Any and everyone with medical spinal pain should always check with their doctor, not their PT, and get an ok before doing inversion therapy. Now it CAN be dangerous, but to me that is different than "getting hurt".

I am not playing with semantics here, I am separating physical accidental injury from inversion, from hitting you head or breaking and arm. Those to me are "hurt or injuries". Doing inversion without your doctor's consent to me is someone not being smart.

All of my doctors: Spinal Surgeon/Cardiologist/Pulmonologist, and my GP gave my the Green Flag to invert. Had they not, I would not have bought my Teeter Inversion Table. Do I expect it to remove any back pain(I am minus 3 spinal discs)? No, I have little to none.

All the exercises I do for my back/hamstrings/Achilles Tendons, and Abdominals, are to help prevent further spinal issues, in conjunction with keeping me presently mostly spinally, pain free.

A Physical Therapist should only be concerned about The specific patient with which they are working, not generalizing about things that work for thousands of others, be it "temporary relief or permanent relief" from spinal pain, be it in the back, or surface as Sciatica which is a "referred pain".

Will be inverting later today for the reasons I stated above. Different things do work for different people, no 1 thing fixes or helps everyone.

hckynut(john)

hckynut(john)

Skyegirl21 · ‎03-20-2010

Hckynut, when I asked my PT if inversion would be a good prevention for my back issue, she told me that she sees a lot of injuries from inversion, so the risk outweighed benefit in her opinion. She didn't give me any details though. I did take her advice but inversion has always interested me... be well. Skye.

hckynut · ‎03-10-2010

@Skyegirl21

Thank you for your reply. I don't want anyone to fear inversion, with the right equipment. However, nobody should, in my opinion, do inversion therapy without first consulting with their doctor(s).

I realize many on this forum are on medications that would not be conducive to doing inversion, and they should not take that route. For me, I love trying many things that make sense when it comes to anything to do with the spine. If I have doubts, one of my good friends is a Micro Spinal Surgeon, and I will always ask him before I start doing anything to my spine(which he removed my ruptured L-3 disc)..

Best to you with your PT,

hckynut(john)