Wellness

[nana59]

any home remedies for this awful pain?!

[Katcat1]

@nana59   I had surgery for L5-S1 and yes it is painful.  The pain runs horizontally in your buttocks down your leg and my calf was very painful.  Any way the best pain relief is NOT sitting or limiting your time sitting to 5 minutes.

[sweetee2]

I pulled a muscle in my back many years ago. Hubby made me go to a Chiropractor. I won't go into that hoopla, but one thing he told was how to get rid of Sciatica .

Twice a day lay on your back. Raise your knee to your chest as far as you can. Count to 10. Do the same with your other knee. Do this 3 times with each leg. I would do this in bed before I'd get up and when I go to bed. I've never had a problem since.

I best friend has Sciatica in her hip to where she has to get a shot every time they go on a trip. I told her about this and it has help her.

[sweetee2]

Also I want to mention that when you have a pinched nerve it also make the tissues swell. Ice helps to reduce the swelling with helps release the nerve. 

[Foxxee]

Walking...the best remedy for me.  I get it if I sit too much or too long at a time.  Sometimes, I had pain when I was sitting too...sat on a heating pad and took Tylenol.  

[JeanLouiseFinch]

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@nana59 wrote:

any home remedies for this awful pain?!

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You may try alternating heat and ice, but you also need to stretch it out.

1.  Lay down in the center of your bed.  Keep the good leg straight and bend the bad one.  Bring your knee up and clasp your hands round it, pulling your knee as far as you can down to your chest.  Hold it there for awhile.  Relax and repeat a few times.

2.   Doing the same basic motion, when you draw back your knee, stop around your waist area, then cross your bent leg across your body as far as you can while keeping your back in contact with your bed.  Hold the position for a little while.  Relax and repeat a few times.

Do these a few times a day until you feel relief.  

[Pook]

The massage therapist I go to for my neck issues said to lay on a tennis ball and roll around on it in the area that is the most painful in your back.

[mousiegirl]

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@nana59 wrote:

any home remedies for this awful pain?!

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@nana59   There are exercises you can do, maybe some are online, but DH received different sets of exercises from three different people in the medical profession.  He thought he had sciatica, but after over a year of debilitating pain, finally an MRI was ordered, and he was referred to a spinal specialist who told him he had a sprained thigh, but he says now that he has the exercises, he is doing great.  

[x Hedge]

    @nana59 :  Traction.

But reduce swelling as @sweetee2  posted, and follow with the description by @JeanLouiseFinch (which is indeed traction). 

Move the legs only as far as is well tolerated.

Also, many beds develop a slight 'trough', through the center from constant body pressure. Avoid laying down in your usual place/position until fully healed.

To do my traction exercise I'd sit on the foot of the bed and lay back, keeping the good foot flat on the floor. The mattress in that area was totally flat and gave equally firm support under my back while raising my knee.

At it's worst, I slept in a recliner which made getting up to a standing position much easier.

I moved the pillows to the foot of the bed and slept that way too. If you're not in a twin size, try sleeping sideways, asross the width of the mattress, near the foot end of the bed.

Occasionally I'd sleep face down. (hard to get up tho, don't do it if your shoulders aren't strong.) Since I'm not normally a stomach sleeper this position was actually an effective short term pain reliever.

Depending on your shoulder, arm, and hand strength:

   I would grip a 'chin up bar' type support, and hang my body weight by my hands. While in this position slowly 'march' in midair, lifting knees high, alternating left/right/left etc.

In this position, gravity acting on your body weight is supplying the needed traction to separate the vertebrae just a tiny fraction and creates the opportunity for it to realign via gravity.

And the slow 'march' helps release any nerve or other soft tissue that's been trapped (pinched) causing swelling and disabling pain.

The 'march' in midair is essentially the same exercise JeanLouiseFinch described for doing laying down. Gravity will work in your favor if you can do it upright though.

Once you're healed you might consider exercises for building muscle throughout your trunk, especially back and buttock.

Hope any one of these can help you.

  Be well.

[hckynut]

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@Katcat1 wrote:

 I had surgery for L5-S1 and yes it is painful.  The pain runs horizontally in your buttocks down your leg and my calf was very painful.  Any way the best pain relief is NOT sitting or limiting your time sitting to 5 minutes.

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@Katcat1

Had the same surgery in 1974. Sitting was by far the most painful position. I had a 20 minute drive to my job and I had to stop and get out of the car, going and driving home. Spent a lot of time standing and crawling  on my hands and knees in my apartment. Makes sense since the Sciatic Nerve is the biggest one in the body.

Spent 3 weeks in the hospital while they were trying traction/mechanically stretching my spine and shooting me with Demerol. For me, surgery was the only permanent solution for my completely ruptured L-5/S-1 discs. One of the best medical decisions I've ever made and would do it again in a heartbeat if necessary.

hckynut