Wellness

[Nightowlz]

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@ECBG wrote:

I love my gel belt from amazon!  Less than $20.00.  I can freeze it or heat it.  Of course with sciatic nerves, it's freeze!

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@ECBG 

I have that. I was disappointed it did not come with a cover. It says not to use it with direct contact with skin. It's a pain putting a towel around it so I can wrap around my ankle.

I also have 2 of the Theripaq clay based heat/cold pads in the freezer all the time. They came with a removable washable cover.

I also have a DPL pad which works great.

[ECBG]

@Nightowlz I just put the frozen gel belt on the outside if my tee which is prefect!

Heavens!  Don't put warm or hot on the area, or stand in the shower with that temp of water beating down on the area.  Heat increases inflamation, which increases PAIN!

[RedTop]

I took 50 mg Tramadol for 2 months prior to my first knee replacement.  

I was in such pain when I had my ortho consult, my Dr wanted me in a better position mentally and physically before surgery.   My prescription was written for one pill 4x a day, but one pill twice a day took care of my discomfort.  

The prescription was only filled once; I took the least amount needed to control my pain, and never felt it had an addictive quality.   I would not be afraid to at least give this medication a chance to bring pain relief.   

[violann]

@ThinkOutsidetheBox - BINGO! I suddenly had such pain in my right leg that I couldn’t stand a bed sheet against it. 

The pain disturbed my sleep and limited my daily activity, and I got very little relief from medication.

Once diagnosed with the combo of Piriformis Syndrome and Iliotibial Band Syndrome, I had ONE session with an excellent massage therapist, then added a series of daily stretches that restored my flexibility.

The pain extended from my lower back to my ankle.

[Mindy D]

OP, physical therapy can help. The exercises you do should depend on the cause of the sciatica. For example, patients with lumbar spinal stenosis should use Williams FLEXION exercises rather than McKenzie EXTENSION exercises. The correct exercises in the correct positions are important. Refer to this section of Physiopedia, which is a reference guide that physical therapists use. This is the part dealing with sciatica and includes exercises and treatments.There are good illustrations. It’s easy to understand. Good luck. 

 https://www.physio-pedia.com/Sciatica

[Mindy D]

Summarized by me from Livestrong, an online website. The article uses Mayoclinic .com as it’s reference.

article entitled “Hot or Cold Treatments for Sciatica” by Jacques Courseault

“Ice can reduce swelling around the nerve or swelling in structures that are compressing the sciatic nerve.” Ice numbs the back or leg over the area of pain. Use for 20 minutes with a cloth to prevent direct skin contact.

A heat pack “can relax tight muscles in the back of the legs.” These “tight muscles” can “compress the sciatic nerve”. The heat is also soothing. Don’t put heat directly on skin.

Some people alternate ice packs with heat packs. Start with ice for 20 minutes, remove and follow with heat for 20 minutes or vice versa. Don’t place either pack directly against the skin.

[Nightowlz]

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@ECBG wrote:

@Nightowlz I just put the frozen gel belt on the outside if my tee which is prefect!

Heavens!  Don't put warm or hot on the area, or stand in the shower with that temp of water beating down on the area.  Heat increases inflamation, which increases PAIN!

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@ECBG 

I have been using the DPL pad on my foot for Plantar Fasciitis. I used ice for a while but it was still hurting so I have been using the DPL which gives me more pain relief.

I just posted the different gadgets I use for pain. I like the Thermipaq hot/cold pads. They are clay based & can be put in the freezer or microwave.

[Linmo]

@Trinity11 you should look into CBD oil.  It's basically pot with the THC component removed, so you get the pain-relieving benefits of pot without getting high.  I am currently giving the pet version to my dog who has cancer and is receiving chemotherapy.  I do live in a state where pot is legal, but I order mine from 4 corners in Colorado.  They ship to all 50 states.  Google them for a 20% off coupon.   Best wishes!

[1MrsT]

@Trinity11  My DH has spondylolisthesis in L2-L4. He was diagnosed over 3 years ago, but originally injured the area when he was 14, so he’s suffered with pain since then. So his situation doesn’t match yours, but maybe there’s something to his “journey” you might be able to use...like the importance of doing stretches every single day.

When the sciatica first hit, he was referred to a spine surgeon who told him point blank that he wouldn’t benefit from current available surgeries, laying out in detail what the many risks were. It was disappointing because by this time he was so miserable and just wanted relief, so he was referred to a pain management doctor. He  didn’t want any pain medicines, so he was put on Gabapentin and still takes that. He did two years of spinal injections and initially he had amazing relief for the first couple of times, but eventually didn’t seem to help. He was getting angry and depressed at the though that this how the rest of his life would be.

So we got creative. I bought him his first Quell device 3 years ago, and upgraded him to the Quell 2.0 last year, and it has really helped. He started doing daily stretches, including yoga poses like the pigeon pose and downward dog. Each pose/stretch is held for 3 minutes and they’re done every single night. I first bought him an inversion table back in 2001, and he continues to use that every morning. We had to retire the original one and got him a new Teeters last year. He gets acupuncture and Thai Fusion massages (it’s a massage that also utilizes stretching during the massage) when things flare up. Our sports medicine doctor got us off of years of Alleve use and onto SAM-e (400 mg twice a day) which we buy from Costco (stock up when it goes on sale). 

I would add that sleep is vital. Bad days typically go hand in hand with late nights working or watching TV. He has a lot more pain if he’s not getting at least 7 hours of sleep each night. The more tired he is, the more pain he has. So a good night’s sleep is important to pain level.

All of the above help help keep the pain manageable. He’ll have periods of being relatively pain free and periods when he has a lot of pain. But for the most part, since the last 18 months or so, he’s managed his pain pretty well, all things considered.

It’s not any one thing...it’s doing it all together. The stretching is key and is one of the most important things needed to keep him mobile and hold things stable. The gabapentin really plays a part and at times he feels so good he’ll back off on the amount of pills he takes, but that never lasts long, so he’ll go back to the amount the doctor prescribed. The Quell he couldn’t live without...he swears by that thing, as he does the daily Teeters use. The SAM-e is the last daily piece. Those are the big 5. Everything else comes under the “use as needed” including medical marijuana.

i think sciatica relief is a journey...trying to figure out what helps and what doesn’t. It’s like throwing mud at the wall, trying to figure out what will “stick”. But nothing for him was a cure or gave immediate relief...and he has to work at feeling good and staying mobile. He’s active and that’s the key. He’s 64 and still working, and he’s found a way to live with all of this. Some days are easier than others...but he is no longer depressed over the pain, though he still gets resentful about this being the new normal. 

I think that last thing was key for him. He had to let go of what life USED to be like. He had to quit fighting it and accept the new reality so that he could deal with it. Once he got to that point, he was more open to finding ways to coexist with the pain, and that acceptance actually helped him both physically and mentally. 

Trinity 11, I hope your situation is a short term, one time only kind of a thing. ❤️

[Trinity11]

Thanks @1MrsT . I truly appreciate your post.

Thanks to everyone for your relayed experiences on this thread. I am doing quite a bit better and can at least sleep intermittently through the night. It took a full month and sciatica is probably the worst pain I have ever had...