NFB Sciatic Nerve

[01SS]

ANybody ever have to deal with a pinched or compressed one?

If so, what is the best way to get rid of it and how long can it stick around for?

This is bad for a goalie lol, I used to be able to stand legs together and stretch down and put my palms flat on the floor with no problem and room to spare. It takes like 7 min. to even put my shoes on now lol. Been dealing with this for about 3 weeks, it has gotten a lil better.

[Jeff_in_Atl]

FYI http://www.spine-health.com/topics/c...tica/sc01.html

Go see a chiropractor. I know a lot people say they are quacks but I have used them before with great success.

I was using a manual edger one day. It's a device with a pole like a broom with a wheel on the end and a star looking cutting device on the side. You set it down where the wheel is on the pavement and the star cutter hangs over the side. You push down and roll it and it edges. But you have to push pretty dang hard. The first time I used it I pushed a couple of times and it worked. Well one time I pushed it and it didn't move. I felt something in my back and I stopped. It wasn't too bad that evening. This next morning I couldn't get out of bed. I rolled out on my hands and knees. I finally managed to get to my feet by I couldn't stand up at all. I called in sick and found a chiropractor. I had never used one before but it sure sounded a lot better than getting my back cut open by a neuro-surgeon. My girlfriend at the time drove me there. Aside from a tooth pain it was the worst pain I had ever felt. After about 10 minutes of trying to get me upright the doctor got his X rays taken. What I had done was spun a disc and the disc was pinching a nerve causing the muscle on the right side of my back to short circuit and contract. It wouldn't relax. It was swollen big time. He got me on a table and took his thumb and moved the disc so it would stop short circuiting the muscle. Then he put me on the machine called a galvanic stimulator. Man I want one of those. He put 3 pads with wires going to them on my back. One on the spine and 1 on each muscle going down my spine. He turned this thing on and it sends a small shock to the muscle making it contract then let go. Then it switches to the other side. It pulses in like 1 second burst and alternated side to side. After about 15 minutes of that I was a bowl of Jell-O. I actually stood straight up. He adjusted my back again and I walked out of there straight up.

Keep in mind that chiropractors can't fix everything but it's a hell of lot better thing to try before getting cut open.

One thing to check on first is your insurance and how much they cover. They have a special category for chiropractors. Mine at the time had a $500 total that they would pay.

Another thing is the chiropractor will try and milk this for all he can get out of it too. He will want to set you up with a schedule of going like every day for 3 weeks then every other day for 3 weeks and gradually wean you off. I think they over kill it to suck the insurance for as much as they can get. If they know you have insurance they will charge an X amount. If they know you don't have insurance the price me be half that amount. You might want to go everyday for a couple of weeks but I believe the weaning process was really drug out and unnecessary.

I never fooled with any billing until the last appointment. They told me my bill was like $1400. That when I found out my insurance would only pay $500 total. That left me with $800 dollars on the bill. I looked at him and said I didn't have the money to pay it. He said let me see it. He did some figuring and handed me back a bill for less than $300 and said how's that. I said OK. I guess they got what they needed. I wrote them a check and left. But I'm sure glad I went there first. I've never heard of a neuro-surgeon that didn't want to operate right off the bat. The funny thing is the insurance would pay for that and it's a lot more expensive and has worse results. BTW chiropractors have about 3 times the schooling in the back than a regular doctor. Don't even bother going to a general practician.

[Joe 1320]

I've had extensive experience on this topic..... been dealing with it since 83. I don't care what anyone else says, it's a lifelong injury. Some treatments and therapy can minimize the effects, but even in later life it will rear it's ugly head again. Along with what was already mentioned, you will need to pay attention to the idea that re-injury is almost certain and you'll have to take appropriate steps to minimize the chances. Once the body sufferes and injury, recovery is never 100%.

[wolfdogs]

I've had extensive experience on this topic..... been

deling

with it since 83. .

d&r

[Joe 1320]

d&r

The first day back from vacation and it already starts.




chasing and taking aim.

[darkz711]

ANybody ever have to deal with a pinched or compressed one?

If so, what is the best way to get rid of it and how long can it stick around for?

This is bad for a goalie lol, I used to be able to stand legs together and stretch down and put my palms flat on the floor with no problem and room to spare. It takes like 7 min. to even put my shoes on now lol. Been dealing with this for about 3 weeks, it has gotten a lil better.

doesnt go away that quick. chiro helps but it didn't go away. wish you the best of luck. IM 18 and its a load of pain

[wolfdogs]

The first day back from vacation and it already starts.




chasing and taking aim.

hope yall had a great time Joe... you deserved a break and i know dern sure needed it........

getting back to the grind is rough, eh?........

[95TransAm]

ANybody ever have to deal with a pinched or compressed one?

If so, what is the best way to get rid of it and how long can it stick around for?

This is bad for a goalie lol, I used to be able to stand legs together and stretch down and put my palms flat on the floor with no problem and room to spare. It takes like 7 min. to even put my shoes on now lol. Been dealing with this for about 3 weeks, it has gotten a lil better.

Had back surgery back in July of '02 for 3 herniated disks as well as multiple piched nerves in my back....including the sciatic nerve. As far as how long does it stick around...Joe1320 is right....it's lifelong. After my surgery I felt fine until about July of last year. All of a sudden one day, I got out of my car, and my legs were just in extreme pain....my sciatica acted up again. I had to take about 4 different types of medication and didn't feel relief until late november....about 4 1/2 months in all.

I suggest going to a hospital and getting basically "preventative maintenance" type of medication...that's what I've had in the past. They describe it sort of like birth control....you have to be taking it regularly for about a month before it starts to take it's full effect...but I can say it worked wonders for myself.

As for a chiropractor...I did one for a while with no success whatsoever. It may be different for different people, but my condition at the time was a bit more serious. It took 8 1/2 hour surgery + a 4 inch rod that supports a graft from my right hip to act as my lower spine + 6 huge bolts to get me to where I'm at now.

I also suggest looking in to an MRI if you haven't yet. When I had my sciatica, I was misdiagnosed for over a year and a half by countless doctors. I finally got an MRI and they realized it was related to my disks in my lower back....just a thought.

Good luck and I hope the best for you

[97LT1Z28]

Like everyone is saying, it is a lifelong condition that never goes away and will get progressively worse over time if you don't take care of your back. You should restrict from any heavy lifting. You shouldn't work on your car yourself because the position you put your back in while doing so. You should use special ergonomic chairs at work and at home and wear a back support while doing light work such as landscaping, using a vaccum, etc.

My father has had it all his life but did the macho thing by ignoring the problem. Now it's so severe that when he moves the wrong way, he loses feeling in both of his legs causing him to drop to the floor suddenly. It's so bad, his favorite song is "let the bodies hit the floor!" But seriously, you have a disability of sorts that you need to address with your doctors and possibly a chiropractor.

[markd79ta]

Sorry to hear that you are having problems with it. I injured my lower back playing football in high-school, and I have had problems with it since then. I know that some people mentioned Chiropractors, and they can help. However, physical therapists can also realign your pelvis without doing it so harshly. I hope you have the pelvis problem and not a vertebrae problem. My brother had the vertebrae problem which required surgery.

There are two things to remember. If you have your pelvis realigned, it will hurt for a week or two and it requires subsequent visits. It doesn't take much to throw it back out of alignment pinching the nerve so you will have this done a lot in the future. Sometimes the pain is worse then other times. There are times when I can barely walk, but more often then not it is a constant dull pain with an occasional sharp pain. You can also minimize the effects by proper stretching before any activity. Most of the time, I re-injure myself by doing something stupid like bending over to grab something when my body is stiff from not doing anything which usually results in a week of agony.

[DJ Taso]

My dad has this. The only thing that seems to help him is exercising (running, walking, treadmill). Like Joe said, it's a lifetime injury.

[bru333]

ANybody ever have to deal with a pinched or compressed one?

If so, what is the best way to get rid of it and how long can it stick around for?

This is bad for a goalie lol, I used to be able to stand legs together and stretch down and put my palms flat on the floor with no problem and room to spare. It takes like 7 min. to even put my shoes on now lol. Been dealing with this for about 3 weeks, it has gotten a lil better.

been there, suffered for 4 days before I finally went to the doctor. He put me on muscle relaxers and oral steroids for a week. In 3 days I was able to walk normally, although it still hurt. Also scheduled for an MRI to see exactly what was going on. My diagnosis was fatigue, repetitive motion and lack of stretching. No problems found with discs, etc...

You really won't know the best treatment or how serious it is unless you get checked out throughly.

[Joe 1320]

hope yall had a great time Joe... you deserved a break and i know dern sure needed it........

getting back to the grind is rough, eh?........

Ken, it was a life changing experience. You have a PM.

[Joe 1320]

To add to what I said before, you will need to go through a few phases and adopt a type of lifestyle.

First, the basic recovery from the initial injury. That can take anywhere from months to never. The second is the rehabilitation to get you back to being able to function. The next is realizing that the physical therapy should never stop. You will need to keep the muscles active and strong or too there is too much strain on the spine. This is why I stay in top shape. When I don't work out, as the weeks progress, I can feel the difference and immediatly get back into the routine. Better to have some sore muscles from time to time that having the pain from spinal problems. It's a lifestyle that you will need to adopt if you want to be free from problems for as long as possible. you will have problems later in life, all the little injurys that you collect while you experience life tend to all come back and haunt you at a later date. Staying physically fit can delay those "reminders" and helps keep you feeling young.

[95TransAm]

To add to what I said before, you will need to go through a few phases and adopt a type of lifestyle.

First, the basic recovery from the initial injury. That can take anywhere from months to never. The second is the rehabilitation to get you back to being able to function. The next is realizing that the physical therapy should never stop. You will need to keep the muscles active and strong or too there is too much strain on the spine. This is why I stay in top shape. When I don't work out, as the weeks progress, I can feel the difference and immediatly get back into the routine. Better to have some sore muscles from time to time that having the pain from spinal problems. It's a lifestyle that you will need to adopt if you want to be free from problems for as long as possible. you will have problems later in life, all the little injurys that you collect while you experience life tend to all come back and haunt you at a later date. Staying physically fit can delay those "reminders" and helps keep you feeling young.

Very very very very true....it's the only way I myself have managed. I like to get out and do at least some form of exercise every day.

My surgeon recommended this to me before and after surgery....

If you need to get a good workout, but are in too much pain to do certain things, then the best way to workout and strengthen up your muscles/back is to simply swim. Swimming is a good way to keep your back strong while at the same time, not over working/hurting it. I did do this as well, and I can say it does help a lot. As time goes on and you start to feel a bit stronger, lifting weights (appropriately), playing sports, simple stretches/calistetics (sp?), running/jogging, and eating fruits/vegetables are all good ideas to help maintain yourself.