Re: Sciatica

Thank you for your reply, Billy. When it starts off it's like being hit with a cattle prod every time I make a move. Then it's like that almost constantly. The pain is subsiding now, but my foot feels like I've got a hard pad of something underneath the ball, and at times my leg feels like that Roman chap on Doctor Who, the one who was gradually turning to stone!

Re: Sciatica

Exercise is good for sciatica as lots have said on this thread.

I wouldn't recommend anyone self-medicating though or taking what others are taking as there can be adverse interaction with other prescribed medication you may already have.

Re: Sciatica

Nothing to do with sciatica, but interesting for me as about 40 years ago I was hospitalised with an oxalic kidney stone. The strange thing is that I never ate rhubarb (one of our main dietary sources of oxalic acid) and being a total dairy lover, my diet was very high in calcium.

Re: Sciatica

I had sciatica some 25 years ago which developed as a result of a mountaineering fall. The worst thing about it was that I could still be as physically active as I liked - walking, running, playing sport etc. What I couldn't do was to sit or stand still for any length of time, or lay down. If I did those things I was in agony. After a few months trying every painkiller known to medicine, I gave up on doctors and as a last resort, on the recommendation of a friend, went to an osteopath. I was very cynical about the possibilities, but at that stage was willing to try anything to get some painfree sleep. Three one hour sessions later, for the first time in a year, I was completely pain free and have never had a recurrence.

Re: Sciatica

have you tried a TENS MACHINE....for the pain...instead of painkillers....both my husband and I use it ...it's little pads that are placed over the painful area.and when the machine is switched on it sends out pulses

Re: Sciatica

I swear by my McTimoney chiropractor for my arthritic neck and back . When I walk out of there after a 45 min treatment, I feel ten years younger, it's addictive, and it makes you want to feel good like that all the time! It's got to be a Mctimoney practitioner though, not an ordinary chiropractor or osteopath, who work quite differently. I now go every 2 or 3 months to stop it ceasing up again and so far I have no need for any medication (with all the
nasty side effects).

Re: Sciatica

Hello Trixie,sorry you are still suffering,and believe me I know exactly what its like,your symptoms were similar to mine,right down to the foot pain,but you cant self diagnose,but sounds to me like a herniated disc and it will show up on CT or MRI scan,just to prove to you that your pain is real,Doctors are like motor mechanics! one on every corner and they are not all good decent caring people neither.

Ask your Doctor/GP to send you to a neurosurgeon,they understand nerves,orthopaedic doctors are not nerve savvy,believe me i know!
My neurosurgeon always told me never to see a chiropractor?
He told me i am never to allow any person to manipulate any part of my spine?
My neurosurgeon said that only him or another neurosurgeon who specialises in spinal nerves can/should refer you for manipulation,physio is fine,exercise is fine,acupuncture is fine,TENS machine is fine but he told me to never see a chiropracter or let anyone touch or push/manipulate my spine,they have 6 years more teaching than an orthopaedic surgeon.

I have had my lumbar L4-L5 operated on,i have had every level in my neck operated on,that is 7 levels of grinding bone and removing discs,i have 2 surgical fusions in my neck,have 1 arthritic fusion ( the bone has grown over a disc and fused 2 vertebrae together )
I have had hemi-laminectomies and foraminotomies on 6 levels in my neck,i know what i am talking about! been doing it since 1993 Trixie,had the nerves cut at the groin to my right thigh,my kneecaps removed,not replaced,so i have no kneecaps,that was 30 years ago (knees) and i still went to work until my last surgery in 2005,i stopped work then,it was just too much for my spine to cope with,they gave me a disability pension.

The main cause of sciatica is a herniated lumbar disc,sometimes CT and MRI show alls clear,but,that is only your spine,its a long way to your foot from your spine,the nerves can get caught up anywhere inbetween,when they cut my sensory nerve in my groin the nerve was entangled in fibrous tissue,they transected a 4 inch section,that nerve started at the L2-L3 level in my spine,MRI of the L2-L3 vertebrae showed it was fine so they looked between there and my right knee,the nerve was caught up in the groin,caused by having keys and coins in my right front jeans pocket,and i did a lot of driving,the coins pressed on the nerves when i was sitting?

The most common level for herniation is the L4-L5 level,you have dermatomes all over your body,these dermatomes are areas that are affected by different problems at different levels in your spine,the fact your foot is sore is a dead giveaway for a compressed nerve,a good neuro will know by your foot symptoms what level is causing you grief,Do you get "foot drop" or can you "heel walk"? these all tell the doctor where your problems are,what spinal level is troublesome etc,see a neurosurgeon who specialises in the spine Trixie,you dont have to suffer mate,Good luck with it!

Kind Regards Billy

Re: Sciatica

Nearly everyone i know has an "arthritic" back,Trixie has probably got an arthritic back,but Trixie has a crushed nerve somewhere and she definately needs a good spinal nerve specialist,not a spine manipulator with 4 years university and a certificate on the wall,so i have to disagree with you,if you have sciatic pain then you would kill your own mother if it would relieve the pain,been copping painfor 30 years,not caused by old age neither,everyone has some degree of arthritis,Trixie has got a problem a bit bigger than what a chiropracter can fix,or should play around with,but i will disagree with you,chiropracters are not Doctors or nerve specialists,i would see a vet before i seen a chiro,a vet is more qualified.

Billy

Re: Sciatica

Fair comment Billy, I can only say what has always worked for me - and it really does. But like I said, McTimoney is not remotely like normal chiropractic, they certainly don't 'push or pull' anthing, that's the last thing you want if you are in pain! (It's my L4 and L5 that cause me pain as well). I also do Yoga breathing/exercises which are very gentle.
I suspect Trixie's problems are alot worse than mine though, so she no doubt does need a different approach, but like I said, I can only say what helps me personally.

Re: Sciatica

No worries,i just wanted her to realise that her problem could be coming from anywhere,not just spine,i tried everything,all the alternate therapies and it just did my head in,everyone had a different opinion but it was always pay as you go,someone makes a lot of money from sick people,when you are desrerate you try anything you can,i did and ended up with the best neurosurgeon i could find,at least i knew that he was qualified by experience to help me,its a long haul thing seeing these doctors and therapists but most of it does not work,if it did work you would stop at the first person you see?

Billy