help sciatic nerve pain

Ditto on the wallet.

There are also some real good yoga stretching exercises that are aimed at reducing sciatic pain.

http://adam.about.com/reports/000054_9.htm

http://physicaltherapy.about.com/od/flexibilityexercises/p/piriformisstret.htm

http://physicaltherapy.about.com/od/flexibilityexercises/ss/LowBackStretch.htm

http://physicaltherapy.about.com/od/flexibilityexercises/a/hamstingstretch.htm

http://physicaltherapy.about.com/od/strengtheningexercises/p/CoreStrength.htm

http://www.webmd.com/back-pain/tc/sciatica-topic-overview

Rider Steve said:

I went out and I walked and I walked and I walked some more. Couple miles per day at least.

I did however go out and buy a treadmill and it stands ready for those occasional other back problems I have.

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:agree:4:

Sciatica is a pain the runs down through your hip, through the outside of the back of the thigh, past the knee and can sometimes involve the calf. It is best described as a "hot wire" running down inside your leg. It's caused by a pinched sciatica nerve. There are more than one cause, so a good looksee with an x-ray at least is called for to determine if it's arthritis or a bad disc. Mine was cured as Steve's was. I suffered for five years and walked with a cane. One day I just said, "F*** it! I put the cane in the corner and walked as far as I could the first day. Walked as far as I could the second.... etc etc etc.... bloody blisters and sleepless nights, but I have NEVER TAKEN that cane from the corner and it stands there still as a reminder to NOT be a couch potato ever again!

BUT, don't take this as medical advice. You can do much damage to your sciatic nerve if you have an arthritis spur or a bum disc. Check first. If the x-rays show nothing of that kind, get off your a** and walk.

Second thoughts on the treadmill. I ruined my knees on a treadmill. I never use it and instead haunt the neighborhood in good weather and the mall in bad.

Fluke189 said:

What's the symtom of this problem? My left leg is causing big problems for me. I can barely lift it off the ground to the peg, then it's like I'm sitting stretching it wrong most the time I'm riding, but the discomfort comes and goes. Putting the leg back down after a while at a stop is near impossible. This has been going on since last summer. I don't do doctors, so if I have to live another 40 yrs this way so be it, but curious none the less.

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That's not sciatica but could be a pinched nerve or a sprained back. You should do a doctor at least once to get a professional opinion.

Two things Which May Help

I have sciatica in a big way from back problems which are incureable. I am unable to walk much as it causes much agony to my back. I have found I can ride my wing much longer than I am able drive my pickup or Jeep Grand Cherokee. My comfort on the Wing has been increased greatly since I added a set of highway pegs (had to try several positions before getting them just right) and a Kyryakyn back rest. The Backrest allows a fair amount of back support for me and with the pegs I can stretch my legs now and then and also change my leg position. But most of all you need to go to a doctor and find out what is the cause of the sciatica, my diagnosis was put off for six years and I would have been much better off if I had had an earlier diagnosis. Unfortunately I was dealing with the Royal Canadian Navy medical system. Good luck!!

Sciatica can be caused by a number of things. Some are more severe than others and can be as simple as the Psoas Muscle needing a good streaching up to a Pinched Nerve from a "Blown Disk", Arthritis, Ostioporosis, or even many types of Cancer.

Are you scared yet?

Don't be!

BUT get a proper Diagnosis first to ID the actual cause and take the correct action.

It could be as simple a good Stretching or as complicated as Back Surgery. Been there, done that twice!

I went through a couple of years of various Pain Meds with excercises then a simple surgery at L5-S1. That lasted a few months and the fusion failed. Five years later and way too many Pain Meds along with continuing exercises it got to the point where they went back in again and installed Hardware from L4-S1. That worked very well for about 10 years before the Hardware Broke and the Disk above it ruptured causing similar problems higher up. The point of this diatribe is that Surgery may or may not be the best answer and if you can avoid it by all means do so! However you may have no option depending on the exact cause of your specific case. So get a diagnosis and by all means a SECOND Opinion if you don't get relief fairly soon after starting treatment.

You can check out a few books at the library such as;
1. Your Aching Back, Augustus A. White III, MD
2. Conquering Back Pain, Judylaine, Fine
3. Maggies Back Book, Maggie Lettvin
4. Stretching, Bob Anderson

Read the first one then see the Doc for a Diagnosis, it should help you understand what they find, sift throught the Mumble-Jumble and enable you to ask questions.

If it isn't beyond a simple problem that can be helped by excercises then read the next 3 and follow up with your Doc.

Good luck

Bone chips?

I was having pain down my left leg. Riding in the car was the worse! One night I called my wife while driving home from a long road trip in the car and told her I couldn't stand it anymore, I was going to the emergency room!
The doctor examined me and also did a reflex check on the back of my feet. They hit you with a little hammer on your Achilles heel. My right foot would jump but my left just kinda set there. When he finished the reflex check he told me I had a back problem. “Doc I hate to disagree with you but all my pain is in my left leg, I have not had one pain in my back”!
He sent me to a specialist and this guy did an MRI and told me I had bone chips in my back that was pressing against a nerve. He said it could have been from a hit playing football, falling on my back, any number of things. He said surgery but when you wake up, you'll never have another pain in your leg from this.
Had the surgery to remove the bone chips in Feb 2002 and have not had a pain since!



Good Luck!!!