Sciatica

[cowboysculptor]

Sucks!

 

[leadfoot]

Dude you ain't lying. I had a pinched sciatic for about 6 months, nearly ruined my life. Couldn't sit, stand, or even lay down without agonizing, blinding pain. Had to eat 1200 mg's of ibuprofen just to get out of bed in the morning!

If it gets too bad you might want to go see a physical therapist. I eventually did. He showed me a set of stretches that helped quite a bit.

 

[cowboysculptor]

6 months! I was kinda hoping this would last a few more days! I've had so much ibuprofen my stomach is starting to hate me, even with a full stomach. It's at a point where I take a pepcid every time I take ibuprofen.

If I weren't unemployed, and possibly facing drug screening at job applications, I'd smoke some weed in a heartbeat. I'd rape a puppy for some weed right now! I found some stretches on youtube, can't tell yet if they're helping.

 

[AlphaDogChoppers]

Try an inversion table. It works wonders for me.

The ibuprophen thing is only suitable for short term relief. If I take it for more than a couple days, I start shitting blood.

Prednisone is about the only medication that I can take, but again, it's only a short term solution. For me, I have to guard against weight gain when I take it, but it helps me a lot. I sometimes take it when I am going on a motorcycle trip to prevent a sciatica flare.

 

[cowboysculptor]

Thanks guys! I'm looking into the inversion table right now, I can get one on craigslist pretty cheap. If I could afford a medical visit, and the subsequent prescription, I would have already done that. I'm self-medicating at the moment.

 

[AlphaDogChoppers]

I understand completely

That's why I suggested the inversion table.

 

[crazypj]

If you don't have rearsets with the ace/clubman bars, it will make your back worse.
You could try searching 'You-tube' there are several back exercise and stretching vids that help a lot

 

[4eyes]

But it sucks no less 12 years later.

 

[Gnigma]

A good acupuncturist would help. They are usually cheaper than a doctor visit and the effects are pretty well immediate. No drugs, either. The inversion table will work if you have a disk misaligned or compressed. A chiropractor might help, too.

 

[veloracermike]

Try an inversion table. It works wonders for me.

The ibuprophen thing is only suitable for short term relief. If I take it for more than a couple days, I start shitting blood.

Prednisone is about the only medication that I can take, but again, it's only a short term solution. For me, I have to guard against weight gain when I take it, but it helps me a lot. I sometimes take it when I am going on a motorcycle trip to prevent a sciatica flare.

Prednisone is a nasty effn drug though. Aside from the weight gain it has other nasty side effects. Adrenal gland suppression, long term use can do liver damage.

 

[4eyes]

A good acupuncturist would help. They are usually cheaper than a doctor visit and the effects are pretty well immediate. No drugs, either. The inversion table will work if you have a disk misaligned or compressed. A chiropractor might help, too.

YUP, a good massage therapist can make you feel human again too. Drugs just mask the symptoms, they don't address the problem.

 

[cowboysculptor]

Great advice all around. I plan to both mask the symptoms and address the problem; tomorrow I plan to call a few chiropractors and see who can give a deal to an uninsured guy in pain, then I plan to self-medicate, possibly in a variety of ways.

I should also mention my girlfriend has been awesome. All this started a couple weeks ago when I gave her a motorcycle lesson. I was teaching her about the clutch, having her slowly let it out, pull it back in again, etc. She's a fast learner and popped the clutch and opened the throttle! She was flying for a good twenty feet before hitting the pavement. I pulled the bike off her, and that's when I threw out my back. She's fine now, despite a few scratches and one injury that I promised I wouldn't mention in a public forum. Let's just say the wound was horrifying but fast-healing! And now she has been pouring me both hot baths and whiskey! She's something special.

 

[leadfoot]

Go to a chiro that does x-rays and thermal scans, get those done before you sink any money into other treatments. You need to first determine whether the injury is skeletal or muscular. It could be your sciatic, could be something else. Expect to pay $75 to $150 for first visit to chiro, this price should include xray and thermal scan.

That's awesome your girlfriend is supportive. My girlfriend at the time of my sciatic issues was a complete bitch...thought I was using it as an excuse not to hang out with her dipshit hipster friends lol.

 

[AlphaDogChoppers]

Prednisone is a nasty effn drug though. Aside from the weight gain it has other nasty side effects. Adrenal gland suppression, long term use can do liver damage.

Yes, it is definitely not a drug for long term or frequent use, but a 6-week taper of it can make a huge difference. The thing about back problems is that it is often accompanied by inflammation. Unfortunately, inflammation causes irritation which causes more inflammation, so it is self-exacerbating. A round of predisone can break that inflammatory cycle and cause the whole problem to go into remission, sometimes for years.

 

[AlphaDogChoppers]

she has been pouring me both hot baths and whiskey!

I would caution you about using heat. Most likely, inflammation is a key player in your symptoms. Heat feels good on the muscles, but worsens the inflammation.

I know this sounds unpleasant, but use ice. It will reduce the inflammation almost immediately. Use ice about 15 minutes at a time each hour, and I think you will find you improve quickly.

 

[cowboysculptor]

Okay, so I broke down and went to the chiropractor today. They hooked me up to one of those electrode machines that I love so much!

As far as the heat vs. cold question, wet heat is good, dry heat is bad. Showers and baths are excellent! And ice for 15 minutes every hour. And sleep with a pillow under my knees.

All in all, I'm not back to normal, but MY GOD do I feel better!

 

[AlphaDogChoppers]

Excellent. I like those electrocuters, too. <G>
My chiropractor uses one before every session. It really relaxes any muscle tightness so that he doesn't have to do the adjustment through hard muscles.