Sciatica

[Blast]

Background: 54 year old male, 6'5" 230lb who grew up seeing elders with back issues and swore I'd always take care of my back through proper lifting, stretches, etc.

Narrator: He fucked up

About one month ago I was getting ready for a camping trip, reached and bent down into the closet to get my tent, and dislocated my bottom vertebra. The resulting pain in the small of my back and down my right leg was excruciating! I toughed it out for three days then went to a chiropractor. She immediately removed 80% of the pain! A follow up appointment removed almost all of it. I actually felt well enough to take my wife dancing.

Narrator: He fucked up

During a rather sweet West Coast Swing spin, I managed to reactivate the sciatica and pull a hamstring. It's taken both the chiropractor and a sports injury doctor over a week to get me back up off the floor. This morning was the first day since dancing that I could sit in a chair.

The key thing about this, in regards to all y'all is my realization that my supplies are packed in stacked tubs whose weights are designed for me at full strength. If something had happened that had required accessing these in my condition, I'd be screwed. My take-home message is don't assume you'll be at full strength when it comes to lifting or carrying your supplies.

Things that helped my sciatica:
1. My chiropractor! If this ever happens to you, do not waste a day getting to one.
2. A TENS electrical nerve stimulator (https://amzn.to/3SQJVfR) It overstimulates nerve cells, reducing their ability to function. It was the only thing that gave me enough relief to sleep.
3. Anti-inflammatories (both herbal such as turmeric+black pepper and Aleve)
4. Stretches (look up sciatica stretches on YouTube)
5. Muscle relaxants (both herbal valerian root and for the pulled hamstring, cyclobenzaprine)

This has been an eye-opening experience.
-Blast

[Anianna]

Devil's claw is a better pain killer for nerve issues like sciatica than typical NSAIDs.  Even thought it's a natural remedy, it can have similar side effects to ibuprofen, though, so treat it the same way.

In addition to consuming natural anti-inflammatories, reduce inflammatories in your diet such as refined sugars. 

If you drink a lot of caffeine, that can exacerbate nerve pain. 

Those stretches can really fucking save you.  Also, guided meditation can help get your head in the right place to deal with the pain.  The stretches are the shit, though.  I hope you feel better soon!

[Crosscut]

Saw an add for this on TV the other day, and it influenced my decision to get a massage gun to see if that helped when the wife's sciatica flared up.  Anyone have any experience with that BeActive or similar pressure/compression device?  The TENS does appear to be the gold standard from what little I read on it, but just curious.

[SCBrian]

No experience with the knee brace thingy, but I echo Blast's suggestion.  Only been (un) lucky enough to have 2 bouts of sciatica in my life.  First one I toughed through over the course of a couple weeks before I went to a chiro.  Second one I went to a chiro early and was amazed.   
Stretching, Tens, cold packs (not hot and moist packs, no matter how good they feel)... 
My L3/L4 disks are degrading so I now go monthly to the chiro for 'maintenance'.  My insurance covers most of it, copay is ~$20.  I get a 30 min session (I think. I normally nap) with the tens, an adjustment, and 30 minutes-ish(napping again) on a decompression table.

At one point in between the two, I went looking for just something routine, for when I had a sore back, tightness, etc.  I came upon a chain chiro place "The Joint". I do not know if it's just the one I went to, or if it is common practice in the chain, but I kinda feel uncomfortable being adjusted without any type of involved exam.  Both Chiro 1 & 2 did xrays and some physical exam before even touching me.  "The Joint" slapped me on a table and started turning me into a pretzel within a few minutes of arrival. 

[Anianna]

Saw an add for this on TV the other day, and it influenced my decision to get a massage gun to see if that helped when the wife's sciatica flared up.  Anyone have any experience with that BeActive or similar pressure/compression device?  The TENS does appear to be the gold standard from what little I read on it, but just curious.

Pressure sleeves are great for joint pain or muscle pain in the limbs.  Sciatica is the nerve that runs down the leg usually getting pinched in the back or butt, though, so it's not going to put the pressure in the right place to remedy it (unless they've come out with something more recently that I'm not familiar with). 

A doctor once showed my husband the spot to put pressure, but I don't know how to explain it.  If you get the massage gun in the right place, it will probably help a lot because it's one pinpoint spot where the nerve gets pinched and you can work that lose (what the stretches are working to do).  You can press the tips of your finger into your butt cheek and when you feel it sort of shoot down your leg, that's the spot.  The doc taught my husband to basically work his knuckle into that spot when I had the pain.  That in conjunction with the stretches seemed to be what helped me the most.

[Crosscut]

A doctor once showed my husband the spot to put pressure, but I don't know how to explain it.  If you get the massage gun in the right place, it will probably help a lot because it's one pinpoint spot where the nerve gets pinched and you can work that lose (what the stretches are working to do).  You can press the tips of your finger into your butt cheek and when you feel it sort of shoot down your leg, that's the spot.  The doc taught my husband to basically work his knuckle into that spot when I had the pain.  That in conjunction with the stretches seemed to be what helped me the most.

Thanks Anianna, I'll try that.  Read differing opinions on the massage gun, helpful vs. just aggravating the nerve and making it worse.  Now if I can just convince the Mrs this is therapeutic device and not some sort of bedroom toy  

[Anianna]

A doctor once showed my husband the spot to put pressure, but I don't know how to explain it.  If you get the massage gun in the right place, it will probably help a lot because it's one pinpoint spot where the nerve gets pinched and you can work that lose (what the stretches are working to do).  You can press the tips of your finger into your butt cheek and when you feel it sort of shoot down your leg, that's the spot.  The doc taught my husband to basically work his knuckle into that spot when I had the pain.  That in conjunction with the stretches seemed to be what helped me the most.

Thanks Anianna, I'll try that.  Read differing opinions on the massage gun, helpful vs. just aggravating the nerve and making it worse.  Now if I can just convince the Mrs this is therapeutic device and not some sort of bedroom toy  

Why not both?