[thethirddegree]

Last May I had a Spinal Cord Stimulator implanted in my back to control pain from degenerative disc disease in the lumbar back. It is like having a TENS unit only it is inside you. The technology is from Boston Scientific.
See it at:

http://www.controlyourpain.com/index.cfm?langid=1

[CAluvdubya]

I have it but it's caused by scar tissue from a previous back surgery pressing on the S1 nerve root.

Stretching helps a little but I've had to have steroid injections. After 2 years, I'm finally getting off the pain meds....mostly. But I don't have constant, nagging pain anymore AND I can feel my foot again!

Good luck and I sincerely hope you find some combination to relieve your discomfort and numbness.

[Momto2]

You have my sympathies.... I know how terrible the pain is.... I tried the medication route for 6 weeks and saw little to no improvement. I was getting depressed.... finally out of desperation I went to a Chiropractor (I formerly thought of them as quacks) He had me up walking in a couple of days and I soon returned to work.

Those exercises help. Also - find a stool (I use a piano stool) the height is important. Lie on your back with your bottom up close to the stool - place the calves of your legs flat on the stool/chair. The object is to rest your weight on your legs and very slightly elevate your lower back. I did this for 20 minutes several times a day. I think it works like a form of traction - takes the pressure off of the nerve and allows swelling or whatever to subside. Hope you find some relief soon!!!!

[Wiser now]

My regimen was Flexiril, hydroconone and a nsaid. You will also need a good fiber product with the hydroconone. Buy yourself a heating pad today and drape it over your right hip while lying on your side, or lie right on it. My physical therapy involved heat and ice in addition to stretching exercises.
These all helped, surgery cured it.

[melsec]

My Mother used to sleep with a board under her top mattress - seemd to work for her!

Mel

[Mac from Cleveland]

Every case is different-especially with backs. I was left with a couple herniated discs after a woman talking on her cell rear-ended my car while I was stopped at a red light—talk about pain—I was traveling a lot for work at the time, and so I saw different people in differnt cities over the next few years.I found chiropractors and an osteopath were far better for me than a couple of the wanker MDs I went to.

My big break was something I found myself online—spinal decompression-I used Vax-D http://www.vax-d.com/. Some chiropractors and regular doctors use it—it got me on the road to recovery—I’m pretty much 100% OK now. Thank God.

Don’t know if it will help you—but worth asking about.

Also, it may sound odd, but something called the “Bowen Technique” (Google it-) may help. Good luck.

[MIchaelTArchangel]

Yeah, lots of people have.

[halfright]

Very experienced.

#1 Ask your personal physician for a referal to the best Neurosurgeon/Orthopedic surgeon in the area. I wouldn’t trust my spinal cord to anything less. They will send you for an MRI and tell you how to fix it.

Sleep on your side in a fetal position. It takes the strain off the back. If you cant fall asleep that way pin a tennis ball to the back of your night wear. This will help you sleep on your side. Ice in the effected will help reduce any swelling.

Been on Oxycontin for 6 years for surgery to remove tumors from my feet, they damaged the nerves in both feet when they took the fascia out of both feet. Have had L4-L5 and L5-S1 disks repaired and no more sciatica

[arasina]

Find yourself a good chiropractor. The nerves start at the spine. A chiropractic adjustment will release the sciatic nerve from its misplacement. Pills will only give relief from the pain rather than fixing the cause.

There is also an exercise you can do that will help until you can get a treatment, but I highly recommend taking the chiropractic route. It certainly works for me and has alleviated other nerve pain conditions in addition to the sciatica.

[Big Horn]

Avoid surgery. I have had it since 1968 and get by with excercise and I use a 90/90 traction. Keep your knees higher than your pelvis when you can.

[srmorton]

I will never forget the August morning that I turned over in bed and felt a pain that I had never felt before. The pain persisted for two years, but it is now much better. One thing that helped was losing about 10 pounds.

I also had an MRI (which I would recommend that you do if you have not had one) and went to a wonderful neurosurgeon who explained that my problem was congenital. The space between my fifth lumbar vertebra and my sacrum is too narrow on the left side. He felt that surgery would only exacerbate the problem. Although it might stabilize the lumbar area, it might cause problems in another part of the vertebral column. It helped me to understand why my pain was only on one side. He said that the vertebrae were also very close on the right side, but that even 1 mm of space can make a big difference.

He prescribed a course of physical therapy (traction) which helped to create a little more space in that area. He also gave me a mild muscle relaxer which helped prevent any muscle spasms. I also go to exercise at a fitness center for women. One of the machines that others dislike because it bothers their back actually made mine feel better. I did not understand it until after I had the traction. The traction created more space by pulling down on the hips. This machine helps me because it is designed to stretch your back from the other direction. I would recommend any exercise that gently stretches out your lower back.

I am just so thankful that my sciatica is so much better! I pray that you will find what is causing yours and that it can be successfully treated. The constant pain and the inability to find a position in which it does not hurt is very stressful and can almost lead to feelings of hopelessness and depression. Fortunately, that is not my natural disposition, but the period of time that I suffered with sciatica is one of the most difficult things that I ever had to deal with in my almost 60 years on this earth!

[Let's Roll]

Exercise specifically for the hip/lower back part of the body and a vitamin B complex of at least 100. (always take the complex - never take a B vitamin alone - the B vitamins support each other). Keep taking the B complex after symptoms subside.

http://www.google.com/search?q=sciatica+vitamin+B&rls=com.microsoft:*&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&startIndex=&startPage=1

[NellieMae]

What I’ve found to most helpful is stretching types of excersise and massage. Staying in bed too long and sitting too much exacerbates my pain. I find that ice packs help a lot. It relieves the stress in my back to lie on the floor with my knees bent. I watch TV that way sometimes.
I’ve had this problem since I was in my early 20’s. Wouldn’t listen when my grandmother told me not to work so hard and lifted too many heavy things that I shouldn’t have. I have a disc that has completely disappeared and the vertebrae have fused together on their own. Degenerative disc disease is what I was told it was. I had a sciatica attack that left me with permanent nerve damage in my foot and leg and walked with a limp for a while until I figured out how to live with it. I wish you good luck and a pain free life.

[wintertime]

but the pain from the sciatica matches any of that.
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

Have you seen a neurosurgeon?

It is my understanding that the pain comes from pressure on the nerve. The prednesone (et.al.) is an attempt to reduce any inflammation on surrounding tissues that might possibly be putting pressure on the nerve. Hopefully the medication will help and you will soon have relief.

I had sciatic nerve pain during my pregnancy with my fourth child. It was hell on earth! Thankfully, after delivery the pressure on the nerve was relieved and I have never had a recurrence.

I am very sorry. You have my sympathy and prayers.

[whodathunkit]

I quickly scanned through the previous posts and didn’t see any reference to using a spa or whirlpool tub (I apologize if I missed it). When the pain is acute and constant, I found that the buoyancy provided gives some temporary relief. It doesn’t cure anything but any relief that you can get is welcome.

[Ruy Dias de Bivar]

I had sciatica about 30 years ago. My local doctor said it was because my stomach muscles were weaker of my back muscles causing a nerve to pinch. He prescribed situps to correct the imbalance, not a lot of sit ups, just a few a day.

It worked. I hae had no pain since.

[tongass kid]

Home remedies may not address the problem. I suffered this problem for 30 years and usually missed 3 weeks of work a year because of the pain. I finally saw a neurosurgeon and discovered several disc and narrow canal problems, but the real problem was a thumb size tumor in the spinal cord. In 2004 the surgery corrected all three problems and I have been pain free.

[jetson]

An anti inflamitory regime, see a therapist about stretching the lateral hip muscle plus try an inversion table ( maybe at a gym or friend who owns one).

http://www.losethebackpain.com/backpainvideos/inversiontherapy.html

I've blown a disc three times and use an inversion table every day. Also helps my knee with no cartilage. May not be for you if your all broken up.

[Marie Antoinette]

I had it flare up during pregnancies. It was the worst pain ever, if I had to take weight off my left leg the searing pain would make me cry. It was horrible, worse than any unmedicated labor pain I’ve had. I started doing an exercise program called T-Tapp, and in subsequent pregnancies I was able to minimize or avoid the pain altogether. Primary Back Stretch (PBS) was a Godsend! Just standing in the T-Tapp stance helps for me.

[Marie]

Alternate ice and heat. Do this all day long. 20 minutes ice, then 20 minutes heat.

I feel for you. I’ve had it for years and am going through a mild bout right now. Only the drugs allow me to sleep. They wear off early in the morning and I have to get up and take more to finish the night.

Also, take a good multi-mineral supplement, drink 2 eight ounce glasses of V-8 every day and get sunshine.

It’s really important for your body to be properly nourished while it’s healing. ANY issues with the back can result in muscle spasms which damage tissues, compound inflammation and prolong the healing process. Keeping your mineral intake balanced helps prevent this.