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scatica/ disk trouble

Find a tame physio...as soon as you can, ask around fellow sports people, the sooner the better long &short term wise.

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  • holdfastholdfast Posts: 15
    I have been struck for the last three weeks with a disk bulge leading to to scatica problems. I was not able to walk for the first couple of days. I am now walking with pain. Anyone go through this and what was their rehab plan to get back to fitness. Thanks of the help
  • BopomofoBopomofo Posts: 980
    ...or a Chiropracter. Longer term, as you recover, Yoga may help in strengthening your core muscles to build up the support around the lower back area (I'm assuming lower back if you are having trouble with Sciatica).



    I know there are quite a few around here who find Yoga very helpful. It certainly helped Mrs. Bopo to avoid any recurrences of a long term disk prolapse problem.
  • JonhinioJonhinio Posts: 289
    I found acupuncture an excellent pain relief therapy for when I had terrible sciatica last year. When I got it I could hardly move. It was taking me 15 minutes to get out of bed oin the morning (Hold on.. usually takes me longer than that![8D]), and I would get stuck in positoins that if I moved it was excruciating. The cause was not a disc problem though but the nerve trapped by my piriformus. Had acupuncture administered by an excellent doctor over near Kew Gardens and the day after I was able to move a lot more freely.
  • Holdfast, I have managed to pick up a total of 6 slipped discs over the years, due to a variety of sporting injuries, but I have two at the bottom of my spine which will be near yours, with similar symptoms.

    I have suffered ever since I slipped mine, which was about 10 years ago now (down to hockey - crap sport)

    The biggest mistake I made, was that I never got the injuries properly diagnosed, and I never rested or sought proper rehabilitation.

    The general rule of thumb is that if your back is still bad after 2 years, it will always be bad. So I will suffer for the rest of my days, and its basically my fault[:(]

    Aside from that, I have had every treatment known to man, physio, chiro, osteo, acupuncture, drugs etc, none have really made much of an impact, bearing in mind I still train and race, but my back limits what I can do.

    However, the one thing that has helped me more than anything which I only discovered relatively recently, is core strengthening/pilates exercises.

    However, its not always easy to make the time every day, on top of swimming, running, biking, family and job![:)]

    In short, get it looked at, rest properly (think long term - I wish I had), but also keep active. All the research shows that if you remain positive about your injuries and don't let them rule your life, you will heal quicker, but if you are already a tri-athlete, it goes with the teritory.
  • treefrogtreefrog Posts: 1,242
    I agree find a tame physio or chiropracter, I have minor sciatic problems and find manipulation is the only thing that works. Also I have been made aware of Charmists (witchdoctors) - country people with mystical powers, anecdotal evidence gives it 100% cure rate but I avoid it because I'm a sceptic
  • MikeLMikeL Posts: 7
    I suffered a sciatic-like pain a few years ago... i tried acupuncture and other methods which provided some relief but didnt cure it - i googled about for sites and got more and more depressed that i'd have the pain forever until i found it could be "Piriformis Syndrome" - a small muscle, the Piriformis, runs along the sciatic nerve, if this tightens/weakens/gets inflamed it can irritate the sciatic nerve causing sciatic pain.



    Good deep-muscle stretches and possibly deep tissue massage should help - i just went with stretching which sorted me out in about a month and havent had it since (kept on top of the stretching!)



    The main stretches i used were a lieing Hamstring stretch (lie on your back, one knee bent and foot on the floor, other straight - lift leg up and pull back above or below knee with the hands).

    Also a deeper stretch where again you lie on your back,

    one knee bent foot fat on the floor -

    cross the other leg over the first -

    Lift the lower leg off the ground and pull back from behind the thigh with your hands - you'll be in a sort of knot ;) this will stretch the outside of the top-most legs glute and also get deeper.
  • treefrogtreefrog Posts: 1,242
    Be wary of internet and anecdotal cures. Sciatica is like toothache (quite literally!!). Something has gone awry somewhere which has resulted in the sciatic nerve being sore. This soreness could be caused by one or a combination of a whole range of things. Therefore the stretch or manipulation that gives me relief may not give you relief or worse may make your condition worse. Get sound professional advice
  • holdfastholdfast Posts: 15
    thanks everyone, I think I will do yoga or pilates to strenghten my core. I found a good physio he is working the back and also the piriformus as he said this is inflammed. I think like all of us I too tried to get back too early and have put back my recover time in the first two weeks. I am going to sit back and get rehab and work on my core over the winter and keep positive.



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