Help-sciatica pain!

[Simba's Mom]

Can anyone recommend some good home remedies? I read about some stretching exercises and I think I'm going to try them. Do they help as much as some people say? Any recommendations?

 

[flamingglobessigmund]

I take 2 Aleve and use a heating pad. Stretching doesn't help me much.

 

[Simba's Mom]

I take 2 Aleve and use a heating pad. Stretching doesn't help me much.

Oh, Oh-a heating pad? I've been putting ice on it.

 

[mamajoan]

new injury -- ice
old injury -- heat

usually the norm

if you are a side sleeper... put two firm pillows between your knees
if you are a back sleeper -- put two/three pillows under your knees, your back should flatten against the mattress

if you are a stomach sleeper - 1 pillow under your stomach, may need one under your hips as well

There are exercises. Anti inflammatory meds help too.

There is a cause for the sciatica symptoms.. you should have it checked out if the pain does not decrease soon.

 

[quentina]

The only time I had this was when I was pregnant. Doctor told me to get on my hands and knees and pretend I was scrubbing the floor by hand.

It worked. It took the pressure off.

Now, I was pregnant so, I imagine the baby fell away from the nerve. Not sure if it would work for a permanent situation.

 

[oybolshoi]

Mine was so bad last year that I ended up in physical therapy ... could barely walk. There are exercises I now do every day to help keep the nerve supple (for lack of a better word) ... you could google sciatica and see what kind of hits you get for exercises but I can tell you that I needed someone to show me the right way to do them.

I agree with the previous poster - you need to find out what's causing it so that you can get the appropriate treatment.

Hope you feel better soon - it was one of the most miserable experiences of my life ... nearly four months of limping around the house and work before PT really made a difference.

EDITED: any kind of anti-inflammatory will also be beneficial but if you're experiencing significant pain over-the-counter stuff will not help much. I ate naproxen and tylenol during the day at work and took darvocet and percocet in the evenings so that I could sleep.

 

[Simba's Mom]

Well, thanks everyone-I feel much less bad today. Once I learned about heat, not ice, I spent 3 hours last night with a heating pad and ibuprofin. After that, I figured my muscles were warmed up enough to do some stretching exercises. This morning, I used the heating pad for 1/2 hour and then some more stretches. It's still a pain in the butt (literally), but not as bad as it was.

 

[Louiepipbgeeco]

Heat, pain meds like naproxen and Walking helps. Whatever you do don't sit around too much or it worsens. Get up and walk around to stretch.