Sciatica is acting up again - UGH

Sciatica is acting up again - UGH

This stinks. It hurts so bad. I dont know if I made it worse by going to the gym and working out yesterday. I could not sleep to well last night and I couldnt get out of bed this morning.

I have been applying ICe to my back for 20 minutes every hour and I have the shiatsu massasging mat on my work chair.

Do you think working out made it worse? Should I keep stretching the muscle? I did that before I went to bed last night.

Should I go for a walk today? I am trying to not have to go to the Physical Therapist.

Scott

I'm not sure. Different things help me at different times.

Sometimes ice is good to reduce inflammation, but sometimes heat will relax the muscle. Ask your doc. I would go with GENTLE stretching, and stay away from the gym,

Yeah I will be staying away from the gym until it feels better.

Like I said earlier I have been using ice, and stretching and I just found my T.E.N.S. Machine that the Chiropractor had given me last year.



TENS

i do both heat and cold. It could also be your sacriliac. That responds best to cold.

Its my sciatica - ALways is

The only thing that helps me is laying flat. I need to stay off of my feet and sometime ice it on and off. I'm sorry. I know how painful and uncomfortable it can be.

Have you ever had an MRI? What I thought was sciatica was a herniated disc.

Yes - I was in a car accident in 99. I was rear ended and I went under a corolla. I have 3 herniated discs in my back and 1 Deteriorated disc, Sciatica and TMJ. I hat an MRI last year and that is how I found out I have a deteriorated disc.
Scott

Another day and still in pain.....Hopefully by tomorrow I will be feeling better.....

I found some stretches online...should I do them now or wait till I feel better?

Yes, most likely it's the workout.

Did you do some stretches?

Gluts
Lower back
Hamstrings

I didnt do any stretching today...

Where are you applying the ice and TENS? It should be on the piriformis muscle, center of the glute. A piriformis stretch helps alot also.



**Edited to add -- the leg that is crossed is the leg that is being stretched.

Message edited 1/24/2008 8:44:07 AM.

Keep stretching. I go to Physical Therapy for a herniated disc that is making my sciatic act up, and I am told I need to keep stretching it out. When you don't use the muscles, it will get worse.

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Posted by colesmom

Where are you applying the ice and TENS? It should be on the piriformis muscle, center of the glute. A piriformis stretch helps alot also.



**Edited to add -- the leg that is crossed is the leg that is being stretched.

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I am feeling better tonight. I havent been to work since monday, but I am going back tomorrow and I will start stretching

I have sciatica as well. Mine has been acting up in the last few days, and I don't know what I did to aggrevate it. I have found alternating bewtween heat & cold works best for me.