View Full Version : Sciatic Issues
FooFooCuddlyPoops
03-13-2016, 12:06
Hey guys
So I went on a small backpacking trip this weekend to test out some of my new gear relatively close to home. The trail was mild graded, and only 3 miles to the campsite. Yet, my back issue was spurred into existence for the first time in a few months.
I have had sciatic issues in the past, but they have all but gone away entirely as of lately. What I usually get is a dislocated feeling between my hips and back. A shooting pain down my left leg. Or, radiating pain around to the front of my hips leading to the dislocated feeling of my hips and spine.
What I got today; Left lower leg to foot was numb the first day of hiking. The second day on the way home, the pain started to radiate through my leg. My foot was still numb. Now that I am home, my lower back aches something serious. I will probably take a quick anti-inflamitory to help ease any swelling along my spine.
My pack seemed to be properly positioned onto my back. It rested across my hips, and not my shoulders. I guess the extra weight on my hips agitated the issue.
Any one else deal with this?
Uncle Joe
03-13-2016, 13:17
I've dealt with it on and off. Several years ago a bulging disc started wreaking havoc on my sciatic nerve. Exercise and time largely worked it out. Recently I threw my back out again and have some residual sciatica from that and lingering low back pain. Stretches help. Get down on a flat mat and start doing some stretching. There's plenty of information online of what to do. Specifically, stretch your hip flexers and lengthen the mobility if your legs and hips. Ice your lower back. My doc once told me, "We used to talk about alternating heat and cold but really it's icing that helps so much!" Sitting is murder on your back too. Get up often. I know yours is a bit different as you have issues when hiking. Oddly for me, hiking and walking make my back feel better.
Puddlefish
03-13-2016, 13:43
Backs are tough because you have to exercise to get better, while it still hurts. Just ever so gradually, trying to find the line between improving it and doing more damage.
Find yourself a good, deep tissue CMT. I let a right hip go way too long before replacement, bone spurs grew as a result of bone on bone contact. My gait was really messed up and I had knots everywhere. Over time your body develops defense mechanisms to pain, these result in muscle tension, knots that have poor blood supply. A CMT can discover the areas of tension and release the knots. Combined with stretching, focused exercise, I went from not being able to stand in front of the kitchen sink for 30 seconds without pain to hiking in and out of the Grand Canyon after 6 weeks of intensive treatments.
A good CMT relies on technique rather than brute strength. Mine is 110 #'s soaking wet and her elbow can bring anybody to tears.
garlic08
03-13-2016, 15:36
I started getting those issues in my early 50s. My chiro told me there was nothing he could do, and recommended walking. I was a year or two between thru-hikes then, and hit the trail soon after the onset. The pain bothered me for a week or two, while I alternated between weight on shoulders and hips. A tight hip belt seemed to aggravate it. After a few months of a CDT hike, and pretty much continuous hiking since then including a hike of the AT, AZT, PNT, WT, CT and others, no more sciatica eight years later. Good luck with yours.
Gabbapentin is amazing medication for sciatic nerve pain.
I agree on stretching, weird, I was fine until Tuesday then BANG - left leg sore and numb down to foot & toes.
Had surgery 18 months ago, worked great - agree on hip belt, last hike I could not use it, had to depend on shoulder & sternum straps
Started back with Yoga stretches yesterday, CHECK OUT PERIFORMIS STRETCH. That one helps me a lot
Also bought a standing desk (Geek Desk), agree on sitting, not good for our spines.
denimlabels
03-13-2016, 23:38
Sorry to hear about your Sciatic issues. I had sciatic pain really bad for close to 3 years. At one point I wanted my leg to be cut off to stop the pain. Mine started on the lower left side of my back and radiated down my leg to my foot over the course of a week. Then all the pain was central to the back of my lower calf muscle.
Near the end of the 2nd year of dealing with daily pain my entire leg including my foot just became numb. It felt like that for another 9 months and then dissipated almost completely except for the occasional pain "shocks" it went away after that. I think looking back that that the deep numbness was the beginning of the healing process for me.
If your pack is pressing against that nerve in your back I would figure out a way to avoid that at all costs or really lighten your load. Sciatica takes a long time to heal and very little to screw it up again. I have been pain free relatively speaking for almost 5 years now. You just really have to nurture those nerve areas until they completely heal up.
In my case pain medication did very little to help the problem. It only caused more problems by masking the pain my body was trying to tell me about. Sciatica is a horrible thing to deal with. But from what I remember, when that numbing feeling came is when it was starting to get better and finally did 100%. My advice, dont press your luck.
firesign
03-14-2016, 01:09
Hey guys
So I went on a small backpacking trip this weekend to test out some of my new gear relatively close to home. The trail was mild graded, and only 3 miles to the campsite. Yet, my back issue was spurred into existence for the first time in a few months.
I have had sciatic issues in the past, but they have all but gone away entirely as of lately. What I usually get is a dislocated feeling between my hips and back. A shooting pain down my left leg. Or, radiating pain around to the front of my hips leading to the dislocated feeling of my hips and spine.
What I got today; Left lower leg to foot was numb the first day of hiking. The second day on the way home, the pain started to radiate through my leg. My foot was still numb. Now that I am home, my lower back aches something serious. I will probably take a quick anti-inflamitory to help ease any swelling along my spine.
My pack seemed to be properly positioned onto my back. It rested across my hips, and not my shoulders. I guess the extra weight on my hips agitated the issue.
Any one else deal with this?
Sorry to hear about your back. I would suggest an MRI scan or you will never really know for sure what is causing the leg pain. Hopefully your problem will be muscular and not mechanical. If it is the latter and you have a disc protrusion in the L4/L5 or the L5/S1, then providing the disc bulge is not too grsat, then the following exercise may be of value:
Lay face down on the floor in the pressup position, keeping your hips on the ground, slowly push up to arch your back and look at the ceiling whilst breathing out and relaxing, hold at the top position for a couple of seconds and slowly back down. Repeat 20 times, 3 times each day. The concept behind the exercise is to slowly push the disc back in between the vertibrae and away from the sciatic nerve.
The MRI scan is the most important solution to your problem.
Best of luck
Herniated discs here. S1 nerve root, verified with MRI during the second bout. It was bad enough that my achilles reflex was gone for a while the first time. You can't fake that and the other guy's auto insurance company decided to compensate me for loss of work and medical costs without going to court. With the second bout caused by improper lifting aggravating the old injury, I could not lift my left leg off the bed due to paralysis in one muscle. The surgeon said, "most of the time, these problems often get better." But the paralysis bothered him a good bit and he wanted to operate. Once the pain broke and the paralysis was only partial, I decided that I would wait a good bit before considering surgery. He wasn't sure that was a good idea and told me that if it started to get worse, to come back quickly. It is easily possible to do permanent damage to a nerve with compression.
For a few days the first time, I could not stand up for more than a few minutes due to pain. The second time, I slept on my back on the floor with my lower legs in a chair, after taking Vicodin. The MD was very reluctant to refill the Vicodin until they saw the MRI. You can't fake an MRI, either. Both times, a chiropractor recommended exercise helped me a good bit.
Lay on your back with both knees bent. Alternately pull one knee up against your chest and pull it hard with your hands clasp below your knee. Hold it for that way for about a minute, then do it with the other leg. It puts the spine in traction. This is a good long term exercise. I believe that it should be harmless for everyone. I used to do it on my lunch hour in my office, or in a vacant conference room when I did not have an office. Another exercise is to sit in a chair with arms. Place your hands on the arms and hold yourself up with your arms straightened so that your back side is lifted off the chair. Let your spine relax as much as possible. That stretches the spine. The therapist referred to it as auto-traction. I did that multiple times a day sitting at my desk. You can feel the relief as the compression is removed. I used a gravity swing for a couple of years. I would hang inverted for 5 to 15 minutes. That can help a great deal. If you decide to buy one, get one that puts some of the load on your legs, rather than putting all of the load on your ankles.
Over two decades, my back pain has gotten quite infrequent. I did 90 miles on the AT in November without back pain. The long term persistent symptom is involuntary movement of many small muscles in my left calf. One will twitch, then a second or two later, another. It goes on all the time. I cannot feel it and do not notice it unless I watch to see the movement. It is due to permanent damage of the nerve root by compression.
Learn to lift properly.