Back pain, Sciatica?

I've been diagnosed with sciatica, which is worse while sitting. The only relief I find, which is limited, is with hydrocodone medication. Seeking other sufferers with any advice. Thank You, Jeff in GA

Hydrocodone can ruin your life. Read the research. It's highly addictive and doesn't treat the cause. Now, you may be in such intense pain that using it is your only relief for a few days, but watch out for that monkey because once it gets onto your back it does NOT want to let go.

Get physical therapy. Lose weight if you need to. In my case, the key to treating sciatica was four nights of muscle relaxers and the initiation of a yoga habit daily (it's addictive too, but in a good way! I haven't had the problem for at least seven years now). In my case, I noticed when it would flare up it would be relieved by stretching my hamstrings and calves (you'd think it'd be the back, but the trouble started in the hamstrings - where the gluteus maximus met the hamstring, to be precise).

Also, make sure your shoes are giving you good support.

I had that very badly when my car was broadsided and turned in the other direction while she ran a red light.

I tried chiroprac- very very bad, tried physical therapy -not good.

The only thing that worked for me and gave me more mobility than I ever had was acupuncture - with a certified therapist - who requires the primary doctor's referral. She provides updates to the primary care physician.

It gave me mobility and I can't believe how this was the only thing that stopped the very bad pain, and now I just go for maintenance about every other month, because now I can walk and get out of a car, and do lots of things that I could not do.
GOD bless.

Massage can help to alleviate the symptoms of Sciatica. Often times it's due to the piraformis muscle, deep beneath the glutes (your butt) squeezing the sciatic nerve. In most people, the nerve actually runs right through this muscle, so if it tightens, the nerve 'lights up'.

Do you put your wallet in you back pocket? This is often times the cause of Sciatica because the pressure from the wallet, when sitting, applies nearly direct pressure on the nerve.

If you do get massage, you also want to have the therapist pay special attention to the quadratus lumborum (QL) muscles which fan out from your lower lumbar spine. This is where the Sciatic nerve originates and descends down through the body from there.

Well Jeff in GA, if you can find the plant ' lobelia inflata ' growing wild, you can harvest the leaves. Strip them from the plants and put them into a large garbage bag. When you get home take a couple of huge handfuls of leaves and put them into a screen strainer and wash under cold water. While you are doing that put about a smidgeon more than two quarts of pure water on to boil. By the time you have cleaned the leaves in the strainer the water should be boiling. Put the leaves into the pot of boiling water for about 30 seconds then turn down the heat to simmer for about 10 minutes. Strain the mixture by putting an old white t-shirt over the pot and into a pour container. Make one cup and drink it over about 20 minutes. What will happen is that you can have a couch made of concrete and when you sit on it, you will think it is the softest couch you ever sat on. Why? Because lobelia inflata is the strongest natural muscle relaxer in the world. And any of the tea that you don't drink can be refrigerated and heated up later as you need it. Be at ease.

Depending on the actual cause of your pain, strengthening your core muscles would help, providing a little relief to possible total resolution. Conditioning your trunk muscles (abs, back muscles) gives your spine support, which will (hopefully) relieve pressure on the sciatic nerve. If you're carrying excess weight, losing weight will help. Whatever you try, take it slowly and carefully. Sciatic pain has more than one cause, and you might ask your doctor what, specifically, causes your particular symptoms (ruptured or protruding disc? some sort of inflammation? etc.). I wish you well.

I also suffer from back pain and use that pain medicine,but what also helps is therapy.I hated it at first because it takes alot out of your day but I'm in constant pain and I also go to a pain clinic and that could be helpful to you to.Word of advice doctors always want to shrug off our pain but we live with it daily,tell them if your not getting relief therapy in time I promise will help,It wont solve it but will make it more manageable the hydros made me mean,so I tried real hard to do other meds but I was on those for almost 1 year and 1/2.I have a bulging disk and the pain i cant sometimes get up or down.Other people may say hey I'm ok I have this or that but remember each is different.I try not to move any thing heavy when I'm having a good day or bending over because it carries down my leg to my foot where it can get numb.I like the icy hot rub in between it helps,and doing things slowly now not such in a rush.avoid hard surfaces and trust me when i say try therapy if you want some of your life back ok,good luck to you and much good health!!