Sciatic nerve pain

Experiencing my first bout of sciatic nerve pain. If you have this you’re going to find doing anything difficult let alone shoot or move fast. I have found some exercises to help relieve the pain. I hope you never experience this.

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Been there, done that! Some times it’s more than just a pain in the ass. When it makes you immobile, it’s too late!
Laminectomy 1993! Haven’t been the same since, but I had no choice! Those exercises are part of the rehabilitation process and continue to this day!
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Not something you can ignore! I spent a year with chiropractors until one day, it put me flat on my face, I’d fallen and I couldn’t get up. Crawled to a phone, that’s the last thing I remembered!

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It’s said growing old ain’t for sissies. This is proof positive that its not.

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When I was in my mid 40s it happened to me also. In my case was because I carried a thick wallet in my back left pants pocket. I pinched the Sciatic nerve and I was bed ridden for about a week. No cure for it. The doctor prescribed muscle relaxers. It didn’t even show up in x-rays. After a couple of weeks of taking the muscle relaxers it healed. But that pain was rough and if you made any sudden movements it would shoot a sharp pain up your back to your neck. Moral of the story is don’t carry a thick wallet in your rear pocket. If you sit on it long enough the same thing can happen to you.

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I have been dealing with this issue for the past few months. Mine came from carrying a thick wallet also. I have definitely been doing some stretches to ease the pain. @William191 Thank you for sharing this. So many people deal with this and don’t realize what is going on.

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At 63, I’m better now than 40 years ago, at least as far as sciatica goes. 4 ruptured discs, 9 compressed, 7 broken ribs…but bet nobody else ever did a triple endo followed by a quadruple rollover in their car and survived, eh?
Couldn’t feel my legs for 3 years, but damn my back killed me…then the pain spread.
Total about 6 years of chiropractic, walked out on the neurosurgeons and quit the demorall, codeine and other crap they had me on, and refused the surgery. Found that rest was the WORST THING. Had my x-rays on file with the state, and went from a career in construction to one as an aerospace inspector.
Keep moving, walk, run, light to moderate weights, heating pads, stretching, electrical stimulation, inversion table, glucosamine, omegas… it’s a 24/7 treatment these days, but turned out to be a blessing in disguise perhaps. I definitely learned to slow the eff down behind the wheel, and realized years later that my wife (gf at the time) was a keeper…
Reading the above posts…yeah, my wallet has been going in the front pocket for 43 years now…

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What do you guys do to have a thick wallet? Mines always really thin. Martial arts, specifically Jiu Jitsu have been the best thing for my abused back. I was the strong bad ass iron worker in my younger days, now I understand what the ole boys were talking about.

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@Mike164
They did not make those minimalist wallets back in the days. I had an old leather wallet and i kept bills and cards there all together. Now I carry a Trayvax wallet which holds all my cards and it is nice and thin and carry less cash with me.

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OR think of it this way, A guy pulls a gun on you and takes your wallet, what does he end up with? What do you actually need to carry in your wallet day to day?
I am not looking for a response of self-defense but a question of what you are offering them without needing too. Your Social Security card? SOCIALIST! CCL? OOPS!!
I just brought this up because wallets were being talked about!

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@Johnnyq60 had the same thing happen to me, I bent over to tie my shoes and next thing I’m on the floor crawling slowly to the bedroom, lasted about a week just like you said, (large wallet) It still flares up once in a while then I’m doing stretches for it. Have a good one. Al

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@AL34
And it only gets worse when you reach 50 :man_facepalming:

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and it happens at the worst random times.

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30 or 40 years ago I stopped carrying my wallet in my back pocket because I could feel my back starting to hurt. I now keep my wallet in a front pocket.

I found another stretch not mentioned in the video that helped me. It’s another figure 4 stretch. Laying in bed flat on your back. Take the sole of your left foot and place it on the side of your right calf keeping the bent knee on the bed or floor. If you experience pain, don’t force it. Move the foot down to your right ankle. Repeat 3 or 4 time to a count of 15. Then switch legs making the figure 4.

I’m not a doctor and make no claims to be. Never stretch into pain. Back off to just before the pain to stretch. I’m going to a doctor today and I advise you to as well if you can.

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I read a post of a guy that carries two wallets. One with drivers license, credit cards and such. Another cheap used wallet with a $20 in it. Ifnever asked for his wallet, he plans to toss that one out and run away quick.

Stretch and exercise some each day because if you get sciatica, you ain’t going anywhere quickly. I spent 10 minutes trying to lift a leg yesterday to take the next step. I literally couldn’t move an inch from the position I was in.

Work trained me in Apollo Root Cause analysis and have been thinking about how this happened.
1- bad work shoes. I could feel my left foot becoming sore
2- this might sound funny but I was constipated for a cpl days and had to strain very hard to have a bowel movement putting extra strain on the lower back.
3- not taking a break in those bad shoes. My feet were hurting and I kept on going.
4- sitting in a chair that didn’t give proper support.

Taking some left over pain pills to stay ahead of the pain so I can walk into the doctor’s office later on today.

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You’re most welcome. I only know because I watched my mom and brother go through this. Didn’t think I would because I stayed active. Then I retired and became sedentary, less active and didn’t know what to do with myself.

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@William191
I will definitely try that figure 4 thingamajig because I never heard of it yet alone used it. Thank God I have not suffered from Sciatica in a while but it is good to know.

Thanks
JohnnyQ

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Thank you. I’m going to try this out.

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