Overcoming Sciatica (The Truth About Back Pain)
Do you suffer from back pain?
Most of us do at one time in our lives, and it’s no laughing matter. My back pain started with sciatica which just got worse and worse. Doctors told me it would pass and to keep popping the painkillers. It didn’t!
I tried everything from hot and cold compresses to weird ointments, sticky heat pads, fish oil, yoga, the list goes on and on, but nothing helped.
I tried chiropractic and physio, pushing through the pain, complete rest, you name it. However, the spasms in my lower back got worse and that’s not to mention the red-hot poker shooting through my right leg.
This isn’t a post full of overnight miracles which will have you running a marathon by the end of the week, it just doesn’t work like that. If you’re lying flat out in agonising pain, I really know how you feel and trust me, it does get better!
The only advice I would offer is don’t allow doctors to fob you off, insist on a referral. I didn’t and it took eighteen long months to find out what was wrong with my back. During that time I felt like a complete fraud, moaning constantly and getting more dependant on family to do even the simplest things.
Back pain gets much worse if you are feeling stressed. The pain and frustration of not being listened to and conflicting advice causes tension in the body which equals only one thing….MORE PAIN!
If you have never suffered from back pain, just a few short words of advice…
TAKE CARE OF YOUR BACK
Here’s a short poem I wrote about Sciatica, it does help to have a sense of humour, but that’s easy to say with the benefit of hindsight.
Sciatica
I’m a slave to sciatica
It’s a pain in the butt
And all down my leg
And into my foot
It’s worse in winter
With the cold and the damp
It grasps my muscles
And holds like a clamp
The pins and needles
Are such a pain
And I’ll never feel
My toes again
The red-hot pokers
Shoot from the hip
I try not to scream
Just bite my lip
I’ve tried the ointments
The spray and the rub
I’ve drank tea made
from a herbal shrub
But nothing works
So I just carry on
Hoping one day
My pain will be gone
No other person
Can comprehend
How it feels
When you can’t bend
The mornings are worse
My legs are like lead
As I try to uncurl
Like a snail from my bed
I’ll do my exercises
And keep on track
But I think I will always
Be a slave to my back.
Kate Hanford
What is Sciatica?
The sciatic nerve is the longest in the body. It runs from the hip, down the leg, and into the foot. The pain appears when a bulging or herniated disc puts pressure on the sciatic nerve.
My Tips
Don’t sit for too long, move as much as you can (even if it hurts ).
Warm baths with epsom salts are a lifesaver.
Try alternating between hot and cold compresses, changing every twenty minutes.
Helpful Products
This is the only muscle rub that works for me. It has anti-inflammatories which are applied directly to the area where the pain is worst.
This electric heat pad gives an instant soothing relief which works better than any painkiller.
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