Exercise and back pain...

urbansyn

Hi everyone, I'm after some advice. I've never been a serious exerciser but have always been pretty fit - did zumba, a LOT of walking, some runs, that sort of thing but I got sciatica about 6 months ago and haven't really been able to do anything. I still walk as it helps the pain but even this has slowed right down and doesn't feel like exercise.
Does anyone have any suggestions for something I could try?
Thanks in advance

pinkraynedropjacki

Walking. I have sciatica as well as my disc injury and walking helps heaps. Got to get that damn nerve moving & get the fat away from that area in order for it to stop pressing on it. Works for me anyway.

63lab

generally,just moving around helps.( for me anyway) sitting or sleeping too long just seems to aggravate it.

shandi_b

I have a couple of compressed discs.....sciatica was something that I suffered from on a regular basis....sometimes I could barely move, each step woul cause the "shooting pain" and I livedon anti inflammatory tablets like volaren. I've been much better since doing clinical Pilates. (the classes I do have an instructor watching you like a hawk for correct technique and a maximum of 4 in a class).

marniekerr

Chiropractor. Nuff said.

CalamaD

Swimming and spin. Good luck!

__Di__

Chiropractor. Nuff said.

Only problem is, Chiropractor can cost a lot of money and the person will often need a course of treatments rather than just the one visit, it can turn out expensive.

OP try cold compresses on the affected area for 20 minutes at a time, that's what I had to do when I had a bulging disc in my disc, it was that that was pressing on the sciatic nerve. The cold compress shrunk the disc and stopped the pain.

urbansyn

Yes, moving definitely helps, think I'm just down this week as I've barely been able to...I've been for physio and am waiting on an appointment with the back clinic at the hospital so with any luck they'll be able to point me in the right direction. I have a few stretching and inner abdominal exercises from the physio that I'm still trying to keep up with but the weight gain has definitely not helped. I gained nearly 3 stone in the last 6 months and have only just started to shift a little...
I never thought about spin, will look into that one, thanks

danibodani

I feel your pain. I hurt my back last Dec (no idea how) and it turned out a had a bulging disc in the L4/5 region - ugh I also had an issue with a vertebra joint. Sitting was impossible especially since I am in school and have to, but the best relief I had was with walking. I saw a chiro' for 6 months at first 4x per week, then 3, then 2 and finally was allowed to start exercising again.

It is important to strengthen your core as it'll be weak. Pilates and yoga will be good for that. I found the elliptical at the gym was a great step up from the walking and really didn't irritate my back too much. When I started trying to run again, about 3 months ago, I could barely run 2 km without being in immense pain. I persevered and can now run 10 km without issue.

I would recommend seeing a chiro' or Physio if you can afford it and then keeping your body moving.

Wol5894

The reason for most sciatica is your overall posture, which is something you must pay attention to at ALL times. If you are not sitting or standing with the proper curve to your spine (this is the natural curve, known as the lordosis), then you can get into all sorts of trouble.

I have chronic back pain, not because of bad posture but because I had a car accident 25 years ago. I have found the very best exercise is swimming, usually breast stroke or backstroke, although I also do crawl as well. The important thing is that if you lie out flat (preferably on your back so that you can breath!), the water "holds" your body in the correct place for your posture. Take time to lie still like that for some minutes and make a conscious effort to detect how that "feels" in terms of where your back, legs, hips and shoulders are. Then try standing up in at least chest deep water and copying that "feeling". This way you will get on your way to correcting your posture.

Next start to do the standing in shallower and shallower water, until finally you can replicate the correct posture when you are on dry land so to speak. It takes time and it takes patience and you do have to be very aware of how ANY movement affects the way you stand or sit but it IS possible to do.

In the meantime, there is nothing to stop you swimming, except the lack of a place to swim!

The other thing I do is Pilates. Now OK, this is not cardio but what is DOES do is strengthen the core muscles around the base of your spine that actually hold your body upright. Again, it takes some effort to get the technique right and for this I would definitely advocate going to some proper Pilates classes to begin with. However, if you do it properly, you will notice a difference inside 2 or 3 weeks to the way you stand, sit and walk because also Pilates teaches you to pay attention to this and to correct things that are wrong.

Only once you have got all postural problems under control can you start introducing more strenuous exercises.

I swim, do Pilates and I do aquaerobics - the latter is aerobics but performed in chest deep water, so you get a good workout because of the water resistance but you also protect yourself because the water takes the weight of your body "bouncing" on the floor, as you might do with conventional cardio. See if your local pool has a class and give it a go - it's great fun!

Hope some of the foregoing helps - I am virtually painkiller free after years of pain, so it is worth the effort.