Sciatica and exercise.

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scaye103092
scaye103092 Posts: 48 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
Hey everyone. ~26 here and looking to lose some weight and get back in shape. I go to the gym when I can but 3 days a week I cannot go. I’ve been living with sciatica for 9 years and it’s the number 1 reason I stopped exercising and ended up gaining weight as my diet didn’t change along with losing my ability to work out regularly. I’m just looking for support and tips from my fellow sciatica sufferers or people who have any advice to give! Everything I find online is about stretches (I’m far past this; 4 years of PT did nothing. I need surgery) and suggestions to do low impact cardio. What I would like to do is sit-ups/crunches, push-ups, planking, etc type exercises. Any words or friendship/support you have to offer are GREATLY appreciated.

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  • NorthCascades
    NorthCascades Posts: 10,968 Member
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    Swim. :smile:
  • scaye103092
    scaye103092 Posts: 48 Member
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    NorthCascades wrote: »
    Swim. :smile:

    I would love to but I live in New England and don’t drive so it would be quite difficult to get to a pool :( there’s one in my apartment complex (main reason I chose this one to be honest) but I moved in too late to use it last year and they closed it for renovations this year! Sucks because I’m basically a fish if I can get to water lol
  • NorthCascades
    NorthCascades Posts: 10,968 Member
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    I'm sorry. :disappointed:

    Can you walk? It's not the most glamorous exercise in the world, but it can loosen your back up (maybe, hopefully?) and the calories add up over the course of the day.
  • Seffell
    Seffell Posts: 2,222 Member
    edited September 2018
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    I have sciatica too. Walking.
  • sytchequeen
    sytchequeen Posts: 526 Member
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    I have a few back issues, sciatica being the least of them
    What I can tell you is not exercising makes it worse.
    Walking is my “go to” daily activity, as is core strength exercise.
    Good luck
  • dragon_girl26
    dragon_girl26 Posts: 2,187 Member
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    Walking, although I can't stress enough having good walking shoes. When my shoes start wearing out, my back definitely lets me know it!
  • jasondjulian
    jasondjulian Posts: 182 Member
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    I had severe sciatica. It was so bad that a couple times a year I'd be laid up on the couch, stuck, for about 2 weeks at a time (off work of course). Thankfully at the time my wife could take care of me. I was quite literally immobile, as any movement, even rolling over on the couch caused such severe pain I'd be screaming and crying.

    Turns out it was all caused by twisted tailbone. My D.O. informed me of this, then untwisted it. Why did it get like that? Because I was overweight by a good 70lbs. The extra weight on my skeleton couldn't be supported without something giving in. That was it.

    After about 16-20lbs loss the problem starting to take care of itself... by 30lbs down, resolved. It's been almost 60lbs lost and a years time, so far so good.

    Might want to assess this with your dr. and see if additional weight loss would help, and/or if you may be experiencing like I did, a twisted tailbone that directly affected the sciatic nerve bundle.
  • MikePfirrman
    MikePfirrman Posts: 3,307 Member
    edited September 2018
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    Tai Chi. It's as gentle as swimming and very easy on the back/knees. It's also been proven to help with chronic pain.

    The flowing movements will help stretch your back, keep it looser and also you burn (albeit not a ton) as many calories as yoga. It will also strengthen your core. Many of the positions are done in a gentle mini squat.

    My wife did it when she came down with Fibromyalgia (and the chlorine in pools caused her to have serious pain flares -- many with Fibro also have MCS -- multiple chemical sensitivity and the pool made her much worse). She had to give up water aerobics and this was a fantastic, gentle alternative.

    Since you mentioned stretching didn't do much for you, here's two studies that said Tai Chi was much more effective than stretching in 20 something women and men.

    https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4047231/

    https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25931717

    https://www.spineuniverse.com/wellness/exercise/tai-chi-harnessing-power-body-mind-combat-back-pain
  • Fflpnari
    Fflpnari Posts: 975 Member
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    Walking and Chiro
  • jilliow
    jilliow Posts: 13 Member
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    Pilates (to strengthen back and core) and foam roller help tremendously. I like Gaaim’s Pilates Conditioning for Weightloss, but there are Youtube videos if you don’t want to spend the money on a DVD

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