Desperate to shed my baby weight but hit by sciatica

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cazmania1984
cazmania1984 Posts: 3
in Introduce Yourself
Hi everyone,

I'm desperate to shed my baby weight after having my three children.
As soon as xmas was over last yr I thought enough was enough and I'd get back to the gym etc.
The very day I was planning on signing back up, sciatica hit me hard.
I've suffered on and off for yrs but this time its not shifting.
I'm so desperate to loose weight! I struggled at 12st 4 for ages, now I'm stuck at 11st 6.
I want to get back down to 10st and feel fit.

Will going to the gym help with my sciatica? I've seen physio, chiropractor and gps.
I'm on very strong painkillers and I'm still struggling to walk or stand up straight.

Thanks guys, any advice would be great.

Replies

  • ninerbuff
    ninerbuff Posts: 48,704 Member
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    I have mild sciatica down my left leg. For me it's bothers me more when I don't exercise. You should try to see a physical therapist to get some idea of what exercises you can perform.

    A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
    IDEA Fitness member
    Kickboxing Certified Instructor
    Been in fitness industry for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
  • debbiesats
    debbiesats Posts: 65 Member
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    Hiya - sciatica is truly horrible - been there, done that.

    If your goal is to drop weight you don't need to exercise, eating at a deficit will do it.

    Please be very careful about exercising - if you're in touch with your gp, physio etc then ask them what you should do.

    Not that many qualified people on this site and even fewer who can assess your condition without meeting you, happy to share what helped me though.

    When I had bad sciatica I found that the exercises I was given by the physio, swimming and minimising the time I spent sitting helped a lot. Traction really helped me too but that isn't always appropriate or available.

    Most of all though be careful - you can have worse problems than sciatica. I ended up with a partial cauda equina - disc pressing on a whole other bundle of nerves as well as the sciatic after a car accident - took emergency surgery then months of gradually building up exercise to regain sensation in my feet, legs, bum and lady garden, not to mention control of my bladder.

    Good luck with your weight loss and hope your sciatica eases soon :flowerforyou:
  • dlionsmane
    dlionsmane Posts: 672 Member
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    Mild chronic sciatica here to. However, I have lost all of my weight by a calorie deficit. I knew I was not going to get big burns with exercise. It has been slow and not by any means linear but overall 46 pounds in just over a year.

    Check with doctor or PT to see what you can do - they may find you some stretches you can do to relieve it.

    Personally - I walk and lift for fitness and use a calories deficit to lose weight.
  • brianeweston
    brianeweston Posts: 2 Member
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    A few things has helped me.

    1. I never sit still for more than 15-20 min without getting up and moving around
    2. I regularly do sciatica stretches
    3. I take Arnica 30C on a regular basis
    4. This thing if I have to sit for long periods of time: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B004CUHJSK/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pC_nS_ttl?_encoding=UTF8&colid=32XBQ81XHP4NR&coliid=I3NGXLTFQ47JAO&tag=donations09-20
    5. Moving, walking, exercising - pain or not. I fence, do exercise classes, etc.

    Finally...
    The Chiropractor has helped greatly!
  • techgal128
    techgal128 Posts: 719 Member
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    My sciatica is mainly trigger by excessive walking. I would definitely exercise and perhaps do some yoga. Strength training is important as well and definitely do low impact exercises to start with.

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