Left sided Sciatica pain- help?

lillypad13
lillypad13 Posts: 35 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
I am on the next to the last week of the C25k program. I absolutely love it, best thing I did was to begin it again after a 4 yr hiatus. I am running very slow, my breathing is not a problem, my knees and hips are not a problem at all this time around. I was fitted for shoes so I know that is not the issue. However, my Sciatica on the left side really hurts, is there anything that can be done to help with this? There must be!

Replies

  • Stripeness
    Stripeness Posts: 511 Member
    Talk with your doc or physical therapist. I've had severe sciatica that resulted in back surgery in '96, and this year did 4 months of physical therapy and heavy duty prescriptions due to another bout (my own fault - poor form lifting something heavy). It's not something to mess around with, and if you don't treat it properly, you can end up with chronic pain, even if the original issue is treated.

    All that said, my docs have always been very clear that my core has to stay in shape - and when I increase training for any kind of sport, I've gotta make sure core work also gets bumped up. And there's a bunch of exercises for core + stretching that my PT specifically assigned (in addition to whatever I want to do on my own).

    Take care of it! In a test of willpower, endurance, and sheer pigheadedness...your sciatic nerve will always win!
  • neandermagnon
    neandermagnon Posts: 7,436 Member
    I've had sciatica on and off for years..... sitting down all day makes it worse, exercising makes it better, however exercising with poor posture makes it worse. If it's been exacerbated by running, then I'd question whether you have bad posture, in particular the pelvis tilting forward a bit. Some exercises to improve core strength and working on posture generally may help. ALthough if it's severe maybe you should see a doc or physio before you do anything else.

    I'm not a doctor, this is from personal experience and also from the advice of a physio (who identified the poor posture/pelvic tilt issue in me getting sciatica). Also, I avoid sitting for long periods. In recovery from the worst sciatica (bilateral trapped sciatic nerve plus a trapped femoral nerve) which is when I saw the physio, sitting down all day made it far worse.

    With regards to exercise, especially if you do any kind of strenuous exercise like heavy lifting, be sure your form is excellent. Posture can be considered as form for walking and running.

    Hope that helps, if not see a doc.
  • lillypad13
    lillypad13 Posts: 35 Member
    Thanks guys! I hate doctors... But no avoiding it I suppose. I have to get this looked at.
  • DjinnMarie
    DjinnMarie Posts: 1,297 Member
    Its likely from tight glutes and hamstrings. Youtube yoga for sciatica, or stretches for sciatica. Getting your glute muscles to release should provide some relief.

    Also try rolling up a towel and squeezing between your knees while lying face up the floor, knees bent. This will help reset your SI joint which frequently gets stuck with tight glutes
  • Trueray
    Trueray Posts: 1,189 Member
    Your asking a bunch of ppl with their own medical problems?! Interesting.
  • alereck
    alereck Posts: 343 Member
    Go see a doctor, my husband has had pain for years and he needs to get shots direct at the muscle to get them to stop pinching the nerve. They will probably run MRIs and what not to make sure there isn't a bigger problem.

    I've had problems too especially after my second pregnancy, went to a doctor specialized in sports medicine and he told me to lose a bit of weight (I was 30 lbs heavier then) and to do strength back exercises. Since I started lifting weights it was night and day. I haven't had pain in over a year and I used to get it at least once a week, after sleeping more than 4 hours, or working 12 hour shifts, walking too much... anything would cause it. Now I have no problems, like I said see a doctor first to make sure you do not have a more serious problem but I do think that making your muscles stronger helps with nerve pain.

    Good luck

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