Dealing with sciatica

Anybody have good tips on dealing with sciatica?
I tend to get it in my right leg, glute down through my thigh to the knee or so.
I stretch before and between sets, drink water, but not sure what else I can do.
No problem with my left leg though, which I find strange, but I'm certainly no expert on it.

Have you seen a chiropractor or have gotten a massage yet?

what kind of throne do you have? Sometimes the hard edge of the seat pinches the sciatic nerve. I get the pain from sitting on a bad car seat while driving. Maybe shift your position to the back or to the other side of the seat. Cheap thrones cause problems too so opt for a better one, if possible or if necessary. If you can use a chair, try that a see if you still get the pain.

Two things cause sciatica: A bulging disc impacting the nerve, or nearby bones (such as in your hip) getting spurs which impact the nerve. Either way, it's something that a doctor should look at.

My sciatic episodes are due to bulging discs and take about two days to two weeks to resolve. When my back muscles are actually spasming I can barely move, and so if I happened to be scheduled for a gig I have to cancel. In the aftermath of an attack, I deal with the lingering nerve-caused pain with prescribed gabapentin and over-the-counter ibuprofen.

I recommend slow stretching, yoga and decompression (i.e. inversion table) as good preventative measures. Work your core and make it strong and it lessens the chance of a back episode.

I'm a certified personal trainer, although I suppose that doesn't mean much to the disinclined.

Anyway, try making the piriformis stretch into a regular daily routine. Do it on a table. Add the Birddog and Deadbug exercises if you can get motivated enough.
See a doctor. You might need meds to lower the swelling.

Anybody have good tips on dealing with sciatica?
I tend to get it in my right leg, glute down through my thigh to the knee or so.
I stretch before and between sets, drink water, but not sure what else I can do.
No problem with my left leg though, which I find strange, but I'm certainly no expert on it.

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If that's a pic of you in your avatar, I would suggest trying some other sating positions.

alparrott said:

Two things cause sciatica: A bulging disc impacting the nerve, or nearby bones (such as in your hip) getting spurs which impact the nerve. Either way, it's something that a doctor should look at.

My sciatic episodes are due to bulging discs and take about two days to two weeks to resolve. When my back muscles are actually spasming I can barely move, and so if I happened to be scheduled for a gig I have to cancel. In the aftermath of an attack, I deal with the lingering nerve-caused pain with prescribed gabapentin and over-the-counter ibuprofen.

I recommend slow stretching, yoga and decompression (i.e. inversion table) as good preventative measures. Work your core and make it strong and it lessens the chance of a back episode.

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Amen to this.
I've had 3 back surgeries since 1998 because of that stupid disc issue. Last one being a fusion in 2005. I wish I never had the 1st surgery.


" Work your core and make it strong ."

Best advice I've ever seen on this (or any) forum.

T.

1) See a doctor to make sure it's not related to something like diabetes or injury that needs immediate attention.

2) Yoga can literally work miracles and I've seen it do so with a buddy who is just a big guy and has had back problems including numbness for most of his adult life.

I had a mild version of what you described. Changed to Roc n soc throne and everything magically got better.

jdhardrummer said:

I had a mild version of what you described. Changed to Roc n soc throne and everything magically got better.

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Totally! Spend more than US $150 on your throne and your back will benefit.

I bought one of the memory foam pork pies and can play for 4-6 hours without pain. On my old sub $100 tama throne I was slowly developing back issues and couldn't play for more than a few hours at a time. It's hard to tell often because middle of the road thrones will feel "good" when you sit on them but aren't as good after a few hours.

See a doc, and get to a good Physical Therapist, and I mean a good one. They will fix you up, and give you regimen to keep you out of trouble. Stretching and core strengthening.

Yoga.
https://yogainternational.com/article/view/7-poses-to-soothe-sciatica

First you need to figure out whether extension exercises are better than flexion. Look into McKenzie method.

http://www.mckenzieinstitute.org/patients/what-does-it-involve/#step-3

Definitely get checked out by a doctor. An MRI is a good idea to see what is happening with the spine, discs and nerves. I broke my back and lacerated a disc back in the 90's and after years of trying to manage it by improving flexibility, I found strength training with weights improved my back problems more than anything else. IF your core is like jello, like mine was, then you'll need to work on that.

YMMV on different approaches, of course, which is why I say see a doctor. It was a spine specialist who advised me to add strength training and to be careful with yoga...not because yoga is bad, but because doing it with poor form can make a chronic injury worse. Finding the right course for you and sticking with it is the key. Making small changes to daily life along the way as you become more aware of whats happening with your body. New throne, tweaking how you sit on the couch, how you stretch, even what you eat.

Something that has helped me is losing weight, weight training (which includes doing abs twice a week), and Pork Pie drum thrones with Roc n Soc backrests. I do whatever it takes to avoid the doctor. Also, I use a chiropractor from time to time. If you go this route, find one who only uses an activator. No popping and cracking. Just my opinion.