Anyone else got sciatica?

I was rear-ended at 70mph while 14 cars down at a red light back in 2013. Mainly neck and arm issues, few epidurals in my neck, etc..... Now my herniated disc is acting up in my low back for the past 40 days. It is like a tooth ache from the back of my knee to the small of my back on the right side.

I take acupuncture every two weeks to get it functional. Waiting for epidural in my back, slow boat to China with that. I can't take Naproxen after having boatloads stockpiled of it as I bleed internally from it. Just Tylenol as they try never to give you pain killers any more.

How did it work for you?

I have been researching inversion tables for my sore back - people with sciatica like them apparently. Take a look at them on Amazon for more info. Hope you feel better without the poisons.

I got GERD and a Hiatial hernia real bad, haning upside down might do me dirty. Plus I would need a big table, I did lose 30 lbs but I am still very tall.

I went to a chiropractor early after the accident and towards the end, he put me in traction for the neck.

I did see this traction butt board on infomercials as of late though.

My dad has had Sciatica for years now. He's 70 years old.

He has gone through various pain killers (non-opiates) and I think he takes...... fuck I can't remember the name. I've seen the bottle in his house a hundred times and think it starts with an "S". It's definitely not Naproxen or sodium-naproxoen (whatever that shit is called). He says it helps but I still know he is in pain a lot of the time. I can't even count how many times I've seen him try to get off a couch then he yelps and freezes and I feel so bad for him.

One thing he's done these past 6 months, that has seemed to help him A LOT is losing weight. He went from around 300lbs down to 240 and that has helped him a lot. He now exercises every day. Not intense exercise. He takes it very lightly but he pushes himself through it. And he says exercise and losing weight has helped him more than anything.

Problem is, he also has degenerative disc disease. So no matter what he does, his pain will get worse and worse as the years pass by.

If I was in his situation, being the crazy / stupid person I can be, I would personally buy a few lbs of kratom tea online and use that on an AS NEEDED BASIS. Kratom is legal to buy in the US but many people are trying to get it banned since it's highly addictive, and it feels and acts just like opiates.

It is the most foul tasting shit you will ever put in your mouth, but it will numb up your entire body, it can be a bit stimulating and it's very good at killing pain. IME, 1/4 cup of strained leaves feels like 80-100 mg of codiene. If you blend the leaves down to a powder and eat it in yogurt it's much stronger and lasts much longer.

Acupuncture, imo, is just hokey pokey snake oil bullshit. Same as homeopathy. Any improvements you think you're getting are purely psychosomatic (I know you'll hate me for saying that but nothing will change that belief).

Pain problems suck but I don't really know to say.

A lot of people hate the stronger pain killers but since I've been on a low dose of suboxone for years.. I already have a physical addiction. The shit is 40xs stronger than morphine but gives you no high or euphoria. I use a very low dose of it just cause it keeps me away from the "fun" opiates. The more dangerous ones that kill people.

So those would be my 2 recommendations.

Experiment with kratom tea but do NOT take it on a daily basis or you WILL get hellish withdrawals.
Or, if the problem is so enduring and does not go away, if it's really messing with your life I'd just hop on suboxone.

Good luck either way,

-BB

Yes, I recently pulled something in my lower thigh that seems to run up through my back and the pain sucks. Its like a shocking pain that runs up your leg to your back it sucks!

At first they gave me Lyrica and also Amitryptyline for the Constant migraines from smashing my head against the roof in my mom's car the was wrecked. The tricylic worked fast to reduce the migranes and headaches. But I gained 30 lbs and would eat everything in sight. They throw anti-convalescents and tricylics at people to see what happens before giving out narcotics anymore for fear of abuse.

I did well with Naproxen for a bit, but I have had ulcerative colitis for almost 20 years. Within a few months it would make my whole GI tract bleed. If I take it for 2 days the bleeding starts up again. I have it stockpiled from the Nuerologist, The osteopath, the trigger point pain mgt doctor, and the epidural pain mgt doctor.

I switched the Amitryptyline for Topamax and lost weight, and had no appetite. I asked for the Ami back as well and now I have a solid weight and appetite. it also controls my colitis besides my acupuncture.

Yes, I had a SI joint injection. A corticosteroid medication is also injected. This strong, long-acting medicine reduces inflammation and provides pain relief over an extended period of time. I believe you can get 3 injections within a 6 month time frame. It did help for a while.

Got it from deadlifting wrong 2 years ago. My back is 90% up and running, one thing that I recommend the most is foam rolling your entire back. I still squat and deadlift with no back problems.

Insurance company is denying a needle in my lower spine plus an x ray. Have to appeal. When I take the pain killers I feel like laying down, not really sleepy or tired. But want to lie down and relax when if driving, that is no good.

Take the meds only at night.

OP, how old are you? Current BMI? Have you seen either an orthopedic surgeon or a neurosurgeon? I presume you've had an MRI? What'd it look like? Can you describe your symptoms in a little more detail for me? (one side or bilateral; how far down does the pain radiate; what activities make it better or worse; etc) What type of insurance are you on? Why are they denying an xray? Seems odd. Are you doing a pain pump trial?

Find a good chiropractor. Lot's of ice.

It is an auto accident in NJ that is already being sued for, takes years. Insurance companies don't want to pay for anything. They saw a had a hernaited disc from the accident way back in mid 2013. They said go back to work after all the whiplash and soft tissue injury stuff.

Had to move stuff in my shop at the end of November and since then every day got worse and worse. Just driving kills me. The roads are all messed up from being dug up for the utility over the past two years.

It is almost always on my right. Like a tooth ache in my ass and leg to the knee and rarely goes to the foot. Hurts when I cough or sneeze in that spot. Is either excruciating or a toned down throb like a tooth ache.

L4-L5 is where the herniation was found 18 months ago via mri. I am 39 super tall or was 6'11" 280 now down from 300, used to be heavier from the headache meds from earlier in the accident. I smashed my head on the roof as the driver who smashed me broke the bench seat I was buckled into.

So when's the last time you saw a doctor (not a chiropractor, not a acupuncturist) for this? I'm not understanding how they wouldn't have at least said, "hey, this guy has an acute disc herniation at L4-5 following a traumatic injury, his pain isn't just musculoskeletal, we want to do x, y, and z."

Maybe I missed it, but have you tried Gabapentin (Neurontin)?

You're 39. I'm assuming you don't have any major medical comorbidities? I'd be very inclined to operate on someone who's failing medical therapy at your age, because you've got a long time ahead of you. Do you smoke? (I ask because smoking inhibits bone fusion, and many surgeons will flat out refuse to do an elective back surgery on someone who is an active smoker.)

I see a doctor for the car accident with the auto accident insurance. I saw the osteopath on Thursday who sent me first thing Friday to the Pain management guy.

My normal doctors don't want to see anyone in a car accident cause of the wait to get paid, the multiple insurers trying to pass the buck to each other and the delay to the pay to the caregiver.

I don't smoke, nor do I drink. Cost too much money.Have not had a smoke in 6 years at all. I used to walk everywhere cause I had high blood pressure and could yammer on the cell phone. Broke my knee just over a year ago slipping on ice, still walked but it does slow me down. The back pain does limit my walks at best I go around the block or the next block.

I was prescribed lyrica by the trigger point doctor a year ago, but he left to the practice or was thrown out, he was in with a Neurologist. I had compressed nerves in my neck arms and shoulder. But the car insurance had the threshold on it, which means soft tissue means nothing instead of being able to sue for your hair hurting.

Had headaches and saw a different neurologist who gave me amitryptyline and then topamax. The first drug made me blow up 40lbs over a year. Now my migranes are controlled.

I was having epidurals in my neck before I broke my knee, which left me not to have any shots until it got fixed. I hobbled along on crutches with the bad knee that were too small max 6'6" given to me by the doctor and 300 lbs and I find I have a shoulder impingement type 2 now. Further postponing the needles.

Now, I go back to work and aggravate my lower back and they just want to close the case with a low ball offer.

I think what I'm not understanding is, you sound like a good candidate for surgery. Obviously I haven't seen your films. Surgeons should be jumping at the chance to schedule you because back surgery = $$$. This discussion probably doesn't need to happen out in the public eye, feel free to PM me if you'd like, OP.

sully1975 said:

I got GERD and a Hiatial hernia real bad, haning upside down might do me dirty.

Click to expand...

Ginger has made a huge difference in my hiatal hernia and acid reflux. Boil it in water and drink it. Add sugar and lemon if you can't stand the taste.

Got my first epidural in the back and in the tailbone earlier today. Will update how it goes. Doesn't really hurt like the second time they did my neck.

Had a third epidural for my lower back and they snuck in a shot to my tail bone for some ganglion thing. Worked for about a month or so.

They gave me some nerve test in my legs that flared my sciatica up AGAIN! Felt like an electrified ball point pen with jumper cables and a DieHard Platinum. They saw that I was in pain but were more amazed that I bitched about my right side over my left. Evidently my left is destroyed and has low sensation if at all.

Got a second MRI last week after 23 months to the day of the other one. 3 bad discs in the neck and three bad in the back.

Trying to throw me to surgery and I have never done physical therapy. Was thinking of a neck pumper and maybe one of those tilt traction devices. Trying to feed me Back patches of Butrans along with muscle relaxers. Before I was on oxycodene with something added, basically a generic percocet.

Now my pain isn't matching nicely where it should be from and yet another spinal needle raping of does it hurt here? How about here?