Suffering With "Sciatica" and Worried It's Not Getting Better?

Dublin CA

28 June, 2021

9:54 PM

Description

"I've been suffering with sciatica for 6 weeks now, and it's showing no signs of getting better.  It initially felt like a "tooth-ache" in the back of my hip, but now its shooting all the way down my leg.  I can't sit for longer than 10 minutes without severe pain.  Every time I try to bend over to tie my shoes or brush my teeth, the pain shoots down my leg to the point where I just want to cry" - Mina, 48 Livermore What is sciatica, and why does it hurt so bad? Sciatica is condition that develops from agitation and inflammation of your "sciatic nerve" which is the longest nerve in your body, that runs from your lower back all the way down your leg.  The most common source of sciatica comes from a "herniated disc" (also known as a bulging disc, or slipped disc) in the back, which can compress the nerve root and shoot pain all the way down your leg. My client, Mina had been struggling with back pain on and off for the past several months... As she tried to work her body back into shape after a year of locking herself down at home, she started to notice the "long term effects" of: Working at home for longer hours than she ever had before Taking care of 3 kids (while still working full time)Unable to attend her usual exercise classes at the gym As a result, her pain started to get much worse, to the point where she was struggling doing simple things around the house, such as getting out of bed, or putting on her pants.  "Doctors told me I had a "herniated disc" at my L5-S1 vertebrae. They told me to rest, take muscle relaxants, and do stretches and exercises. Nothing has worked. I've tried stretching my hamstrings, sitting on tennis balls, and even tried an inversion table, but after a couple of weeks I just stopped doing everything because I was scared I was making my condition worse"  Why was this happening?? You see, the "tricky" thing about sciatica is that it "feels" like a "muscle pull" that wants to be stretched.  But the thing is, the "tightness" is actually coming from a pinched nerve in your back... And when you "stretch" that tight muscle, all you are doing is actually creating more tension on the system, and it overloads your back with stress.  Even though you might feel "temporary relief" from stretching, over the long haul you will actually make your injury worse.  If stretching doesn't work, then what SHOULD I do for sciatica? What you need to understand about sciatica, and "herniated discs" is that your body CAN heal from this condition, as long as you create the right conditions and environment so that it CAN heal.  And in order to create this "environment" for healing, you cannot just focus on treating the "symptoms" of pain.  Instead, you must focus on fixing the underlying problems in your body that is at the SOURCE of  your pain.  What do I mean by the SOURCE of pain? You can choose to believe it or not, but everything in our body is "interconnected".  And for Mina, working with us through our Balance and Body Sciatica Rehabilitation Program we focused on 3 main areas. 1. Unlocking her tight "hip flexors" Years of sitting at a desk created muscle tightness in the front of her hip, showing her the "right stretches" reduced her pain by 40% after the first week 2. Releasing a year's worth of "muscle tightness" Over a year's worth of "inactivity" caused her muscles to get very stiff and achy, which made it initially very difficult for her to move and exercise. Using our "myofascial release" techniques, we were able to release chronic "muscle knots" and stiffness along her spine, which made it much easier for her to exercise and move with MUCH LESS pain.  3. Doing the right "core exercises" Mina had been told that she needed to "strengthen her core", but the problem is, most of the exercises were hurting her back.  Instead, we showed her how to do the "right" exercises, properly, which helped her re-develop the strength in her core to support her back, and keep pressure off her disks And now after focusing on these 3 areas, within just 6 weeks, Mina's pain has reduced by 80%, but more importantly, she felt like her body was finally starting to feel like it's "old-self" again... "I was so scared in the beginning when I couldn't even get out of bed without help.  But now I can do everything I need to around the house and my pain has actually gone down.  In fact, I feel like if I keep doing this, my back is going to feel better than it has in years!" Are you living with, or worried about someone suffering with "sciatica"? If so, and if you are in need of some help, we are now taking applications for our "virtual back and spine rehabilitation" program Click here to apply for one of our FREE Sciatica Consultations We will start with a first, initial "discovery visit" which is a free consult to ensure that we are a good fit for each other before we proceed.  Sincerely,  Kevin Mao Doctor of Physical Therapy