d45

Well I was putting together a BBQ grill and lifted the base and felt a little tweek in my lower back, didn't think much about it and then bam the next morning my right leg is on fire and lower back constantly hurts. Has anyone else had a sciatic pain before and how long does it take for it to go away? Never really had any back pain before so this is very unusual for me. 58 years old and now everything starting to break down, getting old isn't for sissy's!

Thanks Pete

OldTryGuy

OUCH Not me but wife. Plenty of online info regarding treating. Wife's first was in the 70's and still bothers her at times. Pretty sure you will get good resolution info from other cycling sufferers from here.

one tip....

DaveQ24

Yup, first time it happened I was at work, don’t even know I did anything to cause it, sudden excruciating pain radiating down both legs. It was slightly less horrible if I bent over 90 degrees - so I hobbled out that way, drove home in agony, took a bunch of OTC NSAIDS and Tylenol, spent a couple of hours trying to move enough to get myself to an ER. My sister came over and brought me either a vicodin or tylenol 3 - she had oral surgery about a week earlier, thank God fot that small favor - and it eased the pain enough that I could get in a car.

First time was the worst - tolerable pain, numbness 4-5 days. They gave me high-dose Ibuprofen, mainly to reduce swelling around the pinched nerve.

I’ve never gotten a definitive diagnosis. My lower spine is moderately messed up on the x-rays. True bilateral sciatica is fairly rare - my discs don’t seem to be that bad that the root nerve is compressed. It’s probably sciatica induced by “Piriformis Syndrome” - muscle compressing the nerves. Mine can attack one leg at a time or both at once. In my case, it’s nothing enormously horrible, so it’s irrelevant what the actual diagnosis is because treatment is all the same.

That was probably 15 years ago. Afraid it never entirely goes away. I had 4-5 painful bouts Wednesday night/Thursday AM from about 11 PM to 4 AM as a matter of fact. Jump out of bed from asleep with agonizing pain in one or both legs, cuss a lot, bend and contort to try and make it stop, struggle to get ibuprofen or naproxen and water. Generally lasts a few minutes, maybe 20 at its worst. Unfortunately when it strikes once, it usually strikes 3-4-5 times over about 4-8 hours. Heat, NSAIDS, water, stretching and moving about all you can do for it.

Sorry you had to join this particular club, it’s not one I recommend d to anyone.

bogydave

I’ve Been thru it,
Well , still in it after 30 years.
Therapy’s, Shots, surgery.
I don’t know if there is a perfect fix,
Just lessens the pain to make me functional
Some days are better than others .

I hang upside-down , which helps me.
Sitting here typing, I know it’s there,
right thigh down the calf,
the choice to sit & do nothing it out, so ...better health thru chemistry, ibuprofen is my friend.
Pain still there , just less, learned to live with it.

See a doc, some are fixable .
Good luck, keep us posted

berner

I think the video is quite good. I've found that when I am experiencing problems, it is due to a situation similar to yours; that is putting a load on a part of the anatomy that is misaligned. I've evolved movements that impose some sort of tension or traction to assist in regaining proper alignment. I can frequently hear a pop and instant relief. I also see a chiropractor regularly who pushes and pulls as necessary to regain alignment. On a daily basis, I do strengthening exercises, mostly core exercises but some for neck muscles. It is mostly the musculature that maintains alignment when we do odd twists that cause discomfort (pain). Good luck with your issues.

rm512

I went through this about 20 years ago. Tried many different approaches as mentioned above. This may sound silly, but what really helped me was to massage the ball of my foot. Right behind the big toe with heavy pressure, until it hurt. Did this several times a day and within a week, all the sciatica pain was gone. I found out about this after reading up on acupuncture. May not work for you, but I've never had a relapse.

downtube42

A spine is mechanically complex. Every injury is different, and there's no reason to expect your results will be anything like mine or anyone elses'.

Having said that, mine bit me at around 40. Months of treatment including physical therapy, electric stimulation, and traction did nothing. A partial discectomy took the edge off the pain, and over the years I've learned how to adapt.

These days it will flare up if I do something I shouldn't. It usually takes a week or so to subside.

See a doctor.

d45

I believe right now I will try anything, thanks for the tip actually taking my boot off as I type.


Pete

mapeiboy

It happened to me few years ago . I did not want to take any pain medication so it last from April till August . I can still feel the sensation from my left leg few times a day .

Cyclist0084

Same here. When mine flares up, usually two to three times a month, I'm always popping more Advil's than I should, but I have to move, so.....

Taking too many like I do, it will probably come back to bite me in the butt someday.

MidSouthBiker

I went through this about 6-7 years ago. I had some wear and tear effects between a couple lumbar vertebrae. I ended up taking one of those oral steroid packs where you take like 5 pills the first day, then 4 pills the next, 3 pills next day, etc. I forgot the name of the specific drug. That was followed with rehab in a clinic for a couple weeks. They then gave me some exercises to continue at home. I also bought an orthopedic roll type pillow for lower lumbar support while sitting in chairs and couches. I still use the roll. Thankfully, I have not had a recurrence.

jskash

I originally thought the pain I was experiencing was sciatica. I had the same kind of pain in my back and down my right leg. That was about six weeks ago. For the first week I was pretty bent over when trying to walk. I saw my general practitioner and physical pain doc. Had an MRI a few weeks later that showed I had lumbar spinal stenosis. I've slowly gotten a little better and can now stand for about five minutes at a time without my leg screaming. The epidural is tomorrow. Hopefully that will get me back to closer to normal. I did have to take 15 days off the bike as there was no way I could walk for more than a couple minutes at a time if I had a problem. I've ridden every day in February so far and have gotten back to my usual distance during my predawn ride.

PaddleFoot

When you see that TV commercial for laser back surgery, I have or had every one of those symptoms listed. I've been in pain most of my life and every day in the last years. Agony, even. Best thing for my back has been riding my bike a lot.

If you've never had back troubles before, it'll just be temporary. Welcome to the club.

Dan Burkhart 

I think I'm experiencing this now. Been going on for a few months. Comes and goes, but some nights, the leg pain keeps me awake.
It's worse after spending a day on my feet at my part time job at the bike shop.

Digital Gee

I was just going to post something in the regular forum about this when I found this subforum. I've had what I'd call mild to moderate sciatica in the right leg for over a year. It's usually just darned annoying, not debilitating. Haven't been cycling in a few years; getting ready to restart when the weather breaks and wondered about the impact of cycling on sciatica, and vice versa. This thread has been helpful.

d45

Well I'm glad to say, I have been doing the stretching exercise that was suggested on this tread and all my pain is gone. I continue to stretch every other day. So far work for me.

Good luck Pete

fietsbob

IDK sciatic my left pinky finger & half the palm has taken to tingling... losing sensation.. ring finger a bit less..