[Steve Barnett (Carpet Care Plus)]

My limited experience of chiropractors is that they are robbing quacks !

We could learn a lot from their marketing techniques.

My osteopath usually sorts me out in one half hour session, it's not her fault that I then spend the next 18 - 24 months lugging carpets up stairs and porties in and out of vans.

Chiropractors want you to sign up for 6 - 10 sessions and never solve the immediate problem.

Again, this is only my experience.

[Shaun_Ashmore]

I have simular problems Steve, I have to weigh up purchases of machinery based on weight sometimes so the TM is an ideal scenario, after years of keep fit like you from weights to running it takes it out on your shock absorbers, I've used  chiro's, otheo's, accupuncture, hypnotherapy, thing I can recommend is a vibration plate, it won't cure you but 10 mins in a morning before work 'prepares' your joints like a good warm up.

A friend of mine swears by Yoga, feel for you and ffs don't take a hot bath!

Shaun

[Neil Williams]

so the only advice i can give is keep moving.

I'm one of the worst for sitting around doing nothing, even on a Caribbean holiday I spent more time wind surfing, diving, playing beach football than lazing around, so when my bad problem kicked in I just kept moving around. Perhaps that's what helped.
Like I said earlier and Derek touched on, sitting in the van was worse than actually doing the job.

[chrisjohn]

Steve

Go and see your GP,get a sick note for the two weeks you are off.Contact benefits agency,and they will go through a claim with you.Takes about half an hour.It not alot of money,but you've paid your taxes mate.Its what ure owed.Its about £70 a week.

Chris

[The Great One]

I first damaged my back about 15 years ago, lifting a huge roll of carpet.

Since then it pops every 18 months or so - half hour at the osteopath, £35, a day off work and I'm right as rain until the next time. This sciatica is different, it's a nerve problem, it's being compressed by an inflamed disc.

Trouble is, once you get a weakness in your back, you've got it for life.

I'm 50 next year and the worrying thing is, there will be a price to pay in later life for all this manual labour.

Hi Steve

Sorry got to totally disagree with you here, a bad back doesn't mean you are in pain for life, I have made a 100% recovery from a prolapsed L5 disc in march of 1999.

I was paralysed down my right side from the top of the pelvis down, spent 6 weeks on my back, ate my food off the floor like an animal and after 6 weeks i looked like the wild man of borneo!

After 6 weeks i was walking around like a 90 year old Neanderthal, had 15 Physio sessions, useless, my back was really sore and I couldn't even touch it with 1 finger. While travelling on the train to London I read about Ginger (500mg caps) it is a powerful anti inflammatory, took some everyday, 1 week later it was like a miricle, no infalmmation, it then took 1 year of sports massage therapy to get me pain free and swimming.

over the years there has been bouts of pain and setback but for the last 5-6 years I have had no pain whatsoever, no painkillers or treatment and the cure for this was deadlifting in the gym, slowly at first but now I can deadlift 120kg with no pain, it has really strengthened my back, I can also run 6 miles in 6.50 a mile.

So a bad back doesn't mean a life sentence, you need the right treatment.

Also your sciatica might not be from the discs at all, your Piriformis muscle (located in your bum) can put pressure on the nerve and give exactly the same symptoms. the piriformis is located  about 4 inches in from your hip on both sides where the cheeks dip in, push there and see if it hurts, if so go get it massaged and see if that helps.

Good luck

Martin

[Steve Barnett (Carpet Care Plus)]

Hi Martin

What you went through puts my current predicament to shame !

Perhaps I didn't explain myself too well when I said you have a weakness for life.

My normal problem is that L2 and L3 displace, one session to pop them back in and I'm fully fit and strong as an ox - until it happens again. This can be anything between 1 and 2 years, in between I have no pain whatsoever.

The daft thing is, when I cause the damage say by lifting something awkwardly I feel no pain - it's usually a day later when I bend down to pick up the newspaper that my back goes.

[wynne jones]

Martin mentions something that I have first hand experience of and may help you too Steve. I had sciatica and also severe knee pain and couldn't work at all. I went to GP and got all the brufen/rest fob off they usually give you and did a bit of surfing on the web whilst laid up.

I tried a few 'alternative' approaches to no avail, but then I read about trigger point therapy. I thought I had nothing to lose and had a dig around and like a total miracle I found this tender spot on my backside LOL I jumped through the roof but when I stood up the knee pain and the sciatica was gone. It was a muscle knotted up and therefore shorter that was irritating the sciatic nerve and causing pain at the insertion point at the knee!

Try sitting on a tennis ball and find any tender spots.

Give it a try you have nothing to loose.

Also look at other things you do, it all adds up and compounds the effect. Do you slouch, how do you sit, drive etc.

[derek west]

Hi Martin

What you went through puts my current predicament to shame !

Perhaps I didn't explain myself too well when I said you have a weakness for life.

My normal problem is that L2 and L3 displace, one session to pop them back in and I'm fully fit and strong as an ox - until it happens again. This can be anything between 1 and 2 years, in between I have no pain whatsoever.

The daft thing is, when I cause the damage say by lifting something awkwardly I feel no pain - it's usually a day later when I bend down to pick up the newspaper that my back goes.

i get that steve all though since carpet cleaning it hasn't happened, touch wood.

i remember loading a transit full of boxes from top to bottom, no problem, then went back to the van to find something, had to stoop to see towards the back of the van and twang. serious pain, so bad that its near impossible to breath in and out.
but like i said, its not happened since i started carpet cleaning, so i must be getting fitter in my old age. ish.

[Shaun_Ashmore]

People think carpet cleaning is a brainless job sometimes actually a SE cleaner is active in body and mind forever looking for new customers and adding new machinery and techniques which keeps you fit.

Shaun

[Doctor Carpet (Ret'd)]

Well I'll add by ha'peth of medical quack info/sob story.

As some of you know I still have part of a tumour growing inside my spinal canal. Many of the nerves to my lower body are still growing through the centre of the tumour. So apart from ongoing mild sciatica which I control with pain killers I'm thankful that I can still move at all.

I think the reason why it can be worse sitting down is that you can easily lose your lordosis. Essentially this is the natural concave your spine should have when standing but all too easily lose when you sit down as you tend to slump with your lower back now being more convex. In a convex position the discs put more strain/pressure on the nerve.

Hope you feel better soon, Steve.

Rog

[Carpet Dawg]

Hope the back gets better soon and for ever Steve.

Back pain along with tooth pain are two of the worse.

Tony

[The Great One]

Hi Martin

What you went through puts my current predicament to shame !

Perhaps I didn't explain myself too well when I said you have a weakness for life.

My normal problem is that L2 and L3 displace, one session to pop them back in and I'm fully fit and strong as an ox - until it happens again. This can be anything between 1 and 2 years, in between I have no pain whatsoever.

The daft thing is, when I cause the damage say by lifting something awkwardly I feel no pain - it's usually a day later when I bend down to pick up the newspaper that my back goes.

Hi

Weaknes for life? Never!  

It was a life changing injury (had a chest infection half way through it, coughing fits that had tears rolling down my cheeks)

I was fully employed when it happened and they ended up taking £836 off me even though they promised to pay me in full (management discretion)

So after hurting Physically & mentally, they were also hurting me finacially.

That set me on the course to self employment as the only person who was going to take care of me was me. So I started looking at self employment and have been since 2000.

Also when you get 'manipulated' this actually causes mico tears in your supporting muscles and your supporting muscles are actually in trauma supporting the injury, that trauma has to come out and the deep tissue massage will sort that out for you, a sports massage therapist will get in as deep as you can stand and will be able to see if indeed the piriformis is putting pressure on the nerve, shoud be tender if you push your thumb into your ass cheeks.

Another way to check is to stretch the area:

Lay on the floor on your back, 1 leg out straight, one leg up with foot on the floor. Put the leg that is up over the straight leg and put the foot back on the floor next to the knee on the other side of it, slowly lower the bent knee to the floor, your body will slowly twist over to the side and that will stretch out your piriformis, you will certainly be able to feel it!

Do that slowly for both sides, one side may be tighter than the other, so if the left leg is bent you lower to the right side, until you can touch the floor or as close as you can get without over stretching.

It's an easy stretch to do and will tell you straight away if indeed that area is tight, you wil also stretch the hip and lower back area but nice and slow though.

Martin

[Hilton]

I agree definitely light weight training building up slowly but nothing too heavy.

I have had similar problems for years until I started this and strengthened the lower back muscles among others, now its very occasional and only light which I can deal with.

That feeling of not being able to get out of bed in the morning, cant turn one way or another we can all recognise although not as bad as some it would take at least 14 days to ease off and through that some how you had to work, just walking was a killer with your body lob sided so causing other problems.

Now if I feel that dreaded twinge, I know at least I can function until it slowly eases.

By the way has anyone read Dr Ali's back book  http://www.drmalishop.com/index.php?cPath=65&main_page=product_info&products_id=330  ....... if you havent get one its a real eye opener.

[darren_metcalfe]

Spot on that Martin.  I suffer with mild sciatica and go to a physio.  She really works the piriformis and I also do that stretch you mention.

I only get it when I get in a few miles on my bike.  Almost feels like a hamstring pull.

Hope it sorts out soon Steve.

Darren

[Small but perfectley formed]

I suffer from this on the occasion ,
this is what i do have a bath the hottest you can stand lay in this for 10 mins to allow muscle to warm then do strecting like a sit up eventually this releases the trapped nerve .
Repeat every day

[clinton]

Sounds like its more common than we all think this condition.

A good ideas and seems dif things work for dif people.

[fitz2kleen]

After nearly 30 years of fitting and 15 years of cleaning, I've had my fair share of ailments. Particularly, slipped discs and burstitus in my knee.

But nothing compares to the pain I have now with sciatica.

Imagine a slipped disc, torn hamstring, pins and needles in your foot and someone sticking a knife in your butt cheeks - all at the same time 24/7. If I cough, the pain down the back of my leg is so intense it makes me shout out in pain - what a big girl's blouse !  

I wouldn't wish this on my worst enemy !

I've just come back from the Osteopath and I have to go again on Friday. She has advised me to take 2 weeks off ! Easy when you say it quickly like that isn't it.

I've postponed all of this weeks work but I've got to work next week or I am going to run out of month to earn any money.

Anyway, that's my whinge for the day - at least I can catch up with entering details into my database.

you have my sympathy Steve, I suffered with sciatica many moons ago when i was carrying my daughter.
Have you tried using a tens machine?
I have a crumbling joint in my spine and while it doesnt cure it does make life more bearable.

Trena

ps thought id better sign this one in case any of you had an image of Marc walking round pregnant 

[fitz2kleen]

Trouble is, once you get a weakness in your back, you've got it for life.

I'm 50 next year and the worrying thing is, there will be a price to pay in later life for all this manual labour.

Have to agree with that Steve, mines from years of nursing when we DID lift patients in n out of bed day in day out.
These days they wont even help you to get comfy in bed after surgery without spouting about manual handling and running for a hoist.
Theres a lot to be said for it.

Trena

[brian willis]

had the same in feb very busy for me went to osteopath waste of money in the end went to see a physio she sorted me in the end lasted 12 weeks though well worth the money sound now.