Posted on 08/29/2015 7:18:38 PM PDT by Maine Mariner
Some medical advice from Freepers is sorely needed.
About two weeks ago I twisted my lower back and the result sciatica. I have been taking 3 200mg of Advil and 2 300 mg Tylenol every six hours plus alternating between an ice pack (wrapped in a towel) and a hot water bottle. I have also been doing some exercises several times a day as recommended by my physical therapist. So here it is Saturday evening and I am in a lot of pain. What is so discouraging was today at about 2 pm for a couple of hours, I was pain free. Any suggestions will be appreciated.
Valium is an excellent muscle relaxant and is underused for this purpose. Ask your doctor.
When I have sciatic pain this exercise gives me some relief. Sit upright in a sturdy chair, but sitting on the end of it. Take your right leg and rest the ankle on the left knee,(so you are forming a triangle). Take your arms and push down on your right knee.
Tylenol (acetaminophen) will rip up (destroy) one’s liver, especially in those big doses. Be aware of this. Any alcohol makes it way worse. Good luck.
Tylenol says no more than 4000 mg a day, but I wouldn’t want to take that much acetomenophen.
Sounds like you may be pushing it, Mariner. Read the fine print on the bottle.
Have you tried Naproxin sodium (Aleve)? Or simple aspirin.
Inflammation of a nerve bundle takes a while to go heal. As the healing process continues, you may have times when you feel pretty good. Then the swelling around the healing nerve root occurs again due to stress and over use. This could go on for 6 to 8 weeks before the area completely recovers so don’t worry. The swelling may come and go for a while before adequate healing is finished. Ibuprofen is good for swelling and tylenol is for pain so you’re doing everything right. Don’t be discouraged. Just remember not to over do it on days where you feel less pain.
There is another component to this exercise which is while stretching find the muscle on either side of your belly just under the belly button and try flex each one alternatively.
After taking pain pills without much relief for all those years, this simple exercise helped me to pain pill free!
Sciatica can be caused by inflammation, pulled muscles, or bone anomalies. It can be simple to fix, or complex.
Go see a chiropractor, have him x-ray your lumbar region for slipped or compacted discs. He may be able to adjust it and bring near instant relief. I would start with this, and hope for the easy adjustment fix.
Friend of mine had this. Short term take 800 mg ibuprofen as needed. Helps with the inflammation and relieves pain. Knocked his pain out. Tylenol is no good for this.
Long term use of ibuprofen will affect your kidneys and tylenol will hurt your liver.
He had me sit in a chair, lean over, and he sprayed I'm assuming refrigerant on my back then rubbed the center of my spine briskly. He did it several times in a row then told me to get up. It stopped it then and there. I haven't ran into anyone else who knows how to do it. But I understand it is common practice for trainers to use this in football when someone comes off the field almost unable to move and a few minutes later is back out. I can't remember what they call it but it worked. Other than that for duration of pain I highly recommend using a cane.
Please see a medical doctor as soon as possible which means a visit tonight to the nearest Urgent Care if open or an ER.
While your new experience of much worse pain might be due to your pre-existing back pain, it also could be any number of other conditions, including a few that would require urgent attention.
Please see a doctor now.
No one is too young nor too healthy to be immune from the sudden occurrence of potentially catastrophic medical conditions.
If it turns out that an ER doctor tells you tonight that your new and worse pain is (only) due to your existing back pain getting worse, you can ask the doctor for recommendations of safe dosage levels for OTC medications and/or a prescription strength anti-inflammatory medication.
Prayers for your healing and good luck!
How far down you nerve is your pain? Is it running down your thigh?
Thank you for that advice. I have been using a cane and it helps. Walking also relieves most of the pain
See a chiropractor. Lose weight if you have belly fat. No sugar. No grains.
I had sciatica a while back and still have a fairly sketchy back (herniated disc). I found that an inversion table was quite helpful in getting the sciatica under control. Since then I’ve had to stretch every day or my back will go south. Also it is best to keep the core muscles strong (abs and lower back). Until you are out of extreme pain, you won’t be able to exercise, but once you have it under some control, exercise is a good idea.
btt
I had similar pain back in the 70s. I found relief by pulling myself up on a swing set. Just taking some of the weight off the lower back.
I have seen a well respected chiropractor three times-some relief. My doctor recommended seeing a PT for a few visits.
I will probably ask for X-rays on Monday.
How old are you? What are your symptoms? What city are you in or near?
Muscle relaxants can be very effective. They’re available OTC here in Canada but I’ve heard that they’re prescription-only in the USA. Ask your doctor for something containing methocarbamol (Robaxin) or chloroxazone (Paraflex). I’ve found Paraflex to be more effective but Robaxin doesn’t make me as drowsy.
In order to break the cycle of pain equals more tension equals still more pain, you need a muscle relaxer in addition to the pain killers and the ice/heat.
I have a standing prescription for Flexiril, a rather mild muscle relaxer that works wonders.
Please see your doctor and ask for a muscle relaxer.
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