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charris0n
Nov 1, 2008 - 12:33AM
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Sever sciatica pain...cant sleep!
Ive got severe sciatica pain going on thats suddenly got worse last 24 hours. Doctor gave me tramadol this morning which doesnt seem to be helping pain much.
Im lay here in bed unable to sleep.
Anyone else out there?
Miserable x
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Ann
Nov 1, 2008 - 4:49PM
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Re: Sever sciatica pain...cant sleep!
Hi there,
I can really empathise with the issue of lack of sleep...it was one of the very worst things for me when I had LBP and sciatica. If your sciatica has been going on a while then suddenly got worse I would have said see your Dr but it looks like you already did that. I dont know what you have tried to relieve your sciaitca?
There are a few things i personally have tried which you may want to look into. We are all different but hope some of this helps. I am sure others will have ideas for you too.These are the things which helped me the most.
From my personal experience you need to tackle things on several levels. You need to try to sort out the pain, get as comfortable as possible in bed and try to get to the root cause of the pain.
As I was unable to take any pain killers that were strong enough I relied on heat on my back when awake to help me with that,but not in bed for safety reasons, I also used a TENS machine which helped some. I used heat thoughout the day and TENS about an hour before bed- again not while in bed.
I tried a memory foam mattress as although our bed was fairly new I just couldnt get comfy once I got back pain. I found the memory foam topper very helpful. If you try one make sure you get one with a money back guarentee as they dont suit everyone and you need to give it a few weeks trial to know. I wouldnt give up mine now!
The thing that really helped me long term was to correct the muscle imbalances I had which for me it became clear were the root cause of my pain. I used "Lose the back pain" product which is specific corrective exercises you do at home based on determining which imbalances you have. You also get support from Steve to help you. Personally, It took about 3 weeks for me to start noticing less pain which of course helped with sleep and eventually I became pain free.It is so important to correct any muscle imbalances you have.You can research it more on the website. I am so glad I tried it.
The position you sleep in may be a factor as well. Have you tried sleeping with a pillow between your knees when lying on your side or under your knees when lying on your back? Also try placing a small towel under your hips to give added support.Most people seem to not recommend stomach sleeping.
In addition I hadnt slept well for so long I became tense every night knowing I was in for a long sleepless night so a friend gave me the tip of playing relaxing music or meditation music while in bed; the idea being to relax more deeply and hopefully drift off. It didnt always work but I feel it helped me be less tense and by relaxing more did help with sleep as well.
Anyway just some ideas for you to research. You may well find you need a combination or even some different things as well to sort the root cause of your sciatica. The main things that helped me to eventaully get rid of the back pain were and sciatica were Lose the back pain and water therapy combined. Heat and TENs for the pain and relaxation techniques/good sleep positioning and memory foam for sleep time.See what others suggest here as well. Then you need to assess what you think will suit you to try.
Hope some of this helps. Take care.
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Izabel
Nov 6, 2008 - 2:33PM
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Re: Severe sciatica pain...cant sleep!
Ann, what is TENS? I think I overdid the exercises or stretches yesterday, I feel as it someone has pounded
my glutes with a 2x4...And I did take a Epsom salts bath last nite.
I found the Sleepzyme a good sleep help.
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michael Migdol
Nov 8, 2008 - 11:55AM
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Re: Sever sciatica pain...cant sleep!
I am in the same boat! I usually fall asleep then wake up, like clockwork, at 2:30 AM in extreme pain! This is the most horrible thing that I have ever had to deal with. I usually fall back to sleep around 5am. When I wake up in the AM the pain is brutal! after being up and moving around a little, it gets better. Steve advised me to work my hamstrings and glutes, which I am but the siatica doesn't seem to be getting better. Granted it's only been a week, but when can I expect to start to feel relief?
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Ann
Nov 8, 2008 - 4:10PM
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Re: Sever sciatica pain...cant sleep!
Hi there Izabel,
You can look it up for more details if you google it but TENS is short for Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation,so you can see why people just call it TENS!
It is an "application of electrical current through the skin for pain control" (APTA, 1990). Usually the unit is applied to the skin by use of sticky pads with electrobes that emit the current. You can control the intensity of the current on the unit. I started with the lowest current and increased as I needed to.
There are contra-indications, for example areas of the body you should not use it and people with certain conditions who should not use it eg epilepsy, pacemaker users and I think during pregnancy. Always best to check with a doctor first if you have any conditions.
I found it really quite helpful to give me a break from the pain and help before I went to bed, but I know others for whom it has not helped. We all react a bit differently. Good to try out one first if poss.
Michael, It took me about 3ish weeks using LTBP to notice a real difference in pain levels and then it just improved really quite a lot from there.
I was in so much pain and had been suffering for quite a long time in pain before I started the program I just had to take it real slow and easy. Took me a while to get my body back in balance. Other people have had different results. For me it was slow but steady improvement and was undoubtedly the thing that helped me the most. Go easy and at your own pace. Wishing you all the best.
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Kristi
Nov 8, 2008 - 4:40PM
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Re: Sever sciatica pain...cant sleep!
Have you tried stretching out your piriformis muscle. It is a short muscle that lays directly on top of the sciatic nerve. If this muscle is tense it can add A LOT of pain and pressure to the nerve. The piriformis muscle is responsible for moving your leg out. If you are sitting with your knees together, by pointing your toes out to the side, while pulling your knee out to the side.........that is the piriformis muscle. Try pulling your knee and toes inward to give the muscle a stretch. If your doctor approves of the stretches you could also lay on your back and pull your knee across your midline. This will stretch the muscle out even more.
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Izabel
Nov 8, 2008 - 4:42PM
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Re: Sever sciatica pain...cant sleep!
Thank you Ann for your info. Your stress on "slow and easy" is I think a good thing for me to remember.
I use the RELIEF rub for pain, it works for me, also a belt with magnets feels good. I sleep quite well with the Sleepzyme, after a Healing Pad session.
There is an establishment in Fresno ( I am close to it) that offers a new and specialised decompression treatment, and a testing if it is advisable, which is free. However for decompressing one disc the fee is $3000.00. Prohibitive, I will not even go for the test. Am waiting for the book from Amazon ( forgot the name of the author) on the Body and Mind healing program.
This forum is a great support system.
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Joey Simmons
Nov 28, 2008 - 2:09PM
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Re: Sever sciatica pain...cant sleep!
Have you ever hear of or tried a bed board? They just stiffen the sleeping surface. I have never experienced what you have, but it helped for my lower back pain.
www.vitalitymedical.com
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mystey
Dec 12, 2008 - 6:36PM
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Re: Sever sciatica pain...cant sleep!
micheal i know exactly what your going through my symptoms were the same it got that way if i had a big day at work i didn't want to go to bed because i knew would wake up at 2 o'clock in pain and the same sleep at 5am was lucky i started work most day's at 1 pm. i had spinal fusion and that releived the sciatica. unfortunately my back is still weak but i can sleep now without waking up in pain. i'm not saying that's the answer but i had dreadful foot pain for years and that was gone immediately after surgery. but i'm still terrified it will come back. been 2 years now so far no foot pain.XX
