skibum4ever
Angel Diva
So I've had sciatica symptoms since May and have been really suffering since the end of July. The final straw may have been the hard fall I took on my butt on our last weekend of skiing.
I started with PT which wasn't helping. After about a month of frustration and serious pain, I transitioned to a pain management clinic. This is not a clinic where pain killers are prescribed - just the opposite. It is a clinic which attempts both to provide relief and to fix the root cause of the problem. Sciatica has many causes and none of them are fun. They use PT, chiropracter, massage, acupuncture, TENS, and lidocaine shots. They do not prescribe any form of steroids or painkillers.
I finally had an MRI on Monday and will discuss it with my doctor on Thursday or Friday. A preliminary report shows damage in the L4/L5/S1 area of the back. Just what this means to my continued activity and even my coming ski season is yet to be determined. I have been frequenting Sciatica Forums rather than Ski Forums this summer. My weight is up and my fitness level is down. So I need to FIX this as soon as possible, and hopefully not through any sort of surgery, however non-invasive!
I've been doing better for the last week or so, and am cautiously optimistic that the pain will be reduced shortly to a level where I can function adequately. I have been hitting the gym and the pool, and have just started walking. I'm slow and I'm using a lightweight walker, but I meet a lot of very nice neighbors that way.
My question is - if you have successfully dealt with sciatica, how long did it take to cure and what did you do? If you are currently dealing with it, what are you doing? What is the root cause? How much physical strength did you lose while you were/are dealing with it? And have you skied with it, and how did you do? Did you do any special strengthening exercises in order to cope?
A lot of questions at this point. I hope that all who have been recovering during the summer are doing better, and that the snow gods are kind to all parts of the country this season.
I started with PT which wasn't helping. After about a month of frustration and serious pain, I transitioned to a pain management clinic. This is not a clinic where pain killers are prescribed - just the opposite. It is a clinic which attempts both to provide relief and to fix the root cause of the problem. Sciatica has many causes and none of them are fun. They use PT, chiropracter, massage, acupuncture, TENS, and lidocaine shots. They do not prescribe any form of steroids or painkillers.
I finally had an MRI on Monday and will discuss it with my doctor on Thursday or Friday. A preliminary report shows damage in the L4/L5/S1 area of the back. Just what this means to my continued activity and even my coming ski season is yet to be determined. I have been frequenting Sciatica Forums rather than Ski Forums this summer. My weight is up and my fitness level is down. So I need to FIX this as soon as possible, and hopefully not through any sort of surgery, however non-invasive!
I've been doing better for the last week or so, and am cautiously optimistic that the pain will be reduced shortly to a level where I can function adequately. I have been hitting the gym and the pool, and have just started walking. I'm slow and I'm using a lightweight walker, but I meet a lot of very nice neighbors that way.
My question is - if you have successfully dealt with sciatica, how long did it take to cure and what did you do? If you are currently dealing with it, what are you doing? What is the root cause? How much physical strength did you lose while you were/are dealing with it? And have you skied with it, and how did you do? Did you do any special strengthening exercises in order to cope?
A lot of questions at this point. I hope that all who have been recovering during the summer are doing better, and that the snow gods are kind to all parts of the country this season.
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