Sciatica

Has anyone had to deal with sciatica (themselves or family member)? My husband has it so we're looking for natural means of relief (or cure!). There's a lot of advice out there on the internet, but I'd really like to hear from someone with practical experience.

Leigh, if you have borage (Borago officinalis) growing on your homestead, or if you know someone that does grow it, you can try a warm bath with the leaves and flowers, it may offer some relief.  I have used it as a hot poultice for sore muscles.  Also could try a tea, as it has some anti-inflammatory uses.

The bees also love this plant, as I do, very nice blue flowers!


Peace

Ice pack/cold pack for about 15 minutes, followed by heat for the same length of time helps a lot.  This is a nerve, probably rubbing on something it shouldn't and can be miserable.  I have had it for decades from blacksmithing, mining, and construction.  Naproxin-trade name Aleve is helpful, but not a miracle cure either.  No such thing that i can find.

I bought an inversion table long ago and that does a great service if you pay attention to what your body is telling you.  Try Craigslist as they usually have some on there for not much money.  Take notes or photos if you have to take it apart to haul home.  Failing that i sometimes resort of feet up on a chair seat while lying flat on the floor.  Trick is to lie still and not move around.  Good method if you are not at home.

Chiropractors may work, but that gets spendy every time you are in trouble.  

Good luck with your back.  Irish whiskey helps too, but then you are worthless...

I have had sciatica for years, mainly due to scoliosis. The nerves in my low back are very pinched at times. The best thing I have found is to do a regular routine of stretching that keeps my low back warmed up and limber. I have had to use a lot of NSAIDs over the years, mostly ibuprofen. Lately, I do not need to use pain medications for the sciatica thanks to careful stretching. Most of the stretching I have learned is from either yoga or aikido. Sorry to hear of anyone suffering from this ailment. It is truly painful and frustrating. On the herbal side of things, I have been experimenting with stinging nettles and ground ivy (creeping charlie) as a tea. A little mint added for flavor. Can't say if it is effective at this point. If you don't mind the aroma, Tiger Balm, or anything like it, is also a good intervention to get a little bit of relief.

I used to get regular sciatic pain in my ankle, which I eventually resolved by getting rid of my old shoes (I now wear orthopedic shoes).  However at the time, I found that a 5 minute massage on my lower back on the same side as the ankle (for me it was the left side) before bed meant the pain was gone in the morning.  My husband was thankfully willing to give me a massage most evenings at bedtime.  There was no particular back pain, but when he massaged the right set of muscles in my lower back, the pressure/relief would radiate all the way down my leg.  

I am a nurse, and deal with sciatica patients all the time. All I can say is do your best to avoid the opiate drugs. They are short-term fix for a long-term problem, and people end up needing more and more as the time goes by. With all kinds of nasty side effects. Tylenol, Ibuprofen, Icy-Hot, Tiger Balm, Voltarin Gel, chiropractic, all safer options. Just my opinion, not medical advice.

The doctors I work with are not pain specialists, or back specialists, so mostly they just give a short-term fix and tell the  patients to go elsewhere. People take all kinds of hard drugs for sciatica pain, because it's severe, really miserable, and they want even a short-term relief from the severe pain. I think that messes them up even worse.

A good chiropractor, or a good podiatrist, can tell you if you have one leg longer than the other. The uneven stress may be causing the nerve pinching by bending your back sideways. A shoe insert on the shorter side might help.

Lots of my patients have had X-ray or CT scans, to make sure there isn't something more serious going on in their spine.

I would recommend a good practitioner of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM). Hubby and I have both had amazing results via TCM, for quite a few musculo-skeletal-nerve issues.